It’s the 3:15 afternoon bell, everyone is packing up their books and papers, ready to head home either on their bus or on their car, but there is a group of teachers, that instead of ending their day at this time, decide to take on an adrenaline seeking adventure to cycle down Palmas or an endurance challenge towards la Pintada. This group of people has a name, and they are known as the Bici Bros. It consists of several teachers at the TCS,  led by Jeremy Gleason, aka Teamleadgleas. Cycling has gained popularity not only in Colombia but also in the TCS community, by both students and teachers.

Each teacher has its own unique story as to how they started out in cycling, some started since little and some just started very recently, either way, they are all passionate about the sport in about the same way. Gleason, the team leader, started biking August of last year. “I started because I didn’t like taking the bus,” said Gleason. Although this is the main reason, he instantly fell in love with cycling as he says “its a pretty unique route like the hill up to the school and you get a beautiful view when the sun is rising, it’s just kind of a nice way to start the day.” He also loves the sport as it allows him to stay in shape and have adventures at the same time. According to Forbes, people who cycle to work were associated with very large health benefits “They also had a 46% lower risk of developing and a 52% lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, and a 45% lower risk of developing and a 40% lower risk of dying from cancer.” This type of activity not only benefits himself to be a much healthier person, but also is a way to inspire good habits and exercise in his students. Although starting to cycle recently might be the story for Gleason, it’s not the story for everyone.

Other teachers have different stories as to how they got into the sport. Andrew Ambron, TCS 10th and 12th grade teacher, for example, started biking since he was a kid. “I’ve always like rode bicycles quite a bit since I was a kid, but mostly just around my neighborhood, or getting to school. From the time when I was around kindergarten and all the way through college, I would use a bicycle for transportation,” said Ambron. But when Ambron arrived at school he didn’t have any plans to start cycling again like he did in the old days as he said, “I didn’t really have plans to get a bicycle and I was pretty intimidated when I would see Trent and Gleason ride up Las Palmas, but eventually the idea kept growing on me to do something that was adrenaline seeking.” Since April of last year, Ambron has been passionate about the sport all over again, reminding him of his childhood days where he would bike and snowboard.

Although elementary school 2nd grade teacher Trentino Parcells’ story is similar it has some unique characteristics that no one else has. “I’ve ridden bikes pretty much my whole life, I’ve always been a lover of bikes,” said Parcells. Even though he is very experienced about biking, he didn’t always bike in his hometown, “I lived in Mexico for 4 years before I came to Medellin and in Mexico it’s flat, and I mostly was an urban rider, so I rode through the city,” said Parcells. As Mexico city is such extensive, he could ride for 50 kilometers and still be in the city, as the contrary to Medellin. Parcells prefers the diverse environment and landscapes that Medellin has to offer as he says, “I personally like it better here, kind of with the hills, I use the term magical as I go from my house at about 1500 meters above sea level, and within 90 minutes, I’ve gone up 1000 meters. The weather has changed, the views of the city and the air.” Cycling is a very diverse sport that can contribute a lot to the people who do it, health and experiences that you can only live by riding a bike. Being able to enjoy the landscape that Medellin and whole Colombia provides, and live the city from a completely different perspective.

As school teachers are such a big part of student’s lives, they are also able to leave a positive mark behind in their own students and the people that surround them, and the Bici Bros are doing exactly that. The Bici Bros gang not only act as role models to their own students, but to the whole TCS, as they are not only able to encourage a health benefitting exercise, but also show that they are an active part in the Ecolumbus movement. These role models make part of a movement that not many people are aware of and certainly, this movement can have a very positive effect on the entire TCS community.