A daily commute is a part of everyday life, but it comes in many forms. One of the most sustainable forms is riding a bike, and UNC custodian Nick Wolf rides his bike every day at 4 p.m. and midnight.
Every day he rides his bike into UNC. The ride is a little under 4 miles and takes about 15 minutes. He started riding his bike after he was in a car accident and needed to make a choice about how he’s going to get around town. He ultimately decided to bike, and said it has helped his mood and health.
“Truthfully, no matter how I feel, good or bad, once I get on that bike and I even take a two, three mile ride, it just really lifts my spirits and the fresh air increased heart beat just makes me feel good,” Wolf said.
Wolf is 61 years old and riding his bike daily has kept him in tip-top shape. That’s not to say that riding his bike doesn’t have some drawbacks. Wolf has developed both Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and a complication with his knee, but he has been able to mitigate both injuries to keep riding.
Wolf isn’t a perfect rider, even though tries to stay safe while riding. For example, he wears a helmet and uses lights at night. He says he really enjoys riding without his hands and riding fast. Due to this, he has gotten in 5 wrecks in the last two years, but he’s been able to bounce back successfully. He also rides home at night, which has some dangers as well.
He has to ride home after his shift ends a little past midnight. He says that it isn’t too bad a ride, because it’s mostly downhill on the way back and because late spring is his favorite weather to ride in. He has to bundle up during winter, which isn’t always the most comfortable, and it can get pretty hot during the summer, even at night.
But the heat doesn’t stop his riding. In fact, he rides even more in warmer weather.
“Depending on how many miles, because at this point it’s probably about eight miles a day. But in the summertime, it usually ramps up to about 30 a day,” Wolf said.
He rides his bike so much that he has needed to get it replaced.
“It’s a very quality bike and I’m sure it’ll serve me because I’ve worn out like three of them so far in the last five years.”
Another of Wolf’s passions is photography. He’s been taking pictures since he was a teenager and called himself “a student of light.” He would take his film camera and set up different lightings of rocks to study how photography works with light. He eventually moved to using a digital camera, which he prefers over the meticulous process of developing film.
Wolf’s passions often work together. While he would never take photos while riding his bike, he makes sure to keep his eyes peeled for photo opportunities.
“But being on my bike helps me to see opportunities for photos that I can actually go back on and start my bike and take the photo. And so I have a lot of memories stored up of locations around this town that are very impressive to me as a photographer too.”
If you want to see some of his photography, you can find him on instagram with the handle @nicks_picks_photography.
Both his photography and cycling help Wolf meet new people and make friends. His bike is a conversation starter, and his photos help him see the world in a new perspective. Furthermore, being on a bike allows him to talk with people more than a car would allow. While the pandemic didn’t really affect his cycling, it did make him feel lonelier, as he couldn’t meet new people.
