"Yes, you are on the team" is what immediately went though the mind of Varsity Mountain Bike Team's Head Coach David Wright when he heard that an incoming first year student, Carlin Henikoff, biked 880km to the University of Toronto - St. George campus and into the Varsity Mountain Biking team's first meeting.
 
Carlin and her father, Troy Henikoff, decided to spend the last few days they had before she started her first year of studies at the University of Toronto (UofT) by embarking on an epic cycling journey on a tandem bike from their home in Illinois, USA. The pair pedaled up to 200 kilometers a day. Coach Wright said "As a father I can't think of a better way to send your child off to university. Some memorable quality time for sure. What a story. Bravo to her dad, to her, and to mom!"
 
After having a few days to reflect, Carlin said "Taking advantage of the opportunity to take the scenic route to school helped set a good tone for my years ahead. From the vantage of point A, our end goal of Toronto seemed quite distant and somewhat far-fetched. We ultimately got here by putting our heads down and pedaling, the importance of teamwork, communication, flexibility, and openness to unforeseen paths has come to underlie my everyday decisions in a renewed light. Hopefully, these central pillars will help propel me through my university studies and my involvement with the UofT Mountain Bike team."
 
In terms of her UofT experience so far, Carlin said "I could not be more excited to have such an adventurous, ambitious, and amiable community graciously welcome me into the team and I am so grateful to have them all as my support network for the season ahead!"
 
Carlin will be competing with her new teammates on the Varsity Mountain Bike Team in her first University Cup race this Sunday.

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