Bicycles are awesome. So awesome, in fact, that it is almost impossible to forget how to ride one. Or so the saying goes. Bicycles give a person the opportunity to travel great distances in a fraction of the time it would take them on foot.

A good bike ride tones the legs and clears the mind. Einstein even claimed to have thought of the theory of relativity while riding his bike.

Not only is bike riding an opportunity for reflection, it’s a great cardio work out. It also enables students to sleep in ever so much later and still get to class on time.

Sophomore Dan Enright chooses his bicycle as his main means of transportation. Enright rides around on a Felt Dispatch bicycle.

“I ride my bicycle instead of driving because my bike allows me to go wherever I want, and it doesn’t take that long. It keeps me in shape and the price of gas does not mean a thing to me. Also, it’s a lot of fun,” Enright said.

Enright doesn’t even have his driver’s license. “You get a sense of freedom riding a bike that isn’t present when driving around in a vehicle,” Enright said.

If you haven’t noticed, more and more bicycles have been sprouting up on campus. More and more students have realized the nirvana that is the two-wheeled mobilization machine. Unfortunately, in the midst of bicycles sprouting up all around, many of them are sprouting legs.

Last year, Gustavus Campus Safety started a bike registration program in an attempt to locate more stolen bikes.

“[The campus was] having a lot of bicycles that were disappearing, and this program was a quick way to find and recover bicycles,” Director of Campus Safety Ray Thrower said.

The new program requires that any students, faculty or staff who have bicycles on campus register them upon arrival. The registration is free and never expires.

Bikes that are stolen are usually not secured properly, if at all. Because of this, it is easy for thieves to get a hold of them. While often times stolen bikes are found abandoned on campus or sitting outside of other buildings, campus is not the only place they wind up.

“A lot of times what happens is the bikes are stolen and then taken down the hill and off campus,” Thrower said. Because of this, all registered bicycle information is shared with the St. Peter Police Department.

“[Campus Safety has] recovered more bicycles since the program [has been] implemented,” Thrower said. Though the program makes it easier for bikes to be found once taken, it has not deferred thefts from occurring.

“If a bicycle is not secured, a thief will take it whether it is registered or not,” Thrower said.

Campus Safety stressed that students get a good lock. Cheap locks like chains are easily broken and can leave a bicycle vulnerable to theft. Stronger, more durable U locks are encouraged. Bicycle locks can be purchased at cost from the Book Mark.

Although this program is meant to help in the recovery of lost or stolen bicycles, the college assumes no responsibility for bicycles.

If you have any comments or suggestions for the bicycle program (like maybe a bike rack outside of Confer/Vickner, for example), don’t hesitate to contact Thrower at rthrower@gac.edu.