August 27, 2012

Title

Carolina Cycling Club

Introduction

The UNC Cycling Team is a co-ed club sport open to full-time students, both graduate and undergraduate. The team competes in an intercollegiate conference in both road and off–road events. Whether you are already a serious athlete or serious about becoming an athlete, the UNC cycling team can provide an avenue to develop yourself as a bike racer. While we focus on racing, we encourage non-racers to join our club.

OFFICERS:

Mollie Brewer Suzanna Dupee Austin Blackmbrewer18@gmail.com dupee@live.unc.edu austinblack91@gmail.com

CO-PRESIDENTS:

SECRETARY

TREASURER

JORDAN REEVES REBECCA GOODWINBEN FOSTER

jreeves1990@gmail.com rmgoodwi@live.unc.edu bentfoster@gmail.com

WOMEN’S COORDINATOR 2013 RACE COORDINATOR

COACHES:

SARAH FADER NATE BERRY

sarahcaravella@yahoo.com nberry11@gmail.com

Are there tryouts to get on the team?Is Cycling NCAA?Collegiate cycling is not an NCAA sport. It is a club sport. This means that practices and racing are not mandatory. It also makes cycling much more conductive for student-athletes looking for anything from fitness to competition without having to give up 30+ hours a week to training and travel. UNC being top ranked for academics, most are here to get a degree (can’t speak for all colleges...) and cycling is a great outlet for physical fitness and stress relief. In fact, several current members of the team used to compete in other sports as NCAA athletes and took up cycling for the aforementioned reasons.

Do I have to race to be on the team?

No. Racing is not mandatory. Though both racing and practices are encouraged (and a lot of fun!!) Academics always come first and it is completely acceptable to miss team engagements for academic ones.

Benefits of Club Membership• Free UNC Cycling Jersey• Huge discounts off most items

at ParCycles• Race fees and travels expenses

covered• Reduced pricing on team

athletic apparel• Generic training plans from

experienced coaches• Physical fitness and social

networking• The ability to represent your

alma mater! FUN!!!!!

Collegiate Cycling & Why It’s SpecialCollegiate bike racing is a great way to become introduced into the sport. Unlike public races, you’re only racing against athletes from other schools. It’s more laid back and you make lots of new friends. Collegiate racing is generally more inclusive than public racing, and team tactics and strategy often play a larger role. If you’re still thinking about racing, don’t hesitate to contact the officers.

How Often Should I Ride?

While this can be a highly personalized question, a simple answer is that for racing in categories other than the “A’s”, riding 3x a week with at least one group ride (more than 50 people) should suffice. UNC Cycling is completely made up of student athletes, and it is our team policy that academics come before athletics. Specific training and tactical practice is often required to move up in categories, but the 3x a week baseline should be at a high enough level to compete and have fun. Feel free to contact Coaches Sarah Fader or Nate Berry for more questions regarding training.

What Kind of Bike Do I Need?How expensive is a race-worthy bike?!While you do not need to buy the latestand greatest (and most expensive), theWalMart special mom bought for youwon’t cut it. You can race on a $150 bikeyou got on craigslist but generally, we recommend aluminum frames and Shimano 105 / SRAM rival components.Bikes can be expensive, but here at UNC Cycling we usually do a good job at securing very, very good pricing on entry level race-worthy road bikes. Plus, there are other options for used bikes. The $500-$1000 range is a good approximation for the equipment buy in for someone completely new to the sport. But, even that can be mitigated by attention to detail and a little research. Feel free to ask the officers.

What Do I Need to Race, Besides Equipment?All collegiate races come under the USA Cycling domain. To race in their races you’ll need a license, which can be purchased day-of-race or yearly. If you plan on racing more that just a few times, you’ll want a yearly license to save money. More information can be found at www.usacycling.org

You’ll also need to fill out a Standard Release Form for each and every race. They’ll be available at the registration table at the race, but you can save time by filling it out before. If you want to race with us in collegiate races, you’ll have to pay dues.

Different Types of Riding & RacingUNC focuses primarily on Road, but we also participate in Mountain and Cyclocross during the fall. The majority of the club's rides are road rides but we do have occasional rides of other disciplines depending on the season and interest. Of course, you are welcome to post any kind of ride on our facebook page, so other UNC riders can join you!

When Are Team Practices?

During the fall, we are going to have a structured cross practice once a week for those interested. In the fall we will also have some milder no-drop style rides so the team can get to know each other and get a taste of what is to come. From November to March there are structured weekly practices 1-2 days a week and options for members to ride with each other in a non structured setting, the rest of the week. All of these practices are coached workouts and are an incredible opportunity to build fitness.

When Are Team Dues? What Do They Pay For?Dues for the 2012-2013 season have changed. They are now $60 per semester, or $120 up front. Your dues go to cover club costs as well as to greatly subsidize the cost of racing. Also included in dues, and new for the 2012-2013 season: a free UNC Jersey! These jerseys would cost $85 anywhere else, so after one race weekend you've already broken even. We also provide access to a team coach, who is a great source of knowledge for everyone from first-year riders to the elite, as well as structured workouts from November to May.

Just to clarify, as per sports club policy, you must pay full dues to attend team events (officially this also includes team rides, but we let people slide). We cannot travel with anyone who has not paid dues in full, or has an outstanding balance/missing paperwork. We get a lot of questions about whether to pay dues if you don't want to race: The answer is yes. The University provides us extra funding to cover the cost of competition, and as a result, we're able to offer access to racing at no cost to our athletes . Team dues cover the cost of running the team, including securing sponsorship, paying our coach, renting practice space, and putting on races and charity events

What Kind of Time Commitment Do I Have to Make?

