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Students get pumped for Houston bike tour

When in motion, police advise bikers to focus on safety on the sidewalks or streets. But while the bikes aren’t in use, students should secure their bikes to designated areas.  |  Bethel Glumac/The Daily Cougar

UH students and professors will participate in the Tour de Houston, a 35-mile bike ride that tours the scenic routes of the city. File Photo/ The Daily Cougar

The Campus Recreation and Wellness Center will put on a 35-mile long bike tour that will take students down some of Houston’s scenic routes and around landmarks from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday.

The Tour de Houston bike trip, organized by the CRWC Outdoor Adventure, will lead students through areas like the Brays Bayou Trail, Hermann Park and Discovery Green for fun and fresh air. Erin Daniels, graduate assistant for the Outdoor Adventure Program, is one of the people in charge of coordinating the bike ride.

“To see the city from a different perspective is what we like to do,” Daniels said. “We usually stop at Discovery Green. It is usually a nice lunch spot.”

There will be four trained group leaders from Outdoor Adventure who will guide the large group to their stops along the way, maintaining flexibility based on the group’s needs and interests.

“It is up to discretion of trip leaders on where they will stop,” Daniels said. “It will be based on when they feel like the group needs a break or around a pretty neat area.”

Outdoor Adventure will provide bicycles so students are able to participate, but participants are expected to provide their own lunch. The only physical requirement is to be able to maintain speeds of 10 mph. Civil engineering senior Mike Rappold is one of the 14 people signed up for the bike ride and thinks that it will be one of the coolest things put on by the Recreation Center.

“I think it is a great opportunity to get out and do something new while being active. I am definitely looking forward to what we will see,” Rappold said.

Outdoor Adventure puts on many activities during the semester, including canoeing, climbing and kayaking trips open to both students and guests. They will host two more activities before the spring semester begins: Kayak Florida in late November and Ski Apache in early January. More information on pricing and registration is online at http://www.uh.edu/recreation/outdoor_adventure.

For Rappold, Tour de Houston is just one step in a potentially exciting journey.

“I am hoping this ride will be worth it,” Rappold said. “If it is, I cannot wait for the next event that they put on.”

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