"The 33"-Road Bike Racing - Should I race collegiate or club?

So I'm heading to college in the fall, and I'm pretty much deciding between Boston University and Emerson College. If I go to BU, then I'll be able to race with their team. If I go to Emerson, I'll race with a club team in Boston. I know, I know, a lot of you are going to say that I should decide on which college I want to go to before I racing. I think I'm more inclined towards Emerson because I'm getting a lot more money from them, and I prefer the small school atmosphere.

But I'd just like to as you guys. Is there any large difference between club and collegiate racing, particularly in the New England area?

Collegiate racing is many times more fun than any other racing I've ever done.

Depending on which non collegiate team you join and the way the bu collegiate team is funded, collegiate racing may be cheaper. I know that at my college for next year, all entry fees, hotels and transportation is covered by the school for collegiate races.

Yes, there is a large difference between collegiate and club racing. Collegiate racing was incredibly fun, but so is my current club. Whether or not that's why you should pick one college over another is a debate I'll stay out of.

At my school we pay all the travel costs and usually stay at someone's apartment near the race. The only thing you really have to pay for up front are the entry fees and we reimburse you for half of that too. Not only that, but collegiate racing is a lot of fun.

What Cat are you? I'd do collegiates as you get to meet and ride with people your own age. There is actually team spirit, even in the lower cats. The same can't be said for USCF teams of the lower cats, which, as someone observed, is just a bunch of people racing in the same kit. To boot, at the races, you can properly warm up and cool down while your teammates help you.

aside from when you cant be 2 places at once, is there some reason you cant race both college and usac/club?

So I'm heading to college in the fall, and I'm pretty much deciding between Boston University and Emerson College. If I go to BU, then I'll be able to race with their team. If I go to Emerson, I'll race with a club team in Boston. I know, I know, a lot of you are going to say that I should decide on which college I want to go to before I racing. I think I'm more inclined towards Emerson because I'm getting a lot more money from them, and I prefer the small school atmosphere.

But I'd just like to as you guys. Is there any large difference between club and collegiate racing, particularly in the New England area?

Pick the college and don't worry about it.

Why is collegiate racing so much more fun? Is it just not being in the real world yet or what? =]


There is actually team spirit, even in the lower cats. The same can't be said for USCF teams of the lower cats, which, as someone observed, is just a bunch of people racing in the same kit. To boot, at the races, you can properly warm up and cool down while your teammates help you.

Not all USAC teams are strangers riding in the same kit... at least on mine, we all know each other and try to do teamwork in races too (even in the 4's).

Fwiw I have fun at my races, though I didn't race in college so I guess I can't compare.

Also, don't most USAC clubs reimburse race fees? Most around here do, anyway.

Collegiate racing is fun because where else will you see CAT 1's cheering their asses off for their CAT 5 counterparts?

There's a huge sense of community within teams, like with any collegiate sport.

I just don't think it's worth it to go to a college just because of a collegiate team.

I just don't think it's worth it to go to a college just because of a collegiate team.

+1 There is a lot more to a college than just a cycling team.

+1 There is a lot more to a college than just a cycling team.

I mean, it's different with other sports, and athletic scholarships are a whole different ball game. But if you're going to a school that you can afford, and you're happy going to, then I'd pick that over the other.

I wouldn't go to a school that I hated because it was cheaper though.

Go to Emerson and START a cycling club. It's really not that hard, you've got to pound some pavement for sponsors and talk things through with the school, but you'll open up the world of collegiate cycling (which, as was mentioned above, is an absolute blast!) to a bunch of your classmates.

When I chose which school to go to I figured I could get a decent education anywhere, and picked based on location, extracurricular opportunities, campus, % of hot chicks, and other important factors.

I got into "better" schools than the one I went to (Cornell, Colorado College, etc) but came here, and I'm glad I did. It's just school. You'll learn anywhere if you want to, or not learn if that's what floats your boat. Something like 20% of freshman don't make it to their second year, and that's not because of the teachers or the class size or anything else, it's because they aren't ready to be in college. Make sure you can do the things you want to do outside the classroom.

I will say that the class sizes freshman year kind of sucked, and didn't exactly inspire me to go to class, but I haven't been in a room with more than 30 students since then. At a school of 20,000 or so...

