CU Cycling (cu_cycling) : Member Profile : Thoos

Are you looking to become involved in CU Cycling?

First and foremost, CU Cycling's history of success seems to have spawned quite a few rumors over the years. Chances are if you didn't hear it from a participating member of the team, it probably is not completely true. Members hear rumors that CU Cycling has a $50K budget or that the team only allows pros to ride. Who makes this stuff up?

Anyone is eligible to train with the team and race USCF and NORBA in CU colors. To race collegiately, you must be a full time student at the University of Colorado at Boulder. For undergraduates this means 12 credit hours a semester (6 for graduate students) and you must be in good standing with the university (i.e. pay your tuition and don't flunk your classes).

Collegiate mountain bike season is in the fall culminating in Collegiate Mountain Bike Nationals in early November. Road season begins in mid March (training starts much earlier, bring your cold weather gear!) and ends with collegiate road nationals in late May.

As with most collegiate cycling teams, the CU Cycling team is not a varsity team. Therefore scholarships are not offered. However, CU is a large school and there are many academic scholarships for which you can apply. Check the CU Financial Aid Website to find out more.

As far as hooking up with the team when your roll into town... the current ride times are listed in the Calendar Section, and probably will not change much so plan your schedules accordingly. Member Meetings are Mondays at 6:30pm throughout the year, check the Calendar for specific room information.

Again, anyone is eligible to join the team. Semester dues are inexpensive (about $35) and the many benefits/deals of joining will be explained at the first meeting. Collegiate races are divided into three categories: A, B, C. The B and C categories are the lower levels of racing for less experienced racers and anyone is free to enter either race. For the A races CU is limited to 10 entries for each race so you must be selected by the coaches to race in the A categories on a particular weekend. From the A-Team the coaches and team leadership select the national teams for each discipline (road, MTB, track and cyclocross). As with the A-Team, the competition for national selection is fierce. It takes much more than a fast pair of legs to make our national teams. Coaches look for excellent teamwork and a level head in addition to the desire to give back to the team by helping our lesser riders.

Lastly, come with an open mind and be ready to have a lot of fun as that is the soul of collegiate cycling. All are encouraged to join the team and try to befriend as many team members as possible as it will only add to your experience with the team. Your teammates will have years of collective experience to offer both the beginner and the seasoned elite.

See website.