Tips for Incoming Freshmen

First, we’re super excited to meet all the new members joining in the fall! Mountain, CX, BMX, Track, or Road- you’ll find a home on the Arizona Cycling Team!

We wanted to share some common questions that we see:
1.) 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.
2.) How do I join?
A: We’ll have our first meeting on Thursday, 8/28, at 6 PM in (room TBD soon). 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.
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. We do a new order in September.
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 or let us know you’re heading to UA!
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.

2025 Road Nationals Recap

Traveling to Madison proved challenging with numerous canceled and delayed flights out of Tucson on 4/30. However, the team put their heads together, called in family support, and got a ride to Phoenix for a direct flight to Milwaukee on 5/1. A huge shout out to Elise’s parents for the ride to Phoenix and Mary’s parents and brother for the drive to Madison!

While the team lost a day to preview courses due to travel, everyone was still primed and ready to go. The racing began with the team time trials on 5/2. The 24 KM course featured rolling terrain that kept everyone alert. With 21 teams in the men’s race and 11 in the women’s, we anticipated fierce competition. The women’s squad (Mary Gordon, Cass Frost, Elise Ala, and Emmi Gilbert) finished 3rd, and the men’s team (Matan Sopher, Bennett Chambers, Max Bevier, and Caedan Aveling) placed 7th. 

Saturday’s road race circuit featured steep, rolling hills and plenty of crosswinds. The women’s race saw numerous attacks trying to break away, but ultimately it came down to a bunch sprint. Emmi jumped the sprinters out of the last turn and nearly held off the hard-charging field, only to be passed with less than 25 meters to go. Nevertheless, she still secured an amazing second place! Elise finished in 16th, Mary in 27th, and Cass in 32nd. The men’s team (Max, Mason, Bennett, Joe, Matan, and Caedan) planned to cover moves from the powerful Colorado State, CU Boulder, Cal Poly, and Princeton teams throughout the day and hoped for a breakaway to succeed. Unfortunately, an early crash forced Bennett, Mason, and Max to chase. The winds and hills gradually whittled the field down, with a significant split occurring on the final lap. Caedan and Matan were in the mix, finishing 23rd and 31st, respectively. Bennett finished 53rd, Joe 56th, Max 86th, and Mason 94th.

The weekend ended with a crit just northeast of the capital. The flat four-corner course almost ensured a bunch sprint, but that didn’t mean we wouldn’t try to break things apart! The women’s race featured constant attacks and counters from the Boulder riders, but our women’s team was up to the task of keeping things in check and launching some moves of their own. Emmi again tried to get the jump on the sprinters but had to settle for 4th. Elise finished 19th, Cass 23rd, and Mary 28th. In the men’s race, no moves could gain much traction against the CSU and CU Boulder teams. Joe Pifel worked his way into a couple of promising breaks, but the field was set on a bunch sprint. In the end, Caedan finished 6th, Joe 20th, Max 28th, Matan 47th, and Bennett 67th.   

At the end of the weekend, Emmi finished third in the women’s individual omnium and our team secured third place in the team omnium, a testament to our consistent performance across the TTTs, road races, and criteriums. Throughout the year, we were hot on the heels of Colorado State, Colorado Boulder, and Vermont in all five national championships omnium. This weekend’s results secured us a respectable 4th place in the national rankings for the third consecutive year! This achievement underscores our ability to compete year after year with the best programs in the nation. While we say goodbye to four seniors this year, our freshmen and sophomores are rapidly gaining experience and will be a force to reckon with in 2026. Our sights are firmly set on the top step in the omniums next year! 

 

cycling teams on the podium with Arizona third

Madison, WI, here we come!

We’ve had an exciting spring season that saw the team capture yet another road omnium title over ASU! Mason Tuckenhagen secured the men’s A omnium and Mary Gordon locked down the women’s A omnium. We successfully brought back our road race (thanks BHP!), hosted 3 practice crits, and helped manage registration at other events in the state (phew!)

On top of that, we’re wrapping up a wildly successful spring fundraiser for our collegiate road national championship in Madison, WI on 5/2-4. A huge thank you to:

Kevin Harsley, Kyle Ettinger, Bruce Jorden, Brian Meyer, John Noonan, Aviva and Jonathan Sopher, Ittai Sopher, Scott Chambers, Jane Berger, Erin Bosch, Daniel Quigley, Susan Oldham, John Johnson, Joe Adragna, Ethan Morgan, Ellen Greif, Steve Herzog, Mel Beale, Craig Harding, Steven Wetmore, Dr. Sherman Scurry, Scott Hendricks, Steve and Kathy Morozowich, Ashley Schatz, Alastair Magun, Mark Kear, Stephen Pedone, Bern Velasco, Gary Sax, and several anonymous donors (you know who you are!), who helped us smash our fundraising goal!

Our nationals team:

Women:
Emmi, Cass, Mary, and Elise

Men:
Matan, Caedan, Joe P., Max, Mason, and Bennett.

It’s a very exciting mix of veteran and new to national caliber racing racers. This will be a year of big results!

Photo: Resul Kurtbedin