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Cycling Team Debuts at Miami By Karen Edwards (Member, 2002)
The CWRU Cycling Club entered their first race of the season at Miami University, last Saturday. Several members of the racing team traveled down to Oxford, Ohio to compete in an intense thirty-six mile road race. The weather was nice for the entire event, as sunshine illuminated the picturesque rolling hills of the racecourse. Nate Pletcher cruised to a top-twenty finish, among a strong field of competitors that included Ohio State, Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Northwestern- just to name a few! Adam Patrick was also among the eighty-six race starters. Unfortunately, Adam was involved in a crash, midway through the course. Crashes are not uncommon in cycling, where cyclists test their limits, riding upwards of thirty miles per hour! Despite the crash, a large pack of competitors, including Pletcher, stayed together as they approached the uphill finish. "Then everything opened up quite a bit with everyone trying to finish hard." Pletcher summarized, "I was able to pass a number of people on the climb to finish 19th." Overall, the team was very pleased with their success in
the first road race of the season. "It is a challenging conference,"
Coach Tim Edwards said, "but the team has prepared for this type
of competition." CWRU competes in the Midwest Collegiate Conference,
which is essentially the "Big Ten" of cycling. Many of the other
teams are varsity level programs. The CWRU Cycling Club is fortunate to
have excellent support from advisors, as well as funding and sponsorship.
It is still not too late to join the Cycling Club this semester. The Club
also participates in fun group rides and mountain biking for riders of
all skill levels. |
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