Daniel Hernandez Rivera
Meet Daniel Hernandez Rivera,
31. An Engineer. An Athlete.
Daniel’s definition of Athlete: I've never really thought about this question before. To me, an athlete is any person that engages in physical competition--whether that be against others or against themselves.
I am primarily a cyclist. I have been cycling in my adult life for about 5 years. I have also become a fairly avid runner in the past year and a half. Other sports I enjoy from time to time are swimming and hiking. Very recently, I have also begun taking boxing lessons.
Other people that I encounter on the road or trails.
Sometimes that person is an elite athlete that I aspire to one day be as well trained and disciplined as they have been.
Sometimes it's a beginner who may be trying to complete their first 10, 20, 30 mile ride and giving it their all. That takes me back to when I first started riding my bike and I'd do a 15 mile ride once a week at 8 mph and feel on top of the world.
About five years ago, I was not in a great spot mental health wise. Things looked pretty good on the outside. I had graduated from college, I worked full time at a cushy job for a major corporation, and I was finishing up graduate school. I was also neurotic, depressed, and delving headfirst into alcoholism. One weekend, I decided I'd buy a hybrid bicycle instead of going out on a binge.
“I wish I could say that was the end of it, but things got worse.” His mental health deteriorated steadily and he began drinking more until everything came to a head in late 2017.
“ I'll spare the details, but it involved going to multiple therapists and a treatment program. Part of what helped me in early recovery and sobriety was cycling. It was a big help in fighting the urge to drink. Some days I would just ride and ride until I was too tired to go out and pick up a bottle. My health got better. I dropped from a high of 230 lbs at 5'6" to 180 lbs in half a year.”
Daniel is an undocumented Dreamer. In October 2018, his work permit under DACA (President Obama's Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) was coming to an end under the Trump Administration and was left with no option, but to resign from his job. Unsure what to do, but not wanting to fall back to old habits he bought his first legitimate road bike--a 2018 Cannondale Synapse. “I started doing things that scared me. The week I quit, I went climbing for the first time ever. I biked up Crest Rd. in Palos Verdes. A week later, I rode my first century alone on the local river trails. It was liberating and afterwards, I felt like I could take on anything as long as I didn't give up. I've loved cycling ever since.”
About a year later, Daniel started running to see if I could run a 5k. Enjoying running, he kept signing up for bigger events until he finally signed up for the Long Beach Half Marathon.
“Morning of, I didn't want to show up to the starting line. I was full of self doubt and kept telling myself it was stupid to have even signed up because "I am not a real runner"
--whatever that means.
I dragged myself out of bed and walked the mile to the starting line.
I loved it.”
The half marathon provided the same feeling of accomplishment and freedom he felt after completing his first century, but in addition, the community and support was amazing. A week later he joined a few of the local running clubs and he has been excited about running ever since.
When not working out, Daniel mostly works. After all he still is an engineer, although now happily self employed. “I enjoy being able to (mostly) make my own hours and having the freedom to go ride my bike for an hour or two in the middle of the day. I am also a big advocate of STEM (Science / Technology / Engineering / Mathematics) education. I enjoy volunteering whenever I have free time to lead outreach efforts with organizations such as MAES (Mexican American Engineers and Scientists) and the Los Angeles County Science and Engineering Fair.”
You can find more of Daniel’s own words at
Some facts about Daniel Hernandez Rivera
I was born in Mexico City, but came to America at a very young age.
Long Beach was my first American "home town," but I grew up mostly in South Gate.
I moved back to Long Beach after college. Given the choice, I don't think I will ever leave Long Beach. I love this city. I live in the East Village Arts District with my fiancée and our three cats.
My favorite sports team has to be Club America and the USC Trojans.
I've adhered to primarily a plant based diet for the past 5 years.
I have a BS in Chemical Engineering from CSULB and a MS in Chemical Engineering with a focus on Energy Efficiency from USC. I am also a registered Professional Engineering in Mechanical Engineering in the state of California.
I am passionate about energy efficiency, STEM education, and environmentalism.
I love punk rock. Before I got into cycling and running, the majority of my time was spent at concerts. Everything from seeing miscellaneous PDX d-beat band at the living room show in the local punk squat to catching The Misfits reunite in Denver at Riot Fest. Up the punx!
Sobriety is going fairly well. It's not always been easy and I've had my share of relapses, but at this point I am going on a year and a half.
