Student spent summer biking and building

When IU junior Mike Dits’ tire reached Santa Cruz, Calif., it marked the end of an 81-day bike journey from Charleston, S.C.

The Kelley School of Business triple major spent his summer biking and building affordable housing with Bike and Build, a non-profit, service-oriented cycling trip organizer.

Dits, who had never cycled before, heard of Bike and Build from his older brother. After an expensive application fee, about six essays and a lot of paperwork, Dits said he was ready to spend his summer on the road.

“When I was younger, my dad had one of those huge Schwinn bikes, but it was nothing at all like road biking,” Dits said.

Riders have to commit to at least 500 miles before the trip to get acclimated to cycling.
“I trained for about a month and a half before the trip,” he said.

“As summer drew near, I had to tell my IU rugby coach that I had to focus on cycling. I cycled inside at the HPER and SRSC until I got my bike and then got as many miles in as possible.”

There was a lot to learn about biking in that month before the trip, he said, such as maintenance and riding in a style called spinning.

Dits said every rider had to raise $4,000 for affordable housing projects, but some of that money paid for the rider’s bike.

“There are four ways the money is donated,” he said. “Each rider has $500 to donate to any affordable housing charity of their choice, so I chose the Monroe County Habitat for Humanity.”

The riders also donated on the road, giving it to the churches or other places they stayed. Organizations could apply to get grants from Bike and Build.

The 32 riders spent a week in Colorado Springs, Colo., building a house alongside a single mother and her son, who were the recipients.

“It was amazing to see these young adults fund and build this house,” Dits said.

Along the road, there were always adventures waiting to happen, he said.

“It was a great trip in that there wasn’t a strict schedule,” he said. “We had a curfew, but there was a lot of freedom, especially when we were riding.”

Kara Alhadeff, another rider and a senior at Boston University, did not know anyone on the trip before they left, but she said the riders are trying to keep in touch.

“When you’re forced to live with 31 people for 81 days, you get to know them,” she said. “It’ll be difficult to keep in touch, but we’ve talked about a reunion trip through Mississippi.”

The riders ended their trip in Santa Cruz, Calif., and because Dits was one of four trip leaders, he drove a support vehicle back across the country he had just cycled across.

“I’m still adjusting to a normal life where I’m sleeping (in) the same place every night,” he said.