DU’s Club Cycling team will head to Fort Collins, Colo. for the USA Cycling Collegiate Road National Championships from Thursday to Sunday.

Ben Quinn was the top DU qualifier from the Rocky Mountain Collegiate Cycling Conference, followed by Colin Don and Grant Goerzen.

Nearly 500 student-athletes, representing more than 60 colleges and universities from across the country, will compete to win one of 18 national cycling titles.

“Even though it is an individual sport, it is still a team effort,” said Amy Secor, club cycling team president.

Road races are team-oriented, mass-start events which typically feature a field of 150-180 riders.

Teams are generally made up of eight to 10 riders. The road race on Friday will be about 80 miles and will take up to three hours to complete.

One of the more challenging features of the course forces riders to climb a long steep path to the top of the Horsetooth Reservoir.

Road cycling is considered to be the most traditional, popular and purest form of bike racing, as it takes on many different forms.

Events contested on the road include time trials, road races, stage races, criteriums, omniums, team time trials and circuit races.

This is the fourth year in a row that the team has represented DU at nationals.

In 2007, the cycling team placed 13th.

In 2008 the cycling team placed ninth.

This year, the biggest challenge for the Pioneers will be Trevor Johnson from Air Force and the leader of the Rocky Mountain Collegiate Cycling Conference, said Goerzen.

Goerzen and fellow teammates are preparing to compete and become national champions.

“It would just be really cool to be the national champions,” Goerzen said.

If Goerzen and his team win first place they will be the bring home DU’s first Cycling College Road National Championship.

For information on DU club cycling visit their website located at recreation.du.edu/clubsports.