Profiles of MSU Cyclists

Thomas Baumann

Physicist, NSCL/Cyclotron Lab | web site | Video Interview

Thomas touring one early morning. photo © by Jon Bonofiglio, 2001 Click to enlarge...

Thomas stopped by the Center on one of his river-trail rides with his son and daughter, summer 2007.

One of Thomas' latest riding machines; his winter spec'd Cannondale Bad Boy. Click the pic for more of this awesome machine....

Growing up in Germany, the bicycle always has been a viable means of transportation for me. Instead of using the bus, I cycled to school. I even cycled home from university for the weekends together with my brother, a 50-km trip each way, fully loaded with dirty clothes (always) and homework (sometimes).

My brother and I did also do many self-supported trips through Germany and other countries in Europe, the most memorable being a trip from our home town in Northern Germany to the Outer Hebrides in Scotland, which kept us pedaling for 40 days.

Since I came to MSU the first time in 1993 as a visiting student, I took part in the DALMAC bike ride. The picture on the left shows me during the 2001 DALMAC in the morning fog. I came back to MSU in 1999 and now am a staff member at the Cyclotron Lab. If I don't walk to work I commute by bicycle.

Cycling concerns: Although the bicycle would be the perfect mode of transportation for many people that travel on campus, it can be challenging at times. There is still not an adequate traffic concept in place that accomodates bicycles, although efforts are under way (like the MSU Bike Project) to change this. Another problem is the lack of acceptance of cyclists among most motorists. Most cyclists, on the other hand, are not aware of their rights and prefer to use the sidewalks (which is more dangerous). So there's a lot of work to be done, and the Bike Project hopefully is able to raise the awareness level!