Ellington

Whether you are an avid racer or still coming off your training wheels, you can have a good time with the Husky Cycling Club.

“It’s a tough sport. It’s a lot of fun, and you burn a lot of calories doing it,” club president David Giraud said.

The club meets every Saturday and Sunday for its weekend rides, which tend to last 20 to 80 miles. The club does these rides as a large group, but riders can turn back with others at any of the turnaround points on the course.

“If you feel like doing a long ride and getting a great workout, you can do that, but if you feel like doing a short ride with a group of people you can do that, too,” Giraud said.

While the club may facilitate recreational bike riding, the members of Husky Cycling take competition seriously. The club competes with Division I schools from the Pacific Northwest, including Washington State and the University of Oregon. Four years ago, the club dominated the Northwest, but it has been rebuilding since then, coming in third place in the division championship last year. The first race takes place March 22 in Corvallis and Eugene, Oregon. The season then continues through the spring.

All members of the club can race, but none are required to. Racers are self-selected into one of three categories: A, B or C. Riders in the C category are the least experienced, and many are even brand new to racing. Riders in the B category have been racing for a year or two and don’t feel they are ready for the competition of the A level. Level A competition is the highest level, where riders have many years of experience and are very competitive.

On a typical race weekend, members of the club compete in three races, a team time trial lasting 10 to 15 miles, a criterium lasting 40 to 70 minutes and a road race lasting 40 to 70 miles. “A lot of people view it as an individual sport, but when you are racing, it is very much a team sport,” Giraud said.

In the team time trial, the races are for four-person teams, and it’s a race against the clock. Teamwork makes a huge impact in this race. Teams draft by riding in a line, the lead rider fighting most of the drag. Riders switch places periodically, making the entire team ride faster.

The criterium is a lap-based race on a short course. Tactics come into play in this race, as the winner of bonus laps called prime laps get additional points added to their team’s total. Bikers must decide whether to expend energy in these prime laps or save it to try to win the entire race. These races are very exciting and spectator-friendly.

The road race is the longest race. All riders compete in this one. However, riders only directly compete against the other riders in their category. In the race, riders generally clump together into a large group called a paleton. Riders try to break away from the paleton by sprinting ahead, but the riders of the paleton try to catch them. Teammates of the breakaway riders try to slow down the paleton by slowing down themselves, helping their teammates break away.

The team is coached by Craig Undem and Erik Moen. Undem raced as a Category 1 road racer from 1989-2000. He was a silver medalist in the 1990 National Elite Criterium and was a member of the 1997 world’s team in Munich. Moen was a 1992 UW graduate and is now a member of the American Physical Therapy Association, the United States Cycling Federation and the National Strength and Conditioning Association.

Cycling can intimidate new riders with its high costs. However, the cycling club encourages new riders not to worry about the expenses associated with racing. The cycling club works hard to make cycling affordable to all members. They have sponsorships with ASUW Bike Shop and Recycled Cycles, companies that help club riders get cheaper gear.

New riders are always welcome, but they are encouraged to join in the fall, which is a more laid back period with shorter and easier rides than the rest of the year. If you are interested in joining, check out the club’s Web site at www.huskycycling.net. It is definitely a competitive club.

“Overall, the purpose of our club is to introduce people to the sport of competitive cycling,” Giraud said.

[Reach reporter Zach Ruby at sports@thedaily.washington.edu.]