Vassar Cycling Club to host championship race

Elizabeth Pacheco Sports Editor

Even in a pack of cyclists battling to the finish line, the Vassar Cycling Club can be easily picked out from the crowd. Dressed in a fluorescent version of Vassar’s traditional pink and gray, the team stands apart from their opponents in both their uniforms and successes. This weekend, April 28-29, the team will have the opportunity to face off against opponents on their home turf as they host the Eastern Collegiate Cycling Conference (ECCC) Championships. Called the “Tour of the Hudson River Valley,” the race will take place in the New Paltz and Poughkeepsie areas. Worth double the usual amount of points awarded to winning teams, it is the most important race for eastern collegiate racers next to nationals.

Vassar beat out many other larger schools to host this race, which is expected to draw cyclists from at least 50 colleges and universities from the New England, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware areas. This process began last November when Christian Rose ’07 and Peter Horn ’08 went to West Point Academy and presented a Power Point that Rose created to the ECCC. It outlined the entire event, from the exact map of the racecourses to nearby medical facilities and lodgings.
However, obtaining approval was only half of the work. The team then needed to coordinate details with local police, highway departments and town administrations, as well as establish funding for the event. The College provided limited money, so corporate sponsors such as Amino Vital and the Bicycle Depot were also recruited.

“I have been extremely impressed over the past several months,” said Dean of Studies Alexander Thompson III, who is the faculty advisor for the cycling club. “These students have successfully navigated the very complex logistical topography of staging a weekend of bicycle racing of this caliber and scale while sustaining their commitments to their academic and other endeavors.”
The race begins early Saturday morning in New Paltz with the nine-mile Walkill Team Time Trial along the Walkill River. Organized by gender and skill level, there are eight separate start times with teams staggered in 30-second intervals within each level.

Following the time trial is the Shawangunk Road Race, in which cyclists race distances ranging from 10 miles in the introductory levels to 98 miles in the Men’s “A” division. Within this course there are two major climbs—the first up Mohonk Mountain and the other finishing at Lake Minnewaska State Park Preserve. The day will conclude with a banquet on campus, where awards will be presented. On Sunday the event continues with the Poughkeepsie Criterium, a flat, one-kilometer course open to any competitive riders.

Founded in the 1980s, the Vassar Cycling Club is a student-run organization that has only recently been revitalized. In the past the club existed more as individual efforts collected under the “Vassar” name, rather than as a team. However, over the last few years, a real bond has developed between teammates. Now, members travel to events together and are a strong support system for each other on the race sidelines.

Besides Horn and Rose, the team has four seniors, Dave Vollbach, Miranda Hicks-Courant, Sally Plotnick and Liz Engel; as well as one sophomore, Adam Favaloro; and one freshman, Joe Stricker.
Despite their small size, the team is ranked within the top 20 in Division II of the ECCC, while as an individual Horn is ranked sixth. Six Vassar cyclists are expected to race with over 500 other race participants. Horn will compete in the Men “A” division, while Rose will race in Men “C,” Vollbach in Men “D”, Hicks-Courant and Plotnick in Women’s Intro, and Favaloro and Stricker in Men’s Intro.

While the team has had outstanding performances throughout this season, perhaps the most notable was Horn’s win at the Boston Beanpot Classic during the weekend of April 8-9, the largest collegiate cycling event in the country. Horn won the event last year, as well, and is now the first cyclist in the race’s history to win the event two years in a row. Horn, coming off of similar performances all season, will likely continue his success by racing at the Collegiate Cycling National Championships, which will be held in Lawrence, Kan. from May 10-13.

The Vassar Cycling Club welcomes any students interested in cycling, even those without any experience, as it has always maintained a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. Hicks-Courant, who began racing this semester, explained that the introductory-level races are meant for inexperienced riders. “By competing in the intro races I have begun figuring our technique and understanding the basics of road racing.”

While performing well is important to Vassar cyclists, Vollbach explained that “good results are secondary and it has been more meaningful to have a good group of people.”
As the team begins to grow, so does the chance of receiving more funding from the College. This could eventually lead to hiring a coach, buying team equipment and receiving a status on campus closer to those of varsity or serious club sports. “In the future we hope to get more people, expand the team and become better known in the cycle community,” said Horn. “Our location is good for cycling, so there is definitely the opportunity to develop a program that will interest incoming students.”

With a promising future ahead in the ECCC and on campus, the team will look to this weekend as an ideal opportunity to finish on top, as well as to promote Vassar’s program and the sport of cycling.
Anyone interested in volunteering at the race to be a course marshall, to register riders, or to help with set up and clean up can contact the team’s volunteer coordinator Dave Perlman ’09 (daperlman@vassar.edu).