Heat radiates from of the asphalt as spectators yell and scream. Bright colored uniforms sparkle in the distance. The boys kick into high gear as the finish approaches, turning their pedals over and over as fast as they can, sunlight reflecting off the spokes. This is the cycling life of junior Ian Dickson.

Dickson grew interested in biking at a young age, riding around town fully for his own enjoyment, including an interest in mountain biking for a short time. It was nothing serious, and quickly dissipated. But once that lost its novelty, he had a sudden want to try a road bike instead. That want was answered one day when he passed a parking lot and noticed an old, unlocked and untouched steel frame, wheels and handlebars intact.

“I passed it again for five or six days, and since no one had touched it, I brought it home,” Dickson said. “My Mom scolded me and made me return it to the police station, which, since no one claimed it, I got it back six months later. From there I took it out on rides.”

It was not long before he got involved with Tieni Duro Junior Cycling, a low key club based out of Walnut Creek. During the summer, he would accompany his teammates and go out on Sunday bike rides. On Wednesdays, they would climb Mount Diablo in the afternoon.

Every member of the team has freedom over their availability for practices. They can go with the group or out on their own.

“[The schedule] is actually really open. You’re free to show up once or twice all year, but most people are coming every week because they all love biking,” Dickson said.

Now that he has been cycling for a while, he has also developed experience with his equipment and has learned what suits him best. He emphasizes the importance of taking care of your equipment so that it does not get permanently damaged. It is beneficial to be informed.

“You don’t need to know a lot [about your bike], but it is definitely helpful,” Dickson said. “You do need to know how to maintain your bike like cleaning it and replacing the chain, otherwise stuff will break, which I found when I didn’t replace a chain for almost a year.”

He ended up having to replace everything, not just the chain, since he had effected one component but that hindered all the others.

Although he loves the sport, the physical and mental aspects of cycling are very lopsided, Dickson said.

The mental perseverance that comes with the sport is more than half the battle. The constant physical exertion and stress it puts on his body is what taxes him the most, so when he can access the will to complete each workout he is aware it will only make him stronger, both on the outside and in his head.

“Going into this I had no idea how much of a mental sport it was,” Dickson said. “Your thoughts keep telling you to quit and drop out. You really have to tell yourself ‘I’m going to get this. I’m going to try and win’.”

As for racing, participation is one hundred percent optional. Cyclists from the team can enter a race for the sole purpose of it being fun. However, when Ian or any of his teammates would like to race, they must remember that there are a lot of unique strategies to wear their opponents out. Team alumni make visits to practice on their own time to teach these important tools of race efficiency.

“Race smart, not hard. If you know how to race smart, you can win,” said Jason Kent, Ian’s coach.

Dickson knows he comes from a smaller minority of students at the school who bike. He feels sometimes he has to “explain himself” when people ask what he does, and that biking is in fact a sport.

He thinks it is unique and fun to be part of such a small group, but wishes now and then that there were more students who he would be able to talk with in depth about the topic. He is interested in the triathlon club and would like to try a team triathlon eventually.