The DU club cycling team traveled to Ogden, Utah, May 4-6 to compete in the Collegiate Road Cycling National Championships, where they placed 6th overall in Division II competition.

The national competition team consisted of all five A-level racers on the team sophomore Matt Lyons, first-year graduate student Joe Teynor, first-year law student Michael Burleigh, senior Sam Choban and the lone female, junior Jocelyn Erwin make up the roster.

“This was a big improvement on last year, when only one member qualified for nationals,” said club president Matt Lyons.

These five cyclists achieved A level status by winning or reaching podium on several B and C level races in previous years. Of the 22 total team members, they are the only ones to have reached the highest level of competition thus far. Many of the team members are novices or even first-timers in the world of competitive racing.

“That’s one of the great things about collegiate cycling; it’s not a super intimidating environment,” said Lyons. “We have people of all racing abilities who compete in B and C level races and train throughout the season.”

The team, which competes in the Rocky Mountain Collegiate Cycling Conference, trains everyday in various locations, usually riding towards the foothills near DU. They are coached by Adam Fivehouse, who works through a company called Optimize Endurance. Through Optimize, the team is put through lactate threshold testing, which allows the experts to help the athletes create a training plan and set  individual goals.

In Ogden, the racing started on May 4, with a team time trial; Saturday was the criterium, a lap-race held downtown over a set course. Last Sunday, the racers competed in a 125 km road race.

Individually, both Lyons and Erwin cracked the top 10, placing 7th in the road race and criterium, respectfully. Burleigh also placed 12th in the road race.

“We were definitely able to meet a lot of our goals this year, especially in increasing participation and growing as a club,” said Lyons. “We’re definitely hoping to carry that on into next year.”

Anyone who is interested in learning more about competitive cycling is encouraged to sign up in the fall.

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