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:
Road jersey – $95 + Free Shipping
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.
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.
UofL Triathlon standouts Nick Reader and Rikus Van Zyl sped through the Olympic and Sprint distance triathlons at Tri Louisville to earn an age-group win and a runner-up finish.
“The course was pancake flat,” said Van Zyl. “It was a fast course.” Reader added that the course had a great “downtown feel.”
The sprint distance swam down the Ohio River while the Olympic did a lap around the island harboring the docks. The two did different lap counts on the shared bike and run courses along River Road and Waterfront Park.
“I was spot on with the pacing and didn’t have any hiccups on the course,” said Van Zyl. His official finishing time was good enough for 2nd place in the 20-24 age group and 13th overall in the Sprint.
Reader went ahead and tallied another result, winning the 20-24 age group in the Olympic distance.
“I’m eager to head into fall as my swim continues to get better,” said Reader. The two athletes are preparing for the Mid East Collegiate Triathlon Conference Championships in Muncie, IN on September 3rd.
“This race was good training for the collegiate triathlons in the fall.” said Van Zyl.
Also racing on Sunday were UofL students Carolina Ganon and Kevin Chesser. Both completed the Olympic distance with personal record times.
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!
Chattanooga, Tenn.- Competing in his first half-Ironman distance event, Nick Reader cruised into 4th place in the 18-24 age group with a time of 4:50:52.
“Best swim I ever had,” said Reader. The former runner had struggled in swims throughout 2015 but hard work during the winter paid off. Reader completed the 1.2-mile swim in 29:10.
Unfortunately the good feelings ended about halfway through the 56-mile bike leg. “My back locked up,” he revealed. At the first checkpoint, Reader was averaging almost 25mph. The second checkpoint revealed his average had dropped to 22mph. Regardless, his time was a speedy 2:31:21.
He said the cramps never relented even through the 13.1-mile run. “I just tried to stay moving.” His run time was 1:44:34.
“I’m happy I finished and to have finished under five [hours].”
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.
Mid East Collegiate Triathlon Conference unveiled its allocations for the 2016 USA Triathlon Collegiate Club Nationals.
Nick Reader breathes as he swims alongside Rikus Van Zyl at the Ralph R. Wright Natatorium at the University of Louisville. Photo: Abner Miralda
By Abner Miralda
The University of Louisville earned two spots in the men’s draft-legal sprint race after impressive performances by Mike Baird and Nick Reader throughout the fall of 2015. The duo’s consistent top-10 performances were highlighted by Baird’s second place finish at Michigan State. The MECTC only awarded eight spots for the men’s race. The only other team to earn two spots was Miami University of Ohio.
In the women’s draft-legal sprint, UofL was allocated one spot out of the ten available. Emma Coakley put in the lion’s share of the work to earn the slot, consistently posting some of the fastest swim times in the conference for both men and women. Northwestern University and Miami University of Ohio both earned two spots each.
For both the Olympic distance races UofL was granted 1 spot in the day’s opening wave for both men’s and women’s races. This serves as the “wild card” slot for Wave 1 as the top five men’s teams and six women’s teams each get 2 entries each.
In addition, UofL earned one of the eleven team relay spots out of the MECTC. An honor granted only to the top ranked teams in the conference. The team relay consists of two men and two women.
USA Triathlon Collegiate Club Nationals are on April 22nd in Clemson, SC.
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.
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).
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.
University of Louisville Triathlon is a novelty in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. It finds itself as the newest and only collegiate triathlon club in the state. Despite its pioneer status, the UofL team is trying to follow suit in a state known for a racing heritage that includes the Kentucky Derby, the Kentucky Motor Speedway, and the country’s largest Ironman triathlon race—Ironman Louisville.
Comprised of 30 members, this student-operated team is the sister program of UofL Cycling. Together, the cycling and triathlon teams make up a joint venture to promote a healthy lifestyle at the university by competing with other universities throughout the Midwest at the club level.
Evan Cruson, the head of UofL Triathlon, is proud of his new team, saying, “This first year was a major milestone.” In its first year, UofL Triathlon competed in five collegiate events in the Mid-East Collegiate Triathlon Conference as members of USA Triathlon and several non-conference events throughout the local area.
Members of UofL Triathlon after finishing the Dayton Sprint Triathlon.