When I chose which school to go to I figured I could get a decent education anywhere, and picked based on location, extracurricular opportunities, campus, % of hot chicks, and other important factors.

I got into "better" schools than the one I went to (Cornell, Colorado College, etc) but came here, and I'm glad I did. It's just school. You'll learn anywhere if you want to, or not learn if that's what floats your boat. Something like 20% of freshman don't make it to their second year, and that's not because of the teachers or the class size or anything else, it's because they aren't ready to be in college. Make sure you can do the things you want to do outside the classroom.

I will say that the class sizes freshman year kind of sucked, and didn't exactly inspire me to go to class, but I haven't been in a room with more than 30 students since then. At a school of 20,000 or so...

Just curious, why did you chose CSU over CU?

CU being cornell?

Just curious, why did you chose CSU over CU?

Because the vibe I got from CU, and Boulder in general, was a giant group of people so preoccupied with themselves and their Green (though really, not so green) lifestyles that they couldn't get out of their own way for all the self-appreciating pats on their own backs.

If that makes any sense.

And that's saying something, coming from a liberal town like Burlington, VT. Boulder is a whole new level of deeply ingrained superiority complex.

I like quite a few people from Boulder. But it was the vibe, maaannnn..... I met too many tools in the two days I spent there.

Ze makes a really good point. A college decision is based on many things, including the indescribable vibes you get from visiting the campus, talking to people, etc. It's more than an academic choice -- it's your life for the next 4 years.

Maybe you should contact the BU cycling team and spend some time with them. This might be difficult, seeing as you are in SF, but maybe you could meet them on a day you visit the campus.

Also, for what it's worth, one of my best friends went to BU and loves it.

just do both! Im out at Arizona state, and most of the guys who are going to be racing for us this next season are from different clubs. It should be kinda fun racing with guys you race against in the club scene. That way, you can go ahead and race with your club team, and just race for free with the collegiate team.

That said, come out to AZ! our road racing season goes from the last wknd in january to mid may. after a brief hiatus for the summer (where we all head to northern arizona for some cooler altitude training) the fall picks up with a couple time trial series. Our club pays for all collegiate races. Plus, outta state tuition for ASU is fairly inexpensive. http://students.asu.edu/costs/results?acad_year=2011&residency=NORES&acad_career=UGRD&admit_term=2107&admit_level=10&honors=0&campus=TEMPE&acad_prog=&online_prog=&housing_plan=

just do both! Im out at Arizona state, and most of the guys who are going to be racing for us this next season are from different clubs. It should be kinda fun racing with guys you race against in the club scene. That way, you can go ahead and race with your club team, and just race for free with the collegiate team.

That said, come out to AZ! our road racing season goes from the last wknd in january to mid may. after a brief hiatus for the summer (where we all head to northern arizona for some cooler altitude training) the fall picks up with a couple time trial series. Our club pays for all collegiate races. Plus, outta state tuition for ASU is fairly inexpensive. http://students.asu.edu/costs/results?acad_year=2011&residency=NORES&acad_career=UGRD&admit_term=2107&admit_level=10&honors=0&campus=TEMPE&acad_prog=&online_prog=&housing_plan=

i'm not white. do i need to carry my American passport with me at races lest the cops directing traffic stop me?:innocent:

When I chose which school to go to I figured I could get a decent education anywhere, and picked based on location, extracurricular opportunities, campus, % of hot chicks, and other important factors.

I got into "better" schools than the one I went to (Cornell, Colorado College, etc) but came here, and I'm glad I did. It's just school. You'll learn anywhere if you want to, or not learn if that's what floats your boat. Something like 20% of freshman don't make it to their second year, and that's not because of the teachers or the class size or anything else, it's because they aren't ready to be in college. Make sure you can do the things you want to do outside the classroom.

I will say that the class sizes freshman year kind of sucked, and didn't exactly inspire me to go to class, but I haven't been in a room with more than 30 students since then. At a school of 20,000 or so...

My parents wouldn't have let me pass up on cornell...

I'm not an academic kind of person. I would not have excelled there with lots of academic type people :) Plus I wanted to get out of New England for a bit.

