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, 8/29, 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.

Wildcats end year ranked 3rd in the nation!

For the second year in a row, the team finishes ranked 3rd in the nation! This performance was capped off by another successful showing at nationals! The racing started with the team and individual time trials on Friday. The women’s squad (Mary Gordon, Cass Frost, Grace Reeder, and Emmi Gilbert) finished second, and the men’s team (Matan Sopher, Aidan Rhodes, Joe Pifel, and Caedan Aveling) finished fourth. 

The road race featured two trips up Heartbreak Hill, which tops 14% for 1 KM, and a long windy slog on Frost Road. The women’s team raced hard to get Emmi 4th, Cass in 16th, and Mary in 23rd. The men’s team (Aidan, Matan, Caedan, Joe, Tommy Oldham, and Adam Katheder) worked to cover moves from the powerful Colorado State, CU Boulder, and Princeton teams. The relentless winds wore the field down, with Aidan finishing 17th, Caedan 43rd, Matan 49th, Joe 54th, Adam 56th, and Tommy 67th. 

The weekend ended with a crit at the Balloon Fiesta Park. The women’s race featured many attacks and counters from Boulder and Michigan, whittling the field down to 10 riders. Emmi worked to bring back a late race moved from Boulder but couldn’t rally enough support from the remaining teams. Cass finished 7th, Emmi 10th, and Mary unfortunately crashed out (she’s ok!). In the men’s race, constant attacks from Boulder, Colorado State, and Maryland shelled over half the field within 30 minutes of racing. Caedan avoided several crashes to finish 29th, Joe 40th (with an untimely crash), Matan 41st, and Aidan 48th. 

Omniums

At the end of the weekend, our team emerged with an excellent third place for the road omnium, a testament to our consistent performance across the TTTs, road races, and criteriums. This achievement underscores our ability to compete year-over-year with the best programs in the nation. With only two riders graduating this year, we will maintain an experienced team next year.

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.