The Rush of Cycling

Daniel Leal stopped his bike outside the Baptist Student Ministry’s parking lot in Edinburg to wait for traffic to clear. Once it did, he took off. As he turned, like magic, a car sideswiped his front wheel. The 26-year-old turned and slammed into the vehicle, falling onto his back,  he was not wearing a helmet. The owner of the car stepped out and spoke to Leal. The mass communication student said he told the driver he was going to call the cops. However, to avoid further conflict, Leal asked  for money for painkillers and groceries. The man gave him $40 and left. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 857 bicyclists were killed in the United States in 2018. This was about a 6.3% increase from 2017. Leal could have been one of them. Leal said he loves bike riding around the multi-terrain Rio Grande Valley. His passion for cycling stems from his desire for exploration. Leal started biking in small areas near his neighborhood. He expanded his radius to across town. Now, Leal has traveled across the RGV.

It all started at  the end of his junior year in high school when Leal said he got his cousin’s Cruiser Roadmaster bike, which they left at his grandparents’ house. The grandfather offered it to Leal, and he accepted it. Traveling around Harlingen became easier, and soon, he befriended people with similar interests in cycling.

They also showed Leal ‘Line of Sight’ by producer and cyclist Lucas Brunelle. “It just sent me down this whole different rabbit hole of cycling,” Leal said. The video influenced Leal’s interest in fixed gear bikes. It’s a type of bike that offers more manual control of direction, according to Pure Cycles, a bicycle shop in Los Angeles. “It was super fascinating to me how simple bikes can be but how fast they can go,” Leal said. This allowed him to network with more cyclists in the RGV.

A local bus driver acknowledging Leal snapping a photo. Courtesy of Daniel Leal. 

The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley student has also planned and accomplished lengthy distances. One time, he and his friends Daniel Cruz and Joshua Castillo planned a bike trip from Edinburg to South Padre Island during Memorial Day weekend. Before the trip, they outlined the safest route, requested time off from their respective jobs, and stocked up on supplies like water, snacks, and a bicycle pump. They left around 5 a.m. to “beat the heat.” When they arrived in Harlingen around 11 a.m., the sun was well overhead. In Los Fresnos, they said they felt the lack of electrolytes in their bodies. Leal said the group felt defeated at one point. However, they fought through and made it to Port Isabel. “It was just a huge relief for all of us once we saw the water,” Leal said while he placed his hand onto his chest and laughed. Castillo called his girlfriend to pick them up and they headed to the island.

Apart from building a network and traveling, cycling also came with physical change.  Leal said when he started, he was a “heavier set guy. “It was the bike that helped me drop weight,” he said. His interest in nutrition also grew because he wanted to improve his skills in cycling. Riding his bike also helped him with his mental health. Leal said that he gets anxious. Once he gets on, it calms him. Riding also influences his mood. “I’ve had times where I don’t ride for a couple of days,” Leal said. “I feel like it makes me almost irritable. It just … helps me breathe. It gives me a scene of releasing dopamine.” One time, during a trip from McAllen to Brownsville, Leal said he yelled because he felt free.

Leal said he’s spoken to his parents about what he does. He was surprised that his mother was OK with his long bike rides. But she often worries because of the many remote rural areas throughout the RGV. Leal said he encountered “sketchy” spots while traveling. “I was out in Rio Hondo, kind of like ranch-farmland area, and there was just this random car out there,” Leal said. “Nobody was out there, but me and this other person, and I’m defenseless.” Leal added that his father does not like his long rides. “In his perspective, there’s someone with a gun,” Leal said. “That’s a possibility, but I’m not a threat to anybody. I don’t go out. [putting] myself where I’m going to upset somebody, and they pull out a gun.”

The avid cyclist has also seen how multicultural the Valley is during his travels and the vast communities that form the area. He found that a lot of people are friendly. Leal said the people were shocked  with the distance he covered. “Some people stop and say, ‘Oh, wow, someone is actually riding their bike all the way out here,’” Leal said. After seeing the RGV on his bike, he said he’s learn learned more about himself. “It’s just an incredible feeling when you get to [bike],” he said. “Those little rides around the block become this huge thing you want to keep on chasing.” The UTRGV student is working on his next adventure with Castillo. They plan on cycling from McAllen to the Falcon State Park in Roma, Texas, about a five-to-six-hour bike ride, according to Google Maps.