Cycling team pedals into physical fitness
The coach of USU’s cycling team, Tommy Murphy, knows from years of experience that athletes must have a desire to train in order to remain physically fit as a lifestyle, and not just for a specific event.
The cycling team consists of 30 students at various levels of fitness. The team has five weeks of events this season in preparation for nationals in May. The current season, road season, is held in the spring, mountain season is held in the fall and cylocross is held during winter months.
Each team member comes in at a different fitness level and progresses at their own pace.
“We have two guys who we’re trying to get qualified: Mitch Heiner, who also teaches cycling and Ryan Ottley,” Murphy said. Collegiate cycling works differently than other professional teams, since anyone can become part of the team, and they each work at their own level.
“That’s what is great about a college team. They don’t have to try out and can start as a newbie and improve,” he said.
Murphy explained team members start out at level C and can progress to A and B levels. The A level is the most competitive. In competition, points from previous events are added together to calculate an individuals’ score.
Murphy, who has been coaching at USU for seven years, founded the cycling team in 1999. He raced with the team for two seasons and qualified for nationals each of those years.
After receiving his bachelor’s in exercise science from USU, Murphy was offered a four-month internship opportunity at Carmichael Training Systems (CTS) and has continued to work with the company since then.
Murphy has been racing on and off for more than 10 years. He said he has taken time off for about a year after being hit by a car while biking. He is recovering from his injuries while coaching, which he said he enjoys as well racing.
“Both have highs; you take pride when your athletes do well,” Murphy said. “But it is fun to win or do well yourself. You put your knowledge to use.”
David Clyde, team president, manages and organizes each race for the team and the logistics involved.
“(Murphy) is great to work with, even though he seems a little scary at first,” Clyde said. “He’s actually just the nicest guy you can meet. He does a lot to keep the team going.”
Students of Murphy’s spin class mentioned the instructor’s “coolness” and that he is a “legit” teacher. Most of his classes are near capacity due to the popularity of his teaching style.
Aside from coaching and teaching spin classes, Murphy also instructs weightlifting and conditioning classes, which he said he loves. He said one day he might go back for his master’s to get even more involved in the exercise science department.
Murphy has been active his whole life playing football, tennis, cross-country and biking. He completed the Lotoja bike race eight times since turning 18 years old. He said he has had really good years, with his best time at 7 hours, 48 minutes. He finished in the top 15 twice and finished third in his category one year. He always completes the full length by himself.
“It is something I enjoy and it is part of who you are,” Murphy said of physical fitness. “The older I get, the more individual my training becomes.”
He said if you don’t do well in individual sports, it is different from having a team where you have to rely on each other.
Clyde has been racing for about eight years.
“I’ve always been really competitive by nature. I go to a race with the intent to win,” he said. “I finish more in the top three now, but I used to finish in first place all the time.”
Clyde said as he’s been more involved as team president, he has a different mindset.
“I have become more patient and more team-oriented. As president, I want my team to win. You have to have a different mindset to win as a team.”
Ben Lariviere, a senior in geology, joined the cycling team this year.
“The guys in the cycling club are really great people. We’ve been training a lot during the winter and we just started to go outside,” Lariviere said.
Lariviere is training for the Ironman triathlon and said biking has been his weak point, so he joined the team to improve his bike racing ability.
“It’s the first time I’ve done competitive cycling,” he said.
Lariviere said although the team is mostly male, women can also benefit from the team.
“Men on the cycling team have massive legs and in spandex, I’m sure lots of women would enjoy that,” he said.
Aside from humor, Lariviere has personal investment in his physical fitness. He said he had never articulated his interest in health before.
“Doing long endurance events makes you feel like nothing else can make you feel,” Lariviere said. “Pushing yourself to the limits makes you learn more about yourself and become a stronger person and you feel better.”
The team is training to place first this year.
“We compete in the Intermountain conference and we’re on our way to getting first,” Clyde said. “We’ll get second at least. We have one of the strongest programs in the area.”
Each athlete mentioned their personal desire to compete and be fit.
“One thing I’ve learned: You gotta love to train,” Murphy said. “If you love to train, you won’t burn out, you’ll keep going. You have to have a desire.”
– natasha.bodily@aggiemail.usu.edu