Cycling Club explores Logan on wheels
In a given day, they can be found all over Logan. They infiltrate neighborhoods, canyons and Main Street doing what they do best — riding their bikes.
The 50 members of the USU Cycling Club ride every day, rain or shine. David Clyde, Cycling Club president and business major, said it’s a physically demanding and mentally rewarding club.
“It’s a great way to enjoy the outdoors and contribute to the rapidly growing sport of cycling,” Clyde said. “There is nothing like bike racing.”
Some club members will go on multiple rides in one day. The rides vary in intensity, distance and difficulty. Club members go on rides that are “easy and fun,” as well as rides that are challenging and invigorating. The club is made up of advanced riders and beginners in both road racing and mountain biking.
The team participates in many competitions throughout the year. They will have the opportunity to defend their title of “Road Champs” in the upcoming road season this spring. Many of the club’s members participated in the 206-mile LOTOJA race on Saturday, Sept. 10. The race began early in Logan, followed a series of climbs, twists and turns that ended the same afternoon in Jackson Hole, Wyo.
Members of the club are continually training for their races and competitions.
“Even when it is the snowy and cold days of winter you will still find them riding their bikes in the outdoors, participating in spin classes at local fitness centers and heading down to Southern Utah to get some rides in,” said Ryan Ottley, a USU alumnus and a former cycling club member.
Some members of the club choose to ride their bikes to and around campus, which helps them to both stay in shape and save money on parking. While the official road season ends in May, many participants of the club join other groups or teams for the summer months.
The USU Cycling Club has participated in many different competitions and has many more to look forward to.
“The National Championships will be hosted in Ogden this year, which is an extremely rare opportunity to have this event so close to home,” Clyde said, “The USU Cycling Club has already started putting a team together to go compete with some of the best cyclists in the world.”
Members of the club can often be found on their bicycles riding throughout the valley. Training is intense; many miles and hours are put into training regimens, which are goaled toward being fit and staying in shape. According to Ben Siler, a former member of the team, being a part of the USU cycling team is not easy but is very rewarding.
“Racing is very exciting; it gives you all the drama and suffering, and wonder at your own ability to overcome challenges that attract people to endurance sports in general,” Siler said.
Siler said the team is a good fit for anyone looking for a way to get involved with the university, enjoys riding in the outdoors and likes to be challenged.
“I would advise people joining the club to ride for the fun of it and not worry too much about competition,” Siler said. “If you ride consistently, you’ll improve. If you put the time in, you’ll get better.”
Biking with the USU Cycling Club is a way to enjoy and explore the landscape and topography throughout Cache Valley, as well as the entire state of Utah. The team goes on rides throughout many local canyons including: Sardine, Logan, Green and Blacksmith Fork. Some rides also take them into Idaho and Wyoming.
“Being a part of the USU cycling team is a great way to represent the school and compete in races against other schools and make new friends,” Ottley said.
– kristi.ottley@aggiemail.usu.edu