How Michigan Cycling Structures Its Collegiate Race Season

Michigan Cycling divides its collegiate racing year into three seasons: mountain biking and cyclocross in the fall, and road racing in the spring. The team competes in the Midwest Collegiate Cycling Conference (MCCC), traveling to races across the region, and its stated aim is to attend every road race on the schedule, most mountain events, and select cyclocross races. This structure applies to University of Michigan students and club members who race or want to start racing; riders from first-timers to national-level competitors are described as welcome.

The Three Seasons at a Glance

The fall calendar carries two disciplines at once, while the spring is devoted to road. That split matters when planning: a rider interested in both mountain and cyclocross faces overlapping fall weekends, whereas spring commitments are road-only.

Where the Team Races

MCCC competition takes Michigan Cycling across the Midwest. The club describes travel ranging from Wisconsin to Kentucky and as far as St. Louis. Because the conference footprint is regional rather than local, race weekends are trips rather than day outings.

How Race Weekends Are Organized

The team coordinates travel and lodging itself, typically by renting vans for race weekends. Each racer pays seasonal dues that cover these logistics; food is the only individual expense the club calls out. In practice, that means a member's budgeting question is mainly about dues plus meals on the road, not about arranging separate transport or hotels.

Spring Training Camp

Beyond the race calendar, Michigan Cycling arranges an informal training camp in the spring. For several years the camp has been based in Helen, Georgia, in the Blue Ridge Mountains — terrain the club frames as offering climbs and views hard to find in Michigan. The camp is described as a team-bonding experience rather than a formal race block, so it sits alongside the spring road season rather than replacing any part of it.

Who to Contact

The club lists officers and staff by role, and directs prospective members to reach out to officers to learn more or join a first ride. Named contacts on the site include:

• Tessa Mead — President
• Reese Cummins — Vice President
• Molly Roberts — Travel Coordinator
• Hunter Barnet — Treasurer
• Kurt Schaldenbrand — Head Coach
• Tabitha Woods — Social Chair/Secretary

For questions about race logistics or dues, the travel coordinator and treasurer are the most directly relevant contacts; for joining a first ride, the president or vice president is the natural starting point.

Practical Takeaways for a Prospective Racer

• Plan by season, not by year. Fall splits attention between mountain and cyclocross; spring is road. Decide which discipline you want to prioritize before the season starts.
• Expect travel. MCCC races span several states, and the team handles vans and lodging collectively through seasonal dues.
• Budget for food separately. The club identifies food as the only individual expense beyond dues.
• Ask before the season begins. Reaching out to officers early is the surest way to learn current dues, the race schedule, and how to join a first ride.