UofL Triathlon is for everyone
According to Cruson, finishing a first triathlon is a perfectly achievable goal when striving for a healthy lifestyle. Nursing major and ROTC cadet, Caroline DuPlessis, had been looking for an opportunity to do just that. She said, “I’d always wanted to do a triathlon,” and when she met the team, she signed up for her first race—an Olympic distance event at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign. DuPlessis went on to finish in a blistering 13th place of 66 women. “I loved it!” she smiled, “It was fast paced, but it was still my own race.” She liked it so much she competed in a second triathlon two weeks later.
Nick Reader, a retired Div. I cross country runner for the University of Louisville, recently picked up triathlon racing as well. His first-ever race was the University of Dayton Triathlon in Ohio. Even after struggling in the water at first, lightly admitting, “I wasn’t ready for the open water by any means,” Reader gained time in the bike and run portions to a 6th place finish of 33 men. Like DuPlessis, he was instantly engaged in the sport and competed in two more collegiate triathlons, saying “It’s a good challenge. The level of talent [of the competition] amongst the three sports is pretty cool.”
Even experienced triathletes have found a home in UofL Triathlon. Mike Baird is a
Rikus Van Zyl in the 60k bike leg of Muncie Man Triathlon on Sept. 5, 2015.
former mountain biker and has been racing triathlon for several years. A physical education student at UofL, Baird has known sports for a long time and has garnered a successful season that includes a second place finish at Michigan State amongst several top-10 finishes. Yet his excitement this year comes from looking ahead. “Next year we’ll be twice as good because we gained lots of experience,” he said. UofL Triathlon will only graduate two members of its racing core. “We won’t have to reload. We will add a few members, but right now we’re only going to get better.”
UofL Triathlon is a team
Triathlon is mostly regarded as an individual sport; not only do athletes typically train and race alone, but they are also forbidden from helping each other during races. Nonetheless, UofL Triathlon defies those solitary trends. The team swims together at the university’s Ralph Wright Natatorium and rides bikes together with UofL Cycling. DuPlessis credited the positive atmosphere of the group, stating, “Having them to support me was really important. I felt like I was part of a team.” Reader echoed DuPlessis, “It’s more inviting when people are doing it with you.”
Even Baird, with his traditional experience of triathlon training and racing, was elated to become a member. Baird raced five times consecutively for the Cardinals, taking pride in the volume of races he undertook. “I wouldn’t have raced all that if I wouldn’t have had a team.” Afterwards, he mentioned the lonely training and racing most triathletes do, “It’s the first time in my career I’ve raced for others. It was really motivating.”
Nick Reader at the Dayton Triathlon. Reader was consistently one of the fastest runners in the conference.
UofL Triathlon is diverse
As a discipline, triathlon is unique because it combines three sports. This has allowed members from different athletic backgrounds and diverse strengths to join the sport. Rikus Van Zyl and Jacob Holtgrewe, accomplished track runners in high school finished their first ever triathlons in a UofL Triathlon uniform in 2015. The diversity also defies a male-dominated trend in the triathlon world. Of the 30 members of the team, 14 are women.
All the collegiate events are the International Olympic distance, meaning a 1.5 km swim, a 40 km bike, and a 10 km run. However, in 2015 alone, UofL Triathlon had two women, Catherine Benson and Ivy Nguyen, complete the Steelhead Half-Ironman Triathlon, and has had two Ironman finishers, Erik Seibt and John Dickens.
UofL Triathlon is looking ahead
Several athletes from UofL Triathlon have already qualified for the USA Triathlon Collegiate National Championships in Clemson, SC in April of 2016. Baird is primed to earn the organization’s first ever draft-legal berth, an all-star race in which only the best athletes in the country are slotted, and the other members: Reader, DuPlessis, Van Zyl, Nicole Knapp and Emma Coakley, will have an opportunity to represent the Cardinals in the traditional Olympic distance race.
Carolina Ganon crosses the finishline at the Purdue Boilerman Triathlon.
The organization is also actively working to become a key player in the Mid-East conference, exploring options to host a collegiate triathlon at the University of Louisville. The goal is to expose more students to the idea of doing a race. Current coordinator Evan Cruson said, “It’ll be sustainable– the triathlon can be done.”
At the end of its first year, every member of UofL Triathlon can look back and be inspired by everything they’ve done. After all, some of the most inspiring stories the sports world has heard have come from the finishing straights of a triathlon. As Cruson puts it, “Having seen people accomplish what they have has been a huge inspiration.”
To learn more about UofL Triathlon and UofL Cycling, visit UofLcycling.com, Like us on Facebook, or Follow Us on Instagram and Twitter.
Edit: Nicole Knapp also completed the Steelhead Half-Ironman Triathlon alongside Ivy Nguyen and Catherine Benson.