My SAT's and GPA in high school didn't really match...

You're going to Massachusetts from San Francisco, it probably doesn't matter too much which you chose because you'll be doing much of your riding in the snow or rain, or on the trainer.

OP, have you visited both schools? That is a great way to get a "vibe" from the school as ze mentioned, which is something that cannot be felt from the website. I loved the vibe I got from JHU, UVM, and Northeastern. Not so much from WPI or RPI.

Collegiate racing is just like club racing except it's way more fun, way less stressful, and way less expensive (at least in my case).

Go to Emerson and START a cycling club. It's really not that hard, you've got to pound some pavement for sponsors and talk things through with the school, but you'll open up the world of collegiate cycling (which, as was mentioned above, is an absolute blast!) to a bunch of your classmates.

A lot of schools (and I would think Emerson would have enough money to do this) will even start you with a small budget if you get X number of people to join, so the sponsership angle wouldn't really be all that difficult unless it got big quick. My school would give any club with like 8 people a $1000 budget or something. which should be enough to get you and 8 guys kits and pay for quite a few entry fees. You get sponsers and you could be completly covered (hotels and travel).

Collegiate cycling is awesome and it's not even close to being the same as club racing. Most clubs don't really work that well and chances are other people in those races are working for themselves so when it comes down to it everyone is racing for themselves. In Collegiate racing everyone is on a close knit team racing against other close knit teams which equates to actual team tactics. You get to make some awesome friends and it's way cheaper, we just have to pay for food. Team dues were 125 bucks for 6 weekends of racing, housing and transportation. You couldn't even enter an omnium club race for 125 bucks.

Go to Emerson and START a cycling club. It's really not that hard, you've got to pound some pavement for sponsors and talk things through with the school, but you'll open up the world of collegiate cycling (which, as was mentioned above, is an absolute blast!) to a bunch of your classmates.

This is the winning answer! It's not that hard to start a club sport, and it's not too hard to register with USAC and get going. Check out the ECCC website; they used to have a bunch of helpful documentation. You'll also need a club clothing order, so it would help if you can get 10 or more people interested (although I've seen teams with whit t-shirts with the school name written on with a sharpie).

also, our races are more interesting (and generally better) than any of the local races, and they are much cheaper too. There are plenty of $40 crits. Our races are capped at $17.... so start a club at the University of your choice and rock the college season!

$40 crit?!

Do those come with a free t-shirt, water bottle, and $10 prime?

aside from when you cant be 2 places at once, is there some reason you cant race both college and usac/club?


Exactly. Do both if you have the option.

BTW, collegiate racing rocks. I wish I'd gotten into it before starting my 3rd university degree.

Because the vibe I got from CU, and Boulder in general, was a giant group of people so preoccupied with themselves and their Green (though really, not so green) lifestyles that they couldn't get out of their own way for all the self-appreciating pats on their own backs.

If that makes any sense.

And that's saying something, coming from a liberal town like Burlington, VT. Boulder is a whole new level of deeply ingrained superiority complex.

I like quite a few people from Boulder. But it was the vibe, maaannnn..... I met too many tools in the two days I spent there.
That's interesting. I will be attending CU next year. Although I should note I don't actually live in Boulder, I live in Longmont, 13 miles away.

That's interesting. I will be attending CU next year. Although I should note I don't actually live in Boulder, I live in Longmont, 13 miles away.

Remember to make your own choice! I went to CU and absolutely loved it! The reason I went to CU over CSU was because of a professor**** that I was going to have that I knew I would hate!

**** I was a music performance major and he was the director of bands, so there was no getting around this chump.

To the OP: I wish I had done collegiate racing when I was in school. From what I've seen/heard, there's nothing more fun and the sense of team spirit is fantastic.

Indeed, to each their own. Many love CU. I have a friend from highschool who loves it. I probably would have liked it just fine. But I'm very happy up here in the Fort :)

Regardless of which university you choose, join a local club. If you end up at BU, you can join their club in addition to your USAC club.

I'd guess that well over half of the racers in the ACCC are also on USAC clubs (much higher number in higher categories). The collegiate season goes from February to April, but then you probably want to race with a team during the summer too.