Jocson, Ernz Joseph C.

11-Bagtikan

Manalo, Audric Blyke C. SH-Res 1

Mercado, Mark Aaron G. 12/2/2019

Participant Interview Regarding

Bikers in the Forestry

Many people, students or adults, like to bike in Forestry, University of the

Philippines Los Banos. We were curious as to why people like to bike there even if the
road is gets very steep so we interviewed a college student who bikes regularly in forestry.
The interview was conducted in carabao park, after one of our members (the interviewer),
actually experienced biking with the interviewee in forestry. The interview lasted for only
12 minutes because the interviewee didn’t have much trouble answering all of our
questions.

To start, we asked the interviewee for his time and then asked him to introduced
himself. His name is Vince, he is 21 years old, he studies computer science in UPLB and
is currently living in a dorm in Forestry. After he introduced himself, we started asking him
question. In our first question we asked him why, as a biker, does he choose forestry as
his biking location. He said that mainly because he resides there but sometimes it’s also
because he has people who wants to bike with him or simply just to exercise. Our next
question was how often he bikes. He said that it depends on his schedule but usually he
bikes every day except Wednesdays because he only has one class. We asked him who
he usually bikes with and whether he prefers to do it alone or with others. He said usually
he bikes alone and he prefers it that way because its more peaceful and it’s one of his
only times for himself especially when living with loud dormmates. The next question is
why he bikes going down from forestry rather than using a public utility jeepney. His
answer was simple, he told us that he wants to save the jeepney fare so he’d rather use
a bike. He also told us that sometimes, the jeepneys in Forestry take too long unlike
jeepneys headed to Calamba, because of this he gets very impatient. After that, we asked
him what preparations he does before he goes for a ride. He prepares a handkerchief,
water, extra shirts, a helmet, and his outfit because some of his clothes are not fit or
appropriate for biking. He also brings common bike equipment like his biking gloves. We
asked him whether he enjoys biking and immediately he answered yes. It is the only
exercise he gets and whenever college gets too stressful, he uses biking as a way to vent
out his stress. We also asked him if he bikes with his family during weekends but
apparently his family lives in Santa Rosa and they’re not as athletic to join him. Our next
question we asked was whether his stamina has improved because of biking in forestry,
and to no surprise, he said that because he bikes every day, and that we know that regular
exercise improves your body, yes, his stamina improved. After this we asked if he would
recommend forestry to others as a good biking spot. He answered that he does
recommend it especially for city bikers because it is very peaceful and even it is always
usually cold in Forestry. We then asked him if he thinks that these city bikers would have
trouble in Forestry because it is an uphill road. He told us that yes, they would find difficulty
at first but it also improves stamina which could help them get used to the uphill road. He
asked him to tell us what are other benefits of biking in forestry that other biking spots
lack and if not forestry, what other spots does he recommend for biking. He enumerated
that it is peaceful in forestry, and that the uphill climb is a very exciting path to take as a
biker. For the recommendation he answered jamboree because it’s similar to forestry, its
uphill and very peaceful. We asked him what he could say to those who want to try cycling.
He told us that for those people who want to get into cycling, they must take the proper
preparations because at the start its both mentally and physically challenging because
the physical fatigue could also lessen motivation. We asked if he has experienced any
difficulties. He told us that sometimes drivers don’t notice him because he doesn’t have
a bell or lights on his bike. He also said that he’s been in an accident before so he’s very
careful now. Our next question was about which day has the most bikers going up in
Forestry. He said that usually plenty of people only bike there during the weekends
because of school or work but during vacations, there are lots of people everyday. We
then asked for his observations on the attire of bikers going up to forestry. He observed
that a lot of people wear complete attire with the sunglasses, masks, and all. He assumes
that these people are not from forestry because the bikers from forestry usually just wear
normal or casual clothes. Then for our final question, we asked whether he sees students
or adults biking in forestry more often. He told us that he’s not sure because some
students could look like adults and the adults like students. After the final question, we
guaranteed confidentiality and anonymity, then we gave our thanks and left.

Based on the interview, one can say that one could find it difficult to bike in the
forestry because the way is uphill. Although it is tiring, it is worth it when going down
because you wouldn’t need to pedal as it is straight downhill. A lot of people seem to like
forestry as a destination to bike as it is a good way to increase ones’ stamina. It is also
good to know that a lot of bikers nowadays seems to wear a complete cycling attire. Even
I bike at forestry on my vacation with my classmates, not only forestry but also in Picard,
what Vince said was true, it was both physically and mentally tiring in the beginning. Biking
overall is fun but one should be wary and always wear complete cycling uniform to prevent
major injuries.