Being an avid bicyclist has helped Mike Premer get some jobs, like working as a messenger downtown and delivering food for Potbelly in Lincoln Square, but it almost prevented him from getting his summer job.

Premer is a student at Northeastern Illinois University pursuing a major in environmental studies. When a plum internship came up at the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, he was determined to snag the position. His interview went well – until he mentioned that he would be biking to work at the forest preserve, about 17 miles from his apartment in Humboldt Park.

Although a car is not officially required for the job, the interviewer doubted that Premer would be able to get to work four days a week on a bike.

“He told me to go home and think about it, but I didn’t have anything to think about,” Premer said. “I really had to push hard for him to call me back and to seriously consider me for the position.”

Premer ended up getting the job and spent his days eradicating mustard garlic, buckthorn and other invasive species. The evening momentum caught up with him, he had just biked back from chainsaw training at the forest preserve. Was the biking too tough? Not hardly. In fact, Premer was on his way to the Ed Rudolph Velodrome in Northbrook for a training clinic on track racing.

“I’d like to try a little racing,” he said. “I’m in better condition now than ever, thanks in part to the extra biking to work.”

The 25-year-old Premer did not get into bicycling until about four years ago when he moved from Michigan back to Chicago, his hometown. He moved to Albany Park with a high school friend, but they found driving to work downtown impossible due to the stressful commute and the cost of parking.

“We both tried biking and it just made more sense, so I sold my car and have been biking ever since,” Premer said.

Now he has three bikes. A Fuji Sprint that Premer reserves for track racing. His other track bike is for commuting in the winter because he feels that it gives him better control on the ice and snow than a road bike would. And his newest set of wheels, a 20-gear Basso Viper road bike with a 10-speed cassette, is for commuting the rest of the year.

“I like fixed gear bikes because they’re easy to maintain and repair, which is very empowering,” he said. “At the same time, I have to say that it’s nice to be able to spin and coast along on my new road bike.”

Premer has discovered that being a bicyclist has given him entry into the large, dynamic Chicago bike scene. Most of his friends are bicyclists, and those who aren’t get an occasional pep talk from him. “I’ve become a bicycle advocate and have even tried to talk my Mom into biking to work,” he said.

Although it was not always the case, Premer rides cautiously and would like to see bicyclists obey the rules of the road. “I used to be self-righteous on my bike and expect special treatment from cars,” he said. “Now it’s the other way around: I feel bad for drivers and all they have to put up with, so I give cars some extra space. A little.”