Biking team gaining steam at Utah State
After losing steam following the graduation of team founder/coach Tom Murphy, USU’s cycling club is becoming more active this year under the leadership of team president Ira Tibbits and club president Sean Lanan.
“Coach Murphy founded the cycling club back in the late ’90s – a long time ago. They were pretty serious about it for a few years and then when he graduated, it kind of faded away and we’re just starting to bring it back again,” said Lanan, a sophomore majoring in mechanical engineering.
The club’s Web site at www.usu.edu/cycling explains how, for $25 in dues, interested cyclists can join either the competitive racing team or the club.
“The guys that are out training for road are going on 50-mile rides. They’ll go out for two or three hours,” Lanan said. “Those guys get cruising super fast. Sprinting on flat ground without a headwind, they could get going faster than 40 mph, but they average in the low 20s on a two-hour ride.”
Lanan said the 20-something team members are training for the collegiate road race season, which is going on right now.
“We have one guy named Brad Buccambuso who was junior national champion. He raced pro in Europe for two years,” Lanan said.
While Lanan said some members of the club are “very hardcore and very competitive,” the club has different levels of cycling available to those who sign up.
“The club does all different types of riding; BMX, road, mountain, cyclocross, unicycling. We’ll have rides of varying lengths and skill levels,” Lanan said.
The first Cycling Club Bike Swap will be held Saturday, April 8 from noon-6 p.m. at the Logan Fairgrounds and is open to anybody who wants to sell or buy bikes or bike parts.
“New or used, we don’t care,” Lanan said. “Whether it’s a $5,000 bike or some junky Huffy, you’re welcome to come by.”
Lanan said the cycling club is excited to start a new tradition because there are a lot of cycling enthusiasts in the valley and it can be difficult to find a quality bike for a good price.
“It’s going to help out the club and the team,” Lanan said. “Especially with the travel costs. Most of our races are in Colorado or Wyoming, so it’ll be a good fundraiser for us.”
-graham@cc.usu.edu