Lincoln Hall Project
Trekking Campus by Bike
By Mike McAuley, BS ’86, business administration
Mostly enjoyed my four years as a business student at U of I. Recall one of my favorite courses at Lincoln Hall. I thoroughly enjoyed my English 104 Intro to Film class in the fall of 1983 taught by graduate student Ellen Brown. Couldn’t believe the passion that this woman had for film! This was waaaaaaay before the Internet and one had to research film background in the Undergrad. I took three film classes directly as a result of Ms. Brown.
My main U of I memory was about all the bike trails/routes around campus. I was always an active cyclist with very little interest in walking to classes. I brought my trusty Sears Free Spirit 10-speed (with curved handlebars, light blue color, and mechanical speedometer/odometer) down for sophomore year. Most amazing was the hundreds and hundreds of cyclists. My hometown was decent sized (about 12,000 people) and I’d see cyclists—but not like this!
I’d pack up my book back with three to four classes of papers/books and zoom off to Lincoln Hall, DKH, the Undergrad, or wherever. Naturally, I’d lock my bike with a basic chain—U-bolt locks were in future years. I was never late to class as I always rode. My roommates thought I was a bit nutty as I brought the bike into the dorm to avoid rain or vandalism.
When time permitted I rode south in the South Farms and beyond. I still recall that smell. Bike never let me down—no chain issues and I don’t recall a single flat.
I’d also ride into Champaign or Urbana and explore the neighborhoods. Champaign had a grand old theater called The Orpheum. Probably built in the 1920s. I patronized the theater a handful of times and was there the last night it was open in 1985. Urbana also had some cool rides...in downtown Urbana was the Elite Diner. The Elite Diner was a cool 1950s diner completely restored. The food was excellent and the decor was like you were in a time warp.
Upon graduating in May of 1986, I packed my bike and my bags and returned to the western suburbs of Chicago. Immediately I hatched a biking adventure!! Found the best maps that were available in mid-1986 (no Internet or GPS or cell phone) and tried to figure out what items I would need. I’d leave my west suburban Chicago house (Woodridge) and ride my free spirit bike 140 miles to C-U. Besides having so-so maps, my bike was very, very heavy at 36 pounds plus a backpack plus myself. A 2012 road bike weighs in at 19 pounds or less and has much more sophisticated equipment.
I gambled on the first day of the ride that I’d have no flats (true) and that there would be a motel somewhere toward the end of the ride (kinda true.) First day went remarkably well and I didn’t miss any crucial turns. Toward 6 p.m. I was out of energy and a huge storm was approaching (I vaguely recall a tornado warning). I stopped at a farmhouse to wait out the storm and the farmer kindly offered to drive me to a local motel—I did not protest...first day 95-100 miles.
Second day was shorter, but every joint hurt and there was sporadic rain. I was able to pull in K-104 FM on the way in to C-U and that helped a lot! There was a TCBY yogurt place near 6th and Green and I staggered in for a well-deserved snack. Rolled into Urbana about 3 p.m. and made it to campus about 30 minutes later.
The views expressed in Storyography are not necessarily those of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences or the University of Illinois.