Make a 'wheelie awesome smoothie'

A bike-powered blender - what a wheelie awesome idea. Students, faculty and staff can pedal a bike-powered blender to make a free smoothie on Tuesday, May 10, when the Adventure Center presents “Wheelie Awesome Smoothies” from 12-3 p.m. on Spaights Plaza.

UBike Coordinator Derrick Henry and Adventure Center employee Kyle Schulz joked around with turning a bicycle into a bike-powered blender.

“I saw bikes similar to our bike-powered blender a couple of years ago,” says Henry. “Kyle Schulz brought the idea up to me earlier this semester, and together, we decided this would be a great idea. ”

A number of trial and error modifications occurred, says Henry. The bike-powered blender took about 15 hours to create.

Students will not find Henry pedaling the bike-powered blender on Tuesday.

“If students want a free smoothie, they will have to work for a smoothie,” says Henry. “Don’t worry, it’s easy and stationary. It takes the same amount of time as a normal blender.”

The UBike program will also display energy consumption information at the event to educate and encourage the UWM community to make biking part of their lifestyle.

“UBike is designed with the intention to provide students with free bikes for a semester and build a biking lifestyle,” says Program Manager Rebecca Grassl. “We want the UWM community to be aware of their health, the community and the environment.”

UWM Restaurant Operations is co-sponsoring this event and providing the smoothie ingredients to showcase its commitment to sustainability at UWM.

The Adventure Center arranges off-campus adventures, trips and activities that push beyond the city and connect with the outdoors. Programs include camping, team-building, student wellness, ski trips, spelunking, biking tours, rock climbing and riding the mystery bus. Find out more about the Adventure Center: www.aux.uwm.edu/Union/adventure_center