Sometimes it takes a little patience to get what we want.
For Daniel Harcha, it took a semester of persistence and waiting before he was able to get a position at his perfect on-campus job: working at the Student Government Free Bike Repair station.
Now in his second year helping to run the popular, student-based service, this senior mechanical engineering major can be found tinkering with bike parts and helping students fix issues ranging from flat tires and faulty brakes to broken chains.
“This job is great because it never feels like a job,” Harcha said. “It’s easy, fun and lets you help all different kinds of people.”
With a work playlist pumping out everything from Bob Dylan to electric house music from his laptop sitting nearby, the time spent repairing bikes between classes passes quickly, helping him to get back to his favorite pastime: cycling.
Gainesville’s bike scene is prevalent from the crowded crosswalks across campus to the students sitting with their road bikes at coffee shops downtown, and there are plenty of people interested in using an alternative to a car thanks to the city’s infamous lack of parking. But Harcha says he’s not into biking for the social or environmental aspect; he’s in it to race.
After a serious on-campus cycling accident sidelined him in 2009, Harcha had to return home for an entire semester to recover from injuries. Instead of letting the experience keep him away from the sport, he instead used it to promote cycling safety and awareness to others around campus.
“After sitting at home and not being able to get out and do anything for weeks, I was ready to get out there and prove that I wasn’t going to let something like this hold me back,” Harcha said.
Now armed with the knowledge of how much wearing a helmet can help reduce the risk of serious bike-related injuries, he encourages everyone he knows to wear a helmet if they are riding – no matter how ugly and uncomfortable they think helmets can be.
“If you’re going to be on a bike – even if you’re just riding across the street – you should have a helmet on. You never know what’s going to happen, and it’s better to be safe than in the hospital,” Harcha said.
If you can’t see yourself wearing one of the clunky, standard helmet designs, Harcha says it is better to just suck it up and spend the extra cash on a more expensive but better-looking helmet if it means you’ll be more likely to wear it.
Now a member of the Team Florida cycling team, Harcha helps cyclists of all skill levels to train for races and find some of the best riding paths around the city. The team takes group rides three times a week and will be hosting their first race of the semester, the Super Coolest Mountain Bike Race, Oct. 8 and 9.
“Cycling is something that I do because I love spending time with other people who love it,” Harcha said. “There’s nothing like going on a mountain trail ride and hanging out with friends then eating and having fun when we finish.”
To learn more about the Team Florida Cycling Club, visit teamfloridacycling.wordpress.com.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UFL chapter.