Math teacher bikes out on the road

Most students know Michele Drouin as the math teacher. It is hard to guess by Drouin’s occupation that she is also an avid road biker.

According to Drouin, she began biking in her late teens while she was a student at UC Santa Cruz. She chose to bike around school rather than take the bus.

About four or five years ago Drouin received her first road bike and ever since then she has just been out on the road.

There are many aspects of road biking that Drouin enjoys such as the challenges of climbing up a hill and sprinting. The challenge of climbing is going up a hill and breathing is still possible while the challenge of sprinting is biking as fast as possible in a short distance. Spending time with nature is a health benefit that comes with road biking.

“The challenge of sprinting is just the sense of accomplishment you get when you get to the top of a really tough hill and can still breathe,” Drouin said. “I just enjoy being outdoors and being on two wheels.”

Drouin often checks the weather before she goes out to bike. In the summer, she bikes three or four times a week. During the winter, she signs up for a class at the gym to keep her endurance up.

“I’m only out there two times a month [during the winter] if that just because friends want to go,” Drouin said. “That’s the only reason I’d put on the cold gear to go out there.”

Bike routes that Drouin takes are around Los Gatos, Almaden and Saratoga. In Saratoga she bikes up Pierce Road to the Mountain Winery. These bike rides usually last around one hour to three hours. This all depends on how steep the hill is and whether she is on a 25 mile or 40 mile route.

Drouin enjoys the solitude of biking alone. But if she’s not alone, she’ll bring one or two friends who ride at the same level.

“It’s kind of like running. If you don’t run at the same pace you end up dropping somebody,” Drouin said. “You want to find people to ride with that are at your same ability so when you go on a ride you can stay together.”