Beer Bike comes barreling back for 2021

Photo by Jeff Fitlow

The annual relay race took place across two days

Beer Bike has been a part of the Rice identity since 1957. And last year, it was canceled for the first time in its history due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

But thanks to dedicated students and staff, the annual cycling relay race returned for 2021. The grand act of coordination culminated in a two-day event April 10 and 11 that incorporated social distancing guidelines while ensuring its large audience could watch remotely via livestream.

“A lot of our work definitely happened before the races began,” said McMurtry College sophomore Isabel Tu, who worked with fellow Beer Bike campus coordinator Michelle Martinez, a Hanszen College junior, to organize the event across multiple colleges and departments. “To be able to work with all of these groups and fit it all together, it’s just really rewarding right now to see it all pay off.”

Rice President David Leebron and Dean of Undergraduates Bridget Gorman were among those cheering in person from the sidelines, while thousands more tuned in via livestream and cheered on their colleges via chat.

The ability to safely host Beer Bike this year was a tribute to how seriously Rice students treated the pandemic, Gorman said. COVID-19 rates on campus have remained low throughout 2020 and 2021, while vaccination rates in the Rice community are increasing daily.

“This is 100% because of the students,” Gorman said. “They’ve been very diligent, they’ve been very caring and they’ve been very community oriented, which is frankly no less than I would expect from them.”

Redesigns to the traditional Beer Bike format necessitated two days of competition this year instead of one: Three colleges competed at a time across four separate races, with only five bikers and chuggers per team (down from the usual eight). Only three cyclists racing at a time eliminated the need for the “catcher” position on the pit crew, further reducing the number of people on the track at once.

The teams were smaller, but that didn’t dampen their spirits. Baker College senior Pranav Khemka said he was excited to be able to ride for his college’s team and participate in what is a seminal event for Rice students.

“It’s quite possibly the biggest celebration that happens on campus every year,” Khemka said. “It doesn’t get any better than this.”

Photo by Jeff Fitlow
Photo by Jeff Fitlow

As Rice looks forward to a more normal fall semester, outlined recently by Leebron in a March 30 letter to the community, look for a return to form for Beer Bike, too.

“Because of the vaccines, we’re looking forward to next year and what will hopefully be a more normal Beer Bike,” Gorman said.

But this year, she said, it’s all about recognizing what Rice students were able to accomplish under such extraordinary circumstances: They weren’t going to let their fellow Owls go one more year without that all-important Beer Bike.

“I couldn’t be prouder of our students,” Gorman said.

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