In 2016, Milligan’s cycling team won the USA Cycling Collegiate Road Race National Championships for the second straight season. The women’s cycling team helped them win five of the six events that make up the national road race championship by earning a gold in the women’s time trial. The cycling team is hoping to achieve this goal once more in the 2017 season.
“A lot of stuff goes into the sport of cycling,” said Diana Ramos, the backup sprinter for the cycling team. “It would take hours to explain the whole sport.”
Track, cross and mountain bike races all take place in the fall; road races occur in the spring.
Track races take place in a 250-meter, bowl-shaped track. Track race events include the “team pursuit”, “flying 200” and “scratch race.” These races are won individually, but the overall team score is decided by adding the individual points.
Cross races range in difficulty. They consist of obstacles, hills to climb and wood obstacles to jump.
Mountain bike races are on a short track and are designed for the “climbers” on the cycling team to compete in.
Everyone on the cycling team competes in the road races. These races allow for more tactics and “blocking.” Each year’s tactics vary and depend on the cyclists on Milligan’s team as well as the cyclists on the other teams. There are few “sprinters” on this year’s cycling team.
Definitions
Blocking–When the whole cycling team moves to the front, makes a “wall” and doesn’t let anyone cycle past them
Kit–The whole cycling outfit.
Chamois (Sham-mies)–The bottom pants part of the kit.
Chamois time is training time–Anytime the cyclists are in uniform should count as training time.
Bonked–Completely out of energy.
Climbers–Cyclers whose specialty is cycling up hills.
Mechanical–Term used when something goes wrong with the bike.
Yelling “Up”–A way to tell a fellow cyclist on the same team to go faster, because another cyclist from a different team is approaching or “attacking.
Yelling “Stick”–Telling another cyclist to stay where they are, because they are being passed.
Dropping–Falling behind and losing the front or lead pack of cyclists.
Tan lines–From chamois, both a sign of pride and annoying at times.