UofL Cycling kit for sale!

Posted on by Abner Miralda

You’ve probably seen other UofL jerseys at bike shops or online. Hideous white and red UofL bike jerseys. The material is more offensive to the touch than to the eye- itchy, thick and hot.

When we started our organization in 2013, we were given two options: buy those horrible jerseys and look amateur, or jump through the flaming hoops of litigation to make our own professional-quality attire. We chose the latter and since then, our racers have competed in national championships throughout the country in our very own designs.

In 2017 we’re stoked to share our kit with you at an attainable price. When you buy, you’ll help our club become stronger and more financially stable.

For the spring, we are offering two products:

  1. Road jersey – $95 + Free Shipping
  2. Triathlon front-zip suit -$180 + Free Shipping

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The products will be available for pre-order effective immediately until Saturday, January 14th, 2017.

Because the products are custom ordered, refunds will not be available. Shipment will arrive the first week of March 2017. 

You can purchase products securely through our Facebook page.

Registration (2)

 

Francisco Elected President, SCC Election Results 

Posted on by Abner Miralda

The student members of the Student Cycling Coalition cast their ballots on Nov. 30 to elect the organization’s student leaders for the 2017 calendar year. Headlining the results is the selection of engineering student John Francisco as president.

Francisco brings years of experience to the leadership of the Student Cycling Coalition. A three year member of the organization, he has experienced and contributed to the growth of the organization. He has extensive knowledge of the cycling industry both from a retail and experience standpoint, having worked with the SCC’s partner bicycle shop VO2 Multisport and his racing in national and international events as a junior.

“I am looking forward to the challenge of leading the team,” said Francisco. “I will work to continue to grow and improve it.”

The former president, Jacob Holtgrewe, was elected to the recruitment position. During his tenure as president in 2016 the team grew it’s non-racing activity extensively and developed a strong mountain bike program.

Studio art student Nick Reader was retained as Triathlon Coordinator and will be joined by pre-med/biology student Chris Nupp as co-coordinator.

After organizing the mountain bike team to its best-ever season, Kalem Fetters will take the reigns as the Cycling Coordinator.

Elijah Eisert, a political science major, was elected secretary of the organization. He will manage both internal and external communication of the organization.

Engineering student Greg Lewis was elected controller and will manage the budget of the Student Cycling Coalition.

The uniform and merchandise coordinator will be Charlie Hamilton.

The new officers will begin their terms on January 1st, 2017.

2016 Review: Renn and Francisco Shine at MTB Nationals

Posted on by uoflcycling

Written by Abner Miralda
Photo by Kalem Fetters

In October, downhill and dual slalom riders Mark Renn and James Francisco traveled Show Shoe, WV to represent the University of Louisville in the USA Cycling Collegiate Mountain Bike Nationals. Renn earned the team’s best ever finish at a national championship.

In the downhill event, Renn completed the muddy and partially frozen course in 5:28 to finish 14th in the club division. Francisco followed with a time of 6:00 for 32nd place.

“It was super sloppy,” said Renn of the course. “I had a blast in the mud drifting turns.”

Later in the weekend, Francisco improved his DH placement with a 30th place in the Dual Slalom. Renn went on to secure the team’s best placement at any national championship with a 9th place finish.

“My goal was to get top ten in either DH or DS,” he said, adding that he missed the top five in Dual Slalom by only half a second.

He also praised freshman James Francisco who only recently began racing downhill. “He killed it for having to rave in the mud.” Adding, “He never fell and was riding better than a lot of seasoned downhill riders.”

Renn was quick to point his expectations for the mountain bike team’s future. “We’ve got a lot of momentum heading into next season.” He expects the team to develop enough talent to send around eight athletes to mountain bike nationals in 2017.

“Right now it’s time to slow down and sleep in my own bed but come spring training it’s on full blast.”

Francisco Wins Twice, Mountain Bike Squad Shines at Marian

Posted on by uoflcycling

By Abner Miralda

The University of Louisville mountain bike squad traveled to Indianapolis to earn nine total podium finishes including two wins by James Francisco at the Mid West Collegiate Cycling Conference race weekend hosted by Marian University.

On Saturday, freshman James Francisco powered into third place in the B’s Short Track Cross Country race, earning his first result of the weekend. He went on to earn either a podium or a win in every event he entered. Fellow freshman teammate Josh Smithson crossed behind him in 4th place.

