New Aggie cycling club does well at first race
Landon Olson
The USU Cycling Club made a strong showing in its first competition, one day after receiving official club status.
On Dec. 15 and 16, the Cycling Club competed in its first collegiate race, the 2000 Cyclocross National Championships in Overland Park, Kan.
Cyclist Amelia Henry made a strong showing for Utah State in the Cyclocross Championships, placing second in the espoir women’s race, eighth in the collegiate women’s race, and 27th in the elite women’s race.
Cyclocross is a European sport that combines both road and mountain cycling. The bikes used are similar to road bikes, with curved handlebars and skinny tires, because the courses would be challenging on a mountain bike.
“It was such a weird race because it was so hard to avoid crashing since the conditions were so slippery,” Henry said. “I had a really bad start, but I managed to pass quite a few people during the race.”
Henry, originally from upstate New York, is a graduate student in plant physiology at USU. She helped to organize the club, which now has almost two dozen members despite being barely a month old.
This season the team will compete against schools like the University of Colorado and Fort Lewis College. The spring racing season concludes with a National Championship at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Though the team is newly formed, club members are excited about the upcoming race season.
“I’m really excited about having a club to ride with,” Henry said. “I’m a little nervous because the schools we race against are so far away, but I know the racing season will be lots of fun. Logan is definitely a great place to train.”
The Cycling Club will hold an opening social today from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in TSC Room 335. Membership is open to all USU students, faculty, staff and Cache Valley residents interested in cycling in any form. More information is available on their Web site at www.usu.edu/cycling.