Riding and racing for the team is as much of a time commitment as you want it to be.

Practice attendance is completely voluntary.

Who Do We Race Against?

UNC is part of the Atlantic Collegiate Cycling Conference. The Atlantic Collegiate Cycling Conference is a collection of cycling clubs representing colleges and universities from Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and North Carolina. We are one of eleven conferences that make up the collegiate program of USA Cycling, the national governing body of cycling in the United States. Our athletes compete in road, mountain, and cyclocross racing throughout the academic year at the conference level with hopes of qualifying for the USA Cycling Collegiate National Championships

2012-2013 Race Schedule2012 Mountain Bike• Sept 8-9 ASU• Sept 15-16 NCSU• Sept 22-23 W&M/ VCU• Sept 29-30 VT• Oct 6-7 WVU ( Conference Champs)

2012 Cyclocross Schedule • Oct 27-28 ASU• Nov 3-4 VCU/UVA• Nov 10-11 VT• Nov 17-18 DUKE• Nov 24-25 NCSU• Dec 1-2 WFU ( Conference Champs) Cyclocross Nationals are Jan 9-13 in Madison, WI

2013 Road• Feb 9-10 NCSU• Feb 16-17 Wake• Feb 23-24 W & M• March 2-3 VT• March 9-10 GW• March 16-17 UNC• March 23-24 Navy• April 6-7 ASU• April 13-14 WVU• April 19-20 Duke ( Conference Champs) Road Nationals are May 3-5 in Ogden, UT

Other Basic Info to Get Started!

Items that you will need to bring with you on EVERY ride:• Flat kit ( includes: spare tube, co2 cartridge and inflator, and tire lever)• Multi-tool• 2 Water Bottles• On the bike nutrition ( bars, gels, banana’s etc.) Usually the rule is 100-200 cals of

food per hr. on the bike.• Emergency cash- usually $10 bill is fine• Cell phone

Pre-

Ride

Bik

e In

spec

tion It is good to get in the habit of checking your bike for safety.

• Inspect tires for cuts, nicks, and general wear.• Install wheels & check for proper alignment• Verify quick release for appropriate closure and tightness. QR lever should be on left side of

bike and pointing toward middle of bike. A QR which is closed onto a fork blade, seat or chain stay may not be closed adequately or is very difficult to open.

• Spins each wheel verifying that it rotate freely• Brake pads - check that adequate material remains and that pads and calipers are tight.• Brake cable – inspect for frayed cables, damaged housing and loose hardware.• Brakes – verify brakes work correctly by squeezing & releasing each brake level a couple times.• Headset – verify appropriate tightness by applying front brake then rocking bike fore & aft.

Feel for looseness. Lift front of bike and turn wheel right & left, feel for binding of headset.• Bottom bracket – grasp a crank arm and gently move perpendicular to rotation of cranks. Feel

for looseness.• Crank arms- check arms on both sides of bike for looseness.• Derailure cables – check for frayed cables, damaged housing and loose hardware.• Derailures – verify proper adjustment and shifting.• Saddle – verify saddle clamp is adequately tight.• Water bottle cages – verify cages are tight by grasping cage and gently wiggling.• Handlebars / stem – inspect for loose nuts & bolts, check bar tape for wear and tear or

damage.• Inspect bike for general cleanliness.• Inspect for loose nuts and bolts.

Post-Ride Cycling Nutrition Basics for College Students

Post ride nutrition for college students• Again, there are volumes and volumes of information about “perfect” balances of

carbohydrates and protein / fat etc… But really, you have to understand a few simple things.• Cycling is an endurance sport. You expend a lot of energy that needs to be repleted to the

body. There is a ~30 minute window after you stop exercising where your body most efficiently takes up nutrients, so eating right after a ride is essential for getting the most out of your training. The first thing your body will want after a ride is carbohydrates. Examples include: oatmeal, bread, cereal, pasta, rice, quinoa.– Example #1: 1-minute oatmeal (~$1/lb) with frozen blueberries ($2/lb)

• The nice thing about this combo is you can boil the water and put it directly onto a bowl of dry oatmeal. Let sit for a few minutes, then add blueberries. You only need to clean the bowl after, and takes about 5 minutes to make. It’s very inexpensive too. The cost of items in the photo were calculated to be about $1.

– Example #2: English muffins with peanut butter and honey.• The peanut butter adds some healthy fats and protein.• Your body will also need moderate amounts of protein to repair muscle and cardiovascular / pulmonary systems. Monounsaturated fats (olives, olive oil, peanut butter,

almond butter, nuts, and most non-animal sources) are used in the synthesis of hormones, and small amounts are necessary to replete fat stores as well.

• In general: carbohydrates > protein > unsaturated fats. Go easy on the red meat, and avoid fried foods (sorry!)

During Ride Cycling Nutrition Basics for College Students

During-ride nutrition• Try to eat something every hour. Bananas, cliff bars, cookies, and bagel halves are

good examples of portions and portion size for prolonged riding. General rule of thumb: bring more food than you think you need.

• Fluids become much more important when riding in really warm conditions or for more than two hours. Even if you don’t feel like you’re sweating, you’re generally losing a lot of water. Every breath leeches H2O into your exhale and you sweat more than you think (the vehicular nature of cycling means very quick evaporation). Also important is the intake of salts. You lose more than water when you sweat, and using an electrolyte drink can go a long way when you’re spending a lot of time on the bike.

• If you’re read this far, I hope that this information was of help to you. If you have more specific questions about training or nutrition, feel free to ask.

We are looking forward to an amazing 2012-2013 season.

We can’t wait to have you as part of our team!!!