When it comes to the world of cycling, many people think of the Tour de France and only the Tour de France. In actuality, UW has quite a club cycling team of its own. With about 90 members, it is one of the largest club sports on campus and will be hosting a national event in Madison a month from now.
The club consists of a men's and women's division, each divided from the A-team, a more highly advanced and competitive group, to the C-team. Although the team does not require its members to be high-powered racers, Wisconsin has some very competitive riders.
Former Badger Megan Monroe won the National Cyclocross Title last year and received a professional contract earlier this year. Wisconsin men's A-team member Bryan Smith finished second in the national championship road race at the national competition last year and spent the summer competing in Belgium.
\It's really cool that we've seen riders that we all know on a local level compete on an international and national stage,"" said Steve Knurr, club road season coordinator.
The club caters to a wide variety of members, from those interested in seeing what racing is all about to cyclists who are striving to achieve professional??or semi-pro status.
""The club is for anyone who rides a bike and wants to get together with other people who ride bikes,"" club president Nick Reistad said. ""But we have a pretty strong focus on our racing program.""
The team practices around Madison and competes about 20 weekends per year. As a club sport, the team is also responsible for almost all of its funding and equipment. The bikes themselves cost, at the very least, $1,000 each.
""We buy everything. It's a real expensive sport,"" Reistad said. ""Some people have 3,000 and 4,000-dollar bikes. We pay for that, we pay for clothing, and sponsorships help to offset the cost.""
Some companies, such as Trek, sponsor the team, providing it with equipment such as helmets, clothing and shoes in exchange for the sponsor's logo on the equipment.
""It's a way for the companies to get recognition,"" Reistad says. ""And it's pretty low-cost but it helps us out a lot.""
The Badgers have a busy month ahead of them leading up to the national championship. This weekend they will be in a tournament at Indiana University. The following weekend they will head to Illinois before taking part in regionals at Ohio State, where individuals will qualify for the championship.
While cycling may seem like an individual sport, such as running a marathon, it is actually very much a team sport.
""One guy crosses the line first, but in order for him to get there, it takes a lot of team support,"" Reistad said. ""My job for the race is to make sure that [my teammate] wins that race. It comes down to sacrificing my personal goals for the team goals.""
""I think a lot of times people think it is the fastest person who is going to win, but it's usually the smartest rider who has the best team support who is going to win that race,"" Knurr said.
The 2004 Collegiate Cycling Championship will take place in Madison, May 21-23. The premiere event, a high-speed sprint down State Street, will be held on the 21st.
""If you have never seen a bike race, then you will never have seen anything like this before,"" Knurr said. ""And the State Street course looks to be intense. It looks to be a 'fun' course.""
With Smith returning and a home-course advantage, the Badgers should be considered one of the favorites in a race that will provide spectators with a different type of sporting event than most are used to around Madison.
""We will have a really strong A-team put together. We haven't selected the team yet, but we really hope to come away with a couple of wins,"" Reistad said. ""[Smith] and I hope to bring some leadership to the team.""
The women's team is also on the up-and-up, remaining a competitive team even after the loss of Monroe.
""Our women's program has really been building up. We've had individual stars, but now, for the first time, our women's A-riders are starting to make a name for themselves,"" Knurr said.
The 2004 championship will give Madison sports fans an opportunity to not only see a different type of sport, but will also give them a look at another one of UW's successful club sports.
""We're looking for Wisconsin to put on a great event, but also perform truly at a national level,"" Knurr said. ""We should really put on quite a show for the people.\
