Spring 2024 Kick Off

We hope everyone is enjoying break and getting ready for the spring! We wanted to provide some tips and info for folks returning or joining the team. Whether you ride road, mountain, BMX, or CX, you’ll find a home on our team. Get your collegiate cycling adventure started today!

1.) How do I join?
A: We’ll have our first meeting on Thursday, 1/11, at 6 PM in Harvill 130. We’ll review how the team operates, how collegiate racing works, and so on. You can pay dues ($40 for general membership + an additional $60 if you want to race) via Venmo, PayPal, cash, or check.

2.) Where do I keep my bike on campus?
A: Unfortunately, the university doesn’t allow bikes to be stored in the dorms. It’s a real hassle and something we’ve been working on for a while. However, the best bet is to reserve a bike locker through Parking and Transportation or one through the Rec Center:
https://parking.arizona.edu/bicycle/lockers-enclosures/

You should be able to find one close to your dorm. These are fiberglass cases anchored to concrete pads with a unique lock. There is enough space in one to store a bike, a pump, and some tools. To date, PTS has never had a bike stolen from a locker.
 
UA Cycling Team members during our criterium on the mall in front of Old Main
3.) What are race fees?
A: We have two types of memberships: general and racing. General membership ($40) gets you access to all our sweet sponsors, kit orders, a team bottle, etc. If you want to race with us, you’ll pay an additional $60 for each semester you want to race. In turn, we’ll cover all the entry fees, lodging, and gas associated with the collegiate races that semester (fall = MTB and CX; spring = road). Each semester has eight race weekends. On average, you’d spend $60 on one weekend of racing if you paid it out of pocket- the fees pay for themselves very quickly.
 
4.) Do you have any kits in stock?
A: Maybe. We don’t keep a large inventory on hand, but you can e-mail us and ask.
 
5.) How do the categories work?
A: Collegiate cycling is slightly different than the USA Cycling categories. Roughly:
A = Pro, 1, 2, or 3 for the road and CX; Pro/1 for mountain
B = 3 or 4 for road and CX; 2 for mountain
C = 4 or 5 for road and CX; 3 for mountain. You can move up the categories based on the points you earn at finishes. You can also use your USAC category to earn upgrades as well:
https://www.usacycling.org/about-us/governance/policy-viii
 
6.) Do I need a USA Cycling license?
A: If you plan on racing, yes! You’ll purchase the collegiate racing license, and that will also give you a free domestic license (needed to race non-collegiate events):
 
7.) What if I’ve never raced?
A: That’s ok! You don’t have to race to be a team member, although we encourage everyone to try it once.
 
You can read more about the team on the “About the Team” page and contact us (uacyclingclub(at)gmail.com) if you have other questions.
 
8.) How do I get team updates?
A: Go to: https://list.arizona.edu/sympa/
Log in with your UA net id (or create an account if you don’t want to use your school e-mail).
On the left, search for uacycling
Follow the steps to join from there
On this website, you’ll also be able to browse the archive to see anything you’ve missed.

We’ll discuss how to join the team’s Discord once the semester starts- or send us an email asking for the Discord link.

 

Wildcats end year ranked 3rd in the nation!

The UA Cycling Team capped off a successful 2022-23 school year with a fine showing at the road national championships in Albuquerque, NM, last weekend.

Friday Time Trials
The race weekend started with the team and individual time trials on the city’s west side. The women’s squad (Mary Gordon, Cass Frost, and Caroline Hunsberger) rode hard for 7th place against other teams with a full 4 riders. The wind continued to pick up during the morning with gusty conditions for the men’s team (Bill Fries, Aidan Rhodes, Danny Musquiz, and Nikos Casto). The men set an early second fastest time and held on for fourth and just 4 seconds off of 3rd.

Red flag conditions developed for the individual time trial with winds hitting 20+ mph. Riders hit speeds of over 40 mph on some sections of the course. Matan Sopher finished 9th, Tommy Oldham 14th, Bill Fries 15th, Luke Mas 18th, Ryo Akimoto 21st, and Finnley Hartz 22nd.

Road races
Saturday featured a 30-mile loop that racers completed twice. Each lap had a trip up Heartbreak Hill, which tops out at 14% for 1 KM, and the long slog on Frost Rd featuring more gusty crosswinds. The women’s team (Mary and Cass) hung tough through the challenging conditions to finish 20th and 23rd. On lap one, the men’s side (Nikos, Aidan, Matan, Bill, Ryo, and Adam Katheder) kept moves in check and set Aidan and Nikos up for the winning selection the final time over Heartbreak. An unfortunate crash caused by a rider clipping a stopped moto took Nikos (and his bike) out of the race- although thankful he only had some minor road rash. The last several kilometers saw several riders jump clear of the field that struggled to get organized. Aidan finished 17th, Matan 31st, Adam 38th, Ryo 42nd, and Bill 48th.

Criteriums
The weekend ended with a flat, L-shaped course at the Balloon Fiesta Park. The women’s race saw a few attempts at a breakaway, but the field was more interested in a sprint. Cass finished 18th and Mary 23rd. The men’s race was strung out from the gun with numerous breakaways from the CSU team. By the halfway mark, the officials had pulled over half the field, with the speed, heat, and wind taking a toll. Nikos set himself up well at the end of the CSU lead out on the final lap for a thrilling second-place finish- on a borrowed neutral support bike! Joe Pifel finished 37th, Finnley 38th, Aidan Rhodes 51st, and Adam Bryfogle 53rd.

Omniums
At the end of the weekend, the team finished fifth for the road omnium (consisting of points scored across the TTTs, road races, and criteriums). Throughout the year, the team was locked in a close points battle with CSU for the top spot in the rankings across all 5 national championships. CSU’s dominant performance cemented them as the top team in the nation, with the University of Vermont 2nd and the UA in 3rd. Over the last few years, our team has shown itself to be a perennial contender for the top spot- and we’re already planning on how to get there in 2023-24!

Spring 2023 Kick Off

We hope everyone had a great winter break and is ready for an exciting spring semester of riding and racing!

A few things:
1.) Our weekly meetings are on Thursdays from 6 to 7 PM in Harvill 313. Our first meeting is on 1/12, and we’ll go over how to join (if you haven’t already) and all our fun spring plans.

2.) Our spring races are coming together nicely! You can find more under the races tab, or get signed up at:

1/22 TT: https://www.bikereg.com/race-against-time
2/4: Crit: https://www.bikereg.com/lvsc-la-clasica-san-manuel
2/5: Road race: https://www.bikereg.com/lvsc-oracle-road-race

Hope to see you there!