It's summertime in the Pacific Northwest, where striking blue skies meet towering green tree lines and the dreary, drizzly days of the rigorous school year have departed with the clouds. A disorienting amount of freedom and lack of coursework have left me itching for activity and routine — two words I wouldn’t use to describe my junior year at the University of Oregon. 

Year three wasn’t just hard; at times, it felt impossible. Academically, physically, socially and emotionally, it was the most challenging, painful and heartbreaking stretch of my short life. Less than a month before fall term began, I encountered inexplicable health complications that would hamper my well-being for the duration of the school year, breeding intense periods of depression and anxiety foreign to my past life. Relationships, treatments, thesis work and endless papers came and went. 

In many respects, I have overcome this battle, and I’m unbelievably proud of myself. As the mountains of tears and trauma fade into memory, I’ve decided to shake things up. It’s time for something new, so why not make it big. Welcome to summer cyclist  — a column exploring my newfound love of biking and my lofty recreational aspiration: to ride from Portland to Eugene in a day.

Growing up, I was a little ball of energy. I loved climbing, running, jumping and competing in any way possible. A daily commitment to sports and exercise accompanied me to college. For far too long, that commitment was sidelined by illness. While I still occasionally suffer from my bizarre health concerns, I no longer let them deter me from experiencing life. Near the end of spring term, I decided to brush the dust off the pedals of my dad’s rickety relic and cruise along the West Bank Path along the Willamette River. I felt free. And for the first time in forever, I felt zero pain.

Over the final few weeks of the school year, I used any free afternoon I had to cycle it out, sticking to the same trail and blasting my freshly compiled summer playlists. I completed the 10-mile round trip nearly 10 times, encountering swarms of unbothered ducks and geese, competitively racing past fellow riders and taking many a mid-ride dip in the ice-cold drink to ease the burning in my quads. It offered me a distraction from the stress of school and the grueling passage of time, but more importantly, it made me happy — a feeling I was severely lacking. 

I always enjoyed cycling as a kid and I frequently utilize Eugene’s biking infrastructure as a means of transportation. But now I recognize it as something much more: an opportunity to improve my quality of life — from my mood to my health. 

Of course, biking from Portland to Eugene is a long way down the road. It’s going to require a lot of time and training to successfully achieve. In a perfect world, my expedition will take place in mid-September, as I depart the Rose City for the final time before senior year begins. 

The first step towards completing this 145-mile route in the confines of a singular day is acquiring the right gear. After all, my dad’s scrappy hunk of junk might be fast, but it lacks the fortitude for such a journey. 

Following finals week, I returned to my hometown of Portland with the hope of a new whip on the horizon. I convinced my dad, as a treat for completing another arduous year at university and overcoming a swath of obstacles, to help me find and purchase a shiny new toy for my mission. We first traveled to REI, where I tested some styles and quickly decided a road bike wasn’t for me. I needed something light and speedy, but couldn’t sacrifice comfort and familiarity. I landed on the Specialized Sirrus 3.0 — a lightning quick, matte-black hybrid model. 

Now that I’ve realized my ambitions and found my desired bike, the next steps scatter the lengthy trail ahead. It’s time to grind. It’s time to find new routes across the state and take in the beauty. If this year has taught me anything, it’s that there is no limit to what I’m capable of overcoming. Tag along for the ride.