going the distance

Sophomore Karan Vatwani maintains his bike well and learns life lessons

by luke lochmoeller oudoors editor

From constantly falling down while learning to ride a bike with his father to now biking around 40 miles almost daily, sophomore Karan Vatwani has taken a massive interest in cycling since he learned to ride as a child.

“I learned how to bike when I was around 4 or 5 years old, and my dad and I spent a lot of time biking,” Vatwani said. “He was the one that taught me. I don’t really remember how it went down, as I was really little, but I do remember it consisting of a lot of falling.”

As he grew up, Vatwani fell in love with biking. The sport quickly became a huge part of his life, shifting first from mountain biking to street street biking, then to both.

“Biking is my favorite hobby because I could talk about it forever,” Vatwani said. “I pretty much build my own bike, so I can change whatever I feel like and kind of do it myself which I enjoy.”

Even though cycling is an individual sport, Vatwani has still made a lot of lifelong friendships and connections. Vatwani bikes for a club through Wheelhouse Bicycle, a bike shop through which he is able to compete in races.

“I’ve made a lot of friends through my bike shop; it’s really easy to make friends with other bikers because we all have the same interests,” Vatwani said. “Riding with them or not, you can talk about anything.”

Vatwani has implemented biking into his everyday schedule. He makes sure to continue training every day, no matter the conditions.

Breaking Down The Bike

Carbon Fber Wheels

ish my day, then during the evening depending how I feel, I will take a short ride.”

For Vatwani, biking has helped him in many ways. Rather than biking just for enjoyment or exercise, it has become a stress reliever and a time where he can sit with his thoughts or free his mind of anything negative.

“If I get mad or annoyed about something, instead of taking it out on someone else by accident, I just go outside and ride my bike,” Vatwani said. “[Biking] makes me feel a lot better really quickly.”

Carbon Fber Handlebars

Biking has become a sense of security for Vatwani. It has helped him through tough times, and it is something that will stay by his side his whole life.

“When it’s colder outside, I have a smart trainer; I can just take the back wheel off and ride my bike inside,” Vatwani said. “When it’s warmer out or during the summer, I will leave early in the morning and usually bike 30 to 40 miles, which takes about two and a half to three hours. Then I will come back, fin- p

Karan’s water almost doubles the weight of the bike

“If anything really ever makes me upset or just stresses me out, biking is my favorite way to just get rid of that,” Vatwani said. “The only thing I think about on my rides is just where I’m going next and clear everything else.”