What Is Michigan Cycling's Spring Training Camp?

Updated

Michigan Cycling's Spring Training Camp is an informal team trip held in the spring, based for several years in Helen, Georgia, in the Blue Ridge Mountains. It exists to give members climbing and scenery they can't get in Michigan, and to build team bonds and friendships ahead of the road season. It is organized by the University of Michigan Cycling Club and is open to the club's riders across experience levels, from first-time riders to national-level racers.

Where and When It Happens

  • Season: Spring, ahead of the collegiate road season. The club's racing calendar puts road in the spring, with mountain and cyclocross in the fall.
  • Location: Helen, Georgia, in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The club describes this as its base "for several years," so the location is a recurring tradition rather than a one-off.
  • Format: Informal. The club does not describe a structured schedule, coaching plan, or registration process for the camp on its site.

Why the Club Runs It

The camp serves two purposes the club states directly:

  1. Terrain and views. The Blue Ridge Mountains offer "climbs and views we could only dream of in Michigan" — practical value for road riders who spend most of the year on flat Michigan roads.
  2. Team bonding. The club calls the trip "a unique team bonding experience that forges great friendships." That matters for a team that travels together to races across the Midwest Collegiate Cycling Conference (MCCC), from Wisconsin to Kentucky and as far as St. Louis.

How It Fits the Rest of the Season

The camp is a lead-in to the spring road calendar, not a separate program. Michigan Cycling aims to attend every road race on the MCCC schedule, most mountain events, and select cyclocross races. The team coordinates travel and lodging for race weekends, typically renting vans, and each racer pays seasonal dues that cover those logistics; food is the only individual expense. The site does not state whether camp costs are covered by dues or handled separately, so ask an officer before budgeting.

How to Get Involved

The club invites prospective members to reach out to its officers to learn more or join a first ride. For camp specifically, the most relevant contacts are:

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

The Travel Coordinator is the natural first contact for logistics questions, and the Treasurer for cost questions. Email addresses are listed on the club's Officers & Staff page.

Practical Caveats

  • Details are thin. The site gives the location and purpose but not dates, duration, cost, or eligibility rules. Confirm these with an officer rather than assuming.
  • Kit store timing. The club notes its kit store will open in early 2027, so new riders shouldn't count on ordering team kit in time for an upcoming camp.
  • Not a learn-to-ride program. The camp is framed as team training and bonding for club members; riders entirely new to group riding should ask officers what pace and terrain to expect before committing.