Foregoing the cyclocross scene this weekend, Kelsey Voit competed in her first collegiate mountain bike race. She used her ‘cross skills to secure 2nd place in the B’s Short Track race, the best women’s result the mountain bike team has earned to date.

Later in the day, Francisco won the Men’s B Four-Cross, a similar event to BMX racing, edging out teammate Kalem Fetters who settled for second. In the Men’s A Mark Renn was eliminated before the final round, finishing with the 5th best time of the day.

In the Men’s C, sophomore Matt Robertson, making his collegiate debut, led the final heat but crashed out, crossing the line in 4th without injury. Freshman Charlie Hamilton saved the event for the Cardinals with a 3rd place finish.

The following day in the Cross Country race, Francisco displayed his fitness once again by earning 3rd place finish in the Men’s B category through a twisty single track course that featured a steep gravel climb with a brutal 30% grade. Teammates Smithson and Abner Miralda followed thereafter finishing 6th and 7th respectively.

Voit willed her bike down the fast, flowing descents of the course into a 3rd place finish in the Women’s B while Elijah Eisert slotted into 7th in the Men’s C category.

Francisco who has become a top rider for the Cardinals this season, finished the weekend with a win in the Men’s B Downhill.

“The [course] had some awesome jumps,” he said of the rolling, pump-heavy course. “I liked how it had some riskier options.”

He beat 2nd place finisher and teammate Kalem Fetters in the Men’s B final by four seconds with a time of 1:22. The result was only two seconds slower than teammate Mark Renn who styled his way down the trail into 5th place in the Men’s A event.

In the Men’s C race, Robertson closed his weekend with a 3rd place run of 1:32, beating 4th place finisher and teammate Hamilton by a solitary second. Eisert chased soon after, earning 5th with a time of 1:48.

Francisco credited the squad for the results. “It’s a great group of people who love fun and helping out their teammates.”

The Cardinals will race next at Lindsey Wilson College on Oct. 1&2 in a Dual-Conference event with the South Eastern Collegiate Cycling Conference.

Follow Louisville Cycling and Triathlon on all Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @UofLcycling.

 

MTB Season Begins With Two Wins, CX is Here

Posted on by uoflcycling

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​The mountain bike and cyclocross squads successfully began their respective seasons with two wins and several podium finishes. 

By Abner Miralda

The Mid West Collegiate Cycling Conference kicked off the 2016 mountain bike season with a weekend of cross country, downhill and short track events hosted by the University of Wisconsin- Whitewater.

Leading the way for the Cardinals, Junior Mark Renn sped through the downhill course to a third place finish in the men’s A. “I was expecting a podium,” he admitted, but said a slight cold affected his form. “It hindered my performance in the pedaling sections of a very pedally course.”

In the Men’s B downhill, Freshman James Francisco raced his way onto the top step of the podium in his first collegiate race. The Men’s C team swept the downhill podium with Sophomore Kalem Fetters on the top step, Freshman Josh Smithson in second and Sophomore Casey Thomas in 3rd.

In the B’s short track cross country, Francisco finished 5th while Smithson finished 8th. In the cross country race they finished 5th and 10th respectively.  

The C’s cross country team saw Junior Elijah Eisert will his way onto his first podium in 3rd while Thomas raced into 10th.

“It was an amazing trip,” Mark Renn said. “We all worked together as a team.” The MTB squad will compete next at Marian University in Indianapolis on Sept. 24 & 25.

The cyclocross team began its preparation for the collegiate season at the OVCX-Lexington race in Lexington, Kentucky. 

The team was led by Rikus Van Zyl with a 4th place finish in the Men’s Cat 4, while Jacob Holtgrewe finished 20th.
Kelsey Voit pushed the pack in the women’s Cat 4 and finished 3rd, tallying her first podium of the year. 

Greg Lewis, participating in his first CX race filtered through the pack into 9th place. 

The CX team will race next at OVCX-Bloomington on Sept. 18th. 

Follow UofL Cycling on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram @uoflcycling.

Blog: King finishes 2nd at the Louisville Short Track Finale

Posted on by uoflcycling

UofL graduate student Ben King finished in 2nd place in the Men’s A race at the Louisville Short Track finale at Waverly Park on Saturday.

King excelled throughout the series, taking a  win in the Single Speed category and earning two podiums in the Men’s A onboard a single speed mountain bike.

Here is what King had to say about the race:

Parcours were tight and twisty compared to previous short track weeks. I was skeptical after hearing comments from other racers but was pleasantly surprised when I got on course myself. I was able to slide the back wheel around and maintain speed through the tight corners. And I really liked how they rerouted the exit from the “jump” which allowed you to carry more speed, and achieve total SS flow.

