How Race Weekend Travel, Lodging, and Seasonal Dues Work at Michigan Cycling

Michigan Cycling coordinates travel and lodging for the races it attends, typically by renting vans for race weekends, and each racer pays seasonal dues that cover those logistics — food is the only individual expense. This applies to racers attending the races on the team's schedule; anyone not racing that weekend isn't part of this arrangement.

What the dues cover

The club describes a simple split: the team handles the group logistics, and the racer's seasonal dues fund them.

The site does not publish a dues amount, a payment platform, or a deadline, so the figure has to come from the officers directly. Treat "dues cover logistics" as the structure, not as a statement about cost level.

Which races this applies to

The collegiate calendar runs three seasons, and the team's attendance is not identical across them:

• Fall: mountain and cyclocross
• Spring: road

Michigan Cycling competes in the Midwest Collegiate Cycling Conference (MCCC) and travels across the region — from Wisconsin to Kentucky and as far as St. Louis. The team aims to attend every road race on the schedule, most mountain events, and select cyclocross races.

That distinction matters if you're budgeting: a road racer can expect the full spring slate to be organized for them, while a cyclocross rider should confirm which events the team is actually attending before assuming a van and lodging are arranged.

How a race weekend comes together

The site describes the arrangement at a high level rather than as a step-by-step process. In practice, the sequence a new racer should expect is:

1. Confirm you're racing an event the team is attending. Check against the road, mountain, or cyclocross plan above, or ask an officer.
2. Pay seasonal dues. These are what fund the vans and lodging; the amount isn't listed on the site.
3. Travel as a group. The team rents vans for race weekends rather than leaving travel to individuals.
4. Cover your own food. This is the one cost the dues don't absorb.
5. Race in MCCC competition at the regional events on the schedule.

The expected result is that a racer's non-food costs for a team-attended weekend are handled collectively rather than booked piecemeal.

Spring Training Camp is separate

Michigan Cycling also runs an informal spring training camp, based for several years in Helen, Georgia, in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The site presents this as a team-bonding trip rather than a race weekend, and it doesn't state whether camp costs follow the same dues-funded model as race travel. If cost is your deciding factor, ask about camp separately instead of assuming it's included.

Who to ask before committing

Because the site gives structure but not numbers, the practical next step is contacting the officers listed on the site:

• Tessa Mead, President
• Reese Cummins, Vice President
• Molly Hunter Barnet, Treasurer — the right contact for dues amounts and what they cover
• Molly Roberts, Travel Coordinator — the right contact for van and lodging details
• Kurt Schaldenbrand, Head Coach
• Tabitha Woods, Social Chair/Secretary

The site also invites prospective members to reach out to officers to learn more or join a first ride, and notes the team welcomes riders at all levels, from first-timers to national-level racers, across road, mountain, and cyclocross.

Bottom line

If you're racing a team-attended weekend, expect the club to organize vans and lodging and to fund them through seasonal dues, with food as your only individual expense. Before you budget, get the dues figure from the Treasurer and confirm your specific race — especially cyclocross — is on the team's list.