This weekend, over 80 teams from universities around the country will compete in three days of racing at the USA Cycling Collegiate Road National Championships in Grand Junction, Colo. The national championships begin with a road race on Friday, May 4, followed by both individual and team time trials on Saturday, May 5, and conclude with a downtown Grand Junction criterium on Sunday, May 6.
USA Cycling's Collegiate program is organized into eleven geographic conferences, each of which organizes local racing seasons, manages results and rankings, and makes collegiate cycling happen on the ground. Within the collegiate program, there are varsity programs which consist of teams that receive extra support from the school and and club programs which are student-driven programs. These athletes balance full course-loads along with vigorous training and race schedules sometimes taking up to 20 hours per week.
Among the hundreds of riders competing in the varsity races this weekend are athletes from SCAD Atlanta – the Savannah College of Art and Design’s Atlanta campus. In April, the SCAD Atlanta Men's and Women's Cycling teams finished their season at the Southeastern Collegiate Cycling Conference (SECCC) Championship in second place overall.
The SCAD team is comprised of both undergraduate and graduate-level student-athletes. In addition to road races, the riders compete across cycling disciplines throughout the year – track, mountain, cyclocross – and, they also have a wide range of academic majors, including painting, advertising and graphic design.
We asked members of the SCAD cycling team about balancing school and racing, and the impact the sport has had on their lives.
What is the biggest reason you decided to get involved with your collegiate cycling program?
Artur Sagat (Hometown: Tatabanya, Hungary; Major: Advertising): “I was going back to school, at which point I decided to draw a close on competitive cycling, at least until after graduation. Given the opportunity to race for my university kept my passion alive while still being able to study.”
How do you balance going to your classes with training and traveling for competitions?
Andy Scarano (Hometown: Athens, Ga.; Major: Advertising): “It's a jam-packed schedule, but it's doable. School and training come first in the day, then everything else is secondary. I have also found that having one online class per quarter helps manage my training schedule.”
What is your favorite thing about being part of your collegiate cycling program?
Simon Lewis (Hometown: Franklin, Tenn.; Major: Advertising): “I have taken away a lot from being on SCAD's team, such as teamwork and involvement in the cycling community. I really love being able to ride with teammates almost any day of the week.”
How has being a part of your cycling team made you a different person today?
Judah Sencenbaugh (Hometown: Toccoa, Ga.; Major: Graphic Design): “I already held a love for cycling, but I think it helped reinforce my goals and share my love for the sport with a group of fantastic people. The team support and environment greatly helped me reach for my goals. I am definitely a more confident and stronger person with the support of a team behind me.”
How has being a part of your cycling team made you a different person today?
Willem Kaiser (Hometown: Atlanta; Major: Painting): “It's made me a more disciplined and well-rounded person. I have had to learn how to balance training, racing, and school. Through this I have learned the value of hard work.”
For a full schedule of racing at the 2018 USA Cycling Collegiate Road National Championships across both club and varsity divisions, and course maps click here.
Every team and rider has a story. We want to hear from you!
Please e-mail: mystory@usacycling.org with your story to be featured in our monthly spotlight.
If your story is featured, you will receive a prize pack valued at $50.00.