My 2nd place was a little surprising. I don’t think I’ve ever beaten Slo (Anthony Slowinsky- VO2 Multisport) before. In the previous race, I was able to catch his wheel after being stuck in traffic for a while but couldn’t stay with him.

This time I didn’t get caught back in traffic. On lap 2 I saw an opening and went for it going into the twisty section. I got a gap and held it to the finish!

It’s a career-best short track result for me. I’m focusing more on road this summer and short track is probably the only mtb racing I’ll be doing until fall. Last year I tried doing a lot of mtb over the summer, right after a busy collegiate road season. It was too hectic switching back and forth and I got a little burnt out.

It was great doing short track on my no-fuss singlespeed. The good results are a bonus and they have me excited for CX and mtb in the fall.

King finished in 4th place overall in the Series while teammate John Francisco finished 6th. Rikus Van Zyl finished 12th overall in the Men’s B.

Short Track is a mountain bike race format in which riders compete for a designated time amount along a short-distance, completely rideable, off-road course. For more info on the Louisville Short track series go to louisvilleshorttrack.com.

Photo by Drew Dillman.

Get your own UofL Cycling & Triathlon kit!

Posted on by uoflcycling

 

During the month of June you can purchase our official UofL Cycling & Triathlon race-day attire. Our friends at Hincapie Sportswear outdid themselves by producing our beautiful, clean look of red and black and it can finally be yours.

Items for sale & prices

  • Road Jersey $100
  • Bib Shorts $120
  • BMX Jersey $60
  • Triathlon One-Piece, Front Zip $160
  • Lightweight Wind Shell $75
  • Arm Warmers $40
  • Leg Warmers $60

Support your Louisville Cardinals out on the road with our high-quality clothing. The order closes on June 30th. 

About the process:

  • Ordering window June 2-June 30
  • Payment window July 1- July 4
  • Shipping $8
  • Membership Fee $10

To protect our student-operated club from any actions by the U of L Athletics Department and the Collegiate Licensing Company, you must become a community member of the Student Cycling Coalition. Payment can be made at moment of purchase. Go Cards!

kit

Weekend Wheelhouse: MWCCC Road and individual recognition

Posted on by uoflcycling

The road team competed at the Lindsey Wilson College Road Race while Emma Coakley and Mark Renn earned individual recognition in the Shelbyville Triathlon Series and the Downhill Southeast Series.

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By Abner Miralda

After a week-long training camp outside Asheville, North Carolina, the UofL Cycling road team competed in the Lindsey Wilson College road race weekend in Columbia, Ky. Rikus Van Zyl, Jacob Holtgrewe and Abner Miralda competed in the Men’s C Team Time Trial and road race, with Van Zyl the top-finishing rider with 5th place. Ben King began the Men’s A race but equipment difficulties ended his race early. Caroline DuPlessis and Kelsey Voit both competed in the Women’s B, crossing the line together in a friendly sprint in 18th and 19th place respectively.

Emma Coakley competed in the second race of the Shelbyville Triathlon Series, posting the fastest swim times overall for both men and women en route to her age-group win.

Mark Renn completed the Downhill Southeast Series in 13th place overall after posting an 18th place run at Bailey Mountain outside Asheville, North Carolina.

The next time UofL Cycling will compete will be the University of Michigan Criterium in Ann Arbor and the Michigan State Road Race in East Lansing on April 2nd &3rd.

UofL Cycling & Triathlon partner with Hincapie Sportswear, will produce a UofL Supporter’s Jersey

Posted on by uoflcycling

The iconic cycling and triathlon clothing brand Hincapie Sportswear will be the official performance-wear provider of Louisville Cycling & Triathlon in 2016. UofL Cycling and Triathlon joins Hincapie’s Collegiate Program to race and train in custom, team-issue Hincapie clothing. In addition, UofL Cycling and the University of Louisville are partnering with Hincapie to produce high-quality UofL supporter cycling apparel.

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UofL Cycling & Triathlon will wear custom Hincapie clothes in all of its competitions. “It’s an exciting chance for the team to grow, and this partnership is exactly what we need since Hincapie has such an extensive catalog that fits all our needs,” says Irina Miralda, the team Clothing and Merchandising coordinator. UofL Cycling will race cyclocross, road, mountain bike and BMX in Hincapie’s full offering of winter clothing, jerseys, bib shorts, skinsuits, and tech shirts. Meanwhile, UofL Triathlon will race in the company’s draft-legal one piece suits. The official UofL Cycling & Triathlon uniform will be unveiled before the first collegiate road race on March 12th.

