Guitar Hero, studying and computer games are all things the UA TriCats like to do on their bikes.

For 36 hours, the TriCats, UA’s triathlon team, pedaled in place on the UA Mall to raise money to go to the USA Triathlon Collegiate National Championship in Tuscaloosa, Ala., next April. Members of the team cycled in shifts from 8 a.m. Wednesday to 8 p.m. Thursday. Shifts lasted anywhere from two to six hours, depending on how long the member wanted to ride.

For the TriCats the fundraiser isn’t just a fundraiser, it’s a party.

“”It’s definitely a party on the bike,”” said UA TriCat President Mike Shufeldt. “”Especially when it gets to about 4 a.m. and you’re delirious, it becomes more and more of a party.””

The team had movies playing the entire time in order to keep from being bored.

Briana Nute, UA TriCat member and finance junior, describes being on the bike as second nature because of how much they ride.

“”Pretty much anything you can think of, I think the TriCats tried it,”” Shufeldt said about members multitasking while biking.

Some TriCats sat up straight to play Guitar Hero while others balanced laptops on their handlebars, all the while carrying on conversations with each other and those who walked by.

People were also able to challenge the TriCats for a dollar and had the opportunity to guess how many jellybeans were in a water bottle in order to win the bottle.

In addition to raising money for nationals, the TriCats also collected shoes for Soles for Souls.

Alan Cordero, a nutritional science graduate student and TriCats member, likes that the fundraiser allows people to see what they do.

“”It’s fun to actually be on campus and ride our bikes. We get to dress up and not look so weird hopefully,”” Cordero said. “”It’s a little odd to wear spandex on campus when you aren’t on a bike.””