Bike Ride with the Rector is one of the most beloved and storied traditions at ITMO. For the past 12 years, every June and September, ITMO staff and students have come together to put classes and work tasks on pause, get that vitamin D, enjoy the views of the Gulf of Finland, and spend some time in great company.

The traditional route goes as follows: starting from the entrance to Primorsky Victory Park, it takes participants to Gazprom Arena, then up Yakhtenny Bridge, and through 300th Anniversary Park towards Lakhta Center.

However, it wasn’t just cycling – there was time for a chat, too! We’ve caught up with several participants to ask how the Bike Ride changes their day-to-day.

Ivan Terekhin

a first-year student of computer science and computing hardware

I’m not big on sports for health reasons, but cycling is a different thing – I do it often and enjoy it very much. At the moment, I have several more exams to take and this takes up all my thoughts. But when I learned about the Bike Ride, I immediately thought it would be a good opportunity to take a breather and forget about exams for at least one evening. What’s more, here I can meet students from different fields, who I don’t usually see in class.

Elena Sukhorukova

a lecturer in game development at ITMO.KIDS

I’ve been working at ITMO for only a year, but I already love the atmosphere here. There’s always something going on and the people are very passionate and open. Moreover, I’m an avid cyclist. I came here first of all for the vibe, as I knew that there’ll be a great group of active people here, great both for chats and for companionable silence while we conquer the route.

Polina Dogunkova

PR manager at KronBars student sports club

I’m part of a sports club, so I’m quite an active person, but I can’t remember the last time I was on a bike. This is my first Bike Ride with the Rector. I haven’t been at ITMO for long, but as soon as I heard about the ride, I decided that I was going. And look at this weather – it would be impossible to sit at home on such a day; I’m glad to be spending this evening in such great company.

The absolute star of the 23rd Bike Ride was the tandem bike listed in the Russian Book of Records. It’s 6.3 meters long, 1.7 meters wide, weighs around 150-200 kg, and can accommodate 11 people, with one of them at the helm. This vehicle was assembled by St. Petersburg engineer Igor Baronas.

I built this bike last year specifically for the ZSD Fontanka Fest (an annual cycling event on the city’s Western High-Speed Diameter; this year it was held on May 30 – Ed.). At that time, it was also included in the Russian Book of Records as the biggest tricycle in the country. I love sports: I practice triathlon, running, swimming, swimrunning, as well as alpine and cross-country skiing. As for cycling, I don’t just enjoy the sport, but also build unique vehicles. When Roman Selishchev, the head of ITMO’s cycling club, invited me to join the ride, I happily accepted the invitation. I wanted to show students what bikes can look like. I believe student life needs to be diverse and include not just studies and exams, but also events like this one, where they can try something new and unusual.