A different design bearing the logos of the University of Louisville will be produced for fans and enthusiasts of UofL Cycling & Triathlon and the University of Louisville. These items will become available for purchase through UofLcycling.com once a community membership with the Student Cycling Coalition is purchased for $10. The Supporter’s Cycling Jersey will go on sale on Feb. 1st­­, 2016.

Founded by former UCI World Tour racer George and his brother Rich Hincapie, the sportswear company embodies the two brothers’ passion for cycling and their desire to see the sport grow at all levels. Seth Withers, a Hincapie representative says, “We [support] collegiate cycling because these riders end up graduating and creating an impact on their cycling communities.” Withers explains the Hincapie Collegiate Program offers student-operated clubs like the UofL Student Cycling Coalition, “Financial means to continue growing.” The program provides Hincapie products to members of affiliated collegiate programs and financial returns to the teams themselves. Team President Jacob Holtgrewe says, “It’s exciting to see how eager they are to work with us and be part of our team.” In addition, Hincapie offers its affordable, high-quality clothing to Non-Profit Organizations, Events, and Bike Shops through special programs.

Hincapie Sportswear was founded in 1998 and operates out of Greenville, SC with a proprietary factory in Medellin, Colombia, the Hincapie family’s country of origin. The company also promotes the Hincapie Grand Fondo and sponsors several professional racing teams.

UofL Cycling and Triathlon are operated by the UofL Student Cycling Coalition and regularly compete in collegiate national championships. UofL Cycling competes in the Mid West Collegiate Cycling Conference (MWCCC) and UofL Triathlon competes in the Mid East Collegiate Triathlon Conference (MECTC).

To learn about Hincapie Sportswear, visit http://www.hincapie.com/learn_more/hincapie_story/

To order premium custom sports apparel or learn about the different community Hincapie programs, visit http://hincapiecustom.com/

SCC elects Jacob Holtgrewe President for 2016, Caroline DuPlessis becomes Women’s Coordinator

Posted on by uoflcycling

Louisville, Ky. – The SCC held its annual leadership elections on Nov. 23, electing Jacob Holtgrewe as President. A new position for 2016, Women’s Coordinator, was filled by Caroline Duplessis. The remaining positions were filled evenly with incumbents and newcomers.

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By Abner Miralda

“[I’m] honored to be the new president-elect,” announced Holtgrewe when the results were unveiled to the team. The current Sophomore Biology student has been part of the organization since the beginning of his freshman year in 2014. Holtgrewe was a stand-out soccer and track athlete out of Paducah Tilghman High School and has bicycle industry experience from his time as a bike shop employee in Paducah, Ky.

Holtgrewe’s main area of focus for 2016 will be recruiting new members given collegiate cycling clubs are heavy with members close to graduation. “We need to find sustainable growth,” said Holtgrewe, “so we can remain a team.”

Another point for Holtgrewe will be to boost the budget to allocate for more programs such as the new Women’s Coordinator position that will be headed up by Caroline DuPlessis. “We need to create sustainable fundraising so we have the budget to do the things we want,” said Holtgrewe, adding, “I’d like to keep going in the direction we have been.”

The Women’s Coordinator position was created to empower women and create a more diverse team-makeup. Caroline DuPlessis is a Junior Nursing student, a member of the UofL Army Reserve Officer Training Corps and is primarily a triathlete. DuPlessis joined the SCC in 2015, competing in her first collegiate bicycle race in April and her first collegiate triathlon in September.

Evan Cruson returns as Triathlon Coordinator responsible for triathlete development, while Rikus Van Zyl becomes the head of the treasury as the Controller. Van Zyl is a Computer Engineering master’s student who has raced Road, Triathlon, and Cyclocross for the SCC and is well versed with the financial responsibilities of race-day logistics.

Irina Miralda becomes the Uniform Coordinator for the second year in a row, having designed the UofL Cycling and Triathlon team wear for 2016.

Abner Miralda remains the head of the marketing efforts of the organization, having stepped down from the President role of the previous two years, while being elected Vice President alongside John Francisco.

Francisco returns as the Cycling Coordinator, having developed the MWCCC’s sixth-placed road team, and a Cyclocross team that dominated the MWCCC Cyclocross Conference Championship and shook up the OVCX Series this fall. Francisco will be aided by Coy Phillips and Mark Renn.