What Is VT Cycling and How Do You Join the Virginia Tech Club Cycling Team?

VT Cycling (Virginia Tech Club Cycling) is a student-run club sport team at Virginia Tech open to both undergraduate and graduate students. It competes in mountain and road disciplines within the Atlantic Collegiate Cycling Conference (ACCC) and also runs local group rides and training in Blacksburg. To join, start with the team's Join page or contact the current officers, then show up to a group ride or training session; you'll need a bike and helmet, and you can try a ride before committing to race travel or team costs.

What VT Cycling actually is

The club describes itself as a student-run club sport team made up of undergraduate and graduate students at Virginia Tech. Its stated mission is to strengthen the local cycling community in the New River Valley while fostering an inclusive, supportive environment for all cyclists.

Two things follow from that structure:

• It's a club sport, not an NCAA varsity team. Students run it, and officers handle organization and communication.
• It covers more than racing. The site lists group rides, training routes, and trail resources alongside the race schedule, so you can participate without racing.

What disciplines and competition

VT Cycling competes in both mountain and road disciplines within the ACCC and represents Virginia Tech at national competitions.

Recent results listed by the team:

The team also notes alumni accomplishments, including lifetime grand prix winner Cameron Jones, world tour pro-cyclist Ben King, Sean Gardner (Everesting world record holder 2020–2021 and 2022 Tour de Glia overall winner), and Kate Buss (2016 Women's D1 Road Race National Championship).

How to join

The site's navigation includes a Join page and a Current Officers page, which are the two starting points the club itself provides.

1. Check the Join page on virginiatechcycling.com for the club's own instructions.
2. Contact the current officers if the Join page doesn't answer your question — officer names are listed on the site, so you can reach the right person for road, MTB, or general questions.
3. Watch for start-of-season recruitment. Club sport teams typically organize around the academic calendar, so the beginning of a semester is when new riders are most likely to be folded in.
4. Come to a group ride or training session to see how the team operates before committing.

What you need before your first ride

• A bike and a helmet. The site doesn't state that the club loans equipment, so plan on having your own or arranging a borrow separately.
• A realistic sense of your discipline. Road and MTB have different demands; the team competes in both, so you can pick a starting point.
• Willingness to ask about costs. The site lists sponsors but gives no pricing, dues, or fee information. Treat any cost question as something to confirm directly with the officers rather than assume.

Where the team rides and trains

The site's navigation points to several local resources:

• Group Rides — the entry point for riding with the team.
• Training Routes and Where to Ride — route references around Blacksburg.
• Brush Mountain Park MTB Skills Park and The "Huck" — MTB-specific features.
• Brush Mountain Blitz and Blacksburg Classics — named events/races in the team's schedule.
• Race Schedule — the season calendar for ACCC competition.

If you're new to the area or new to structured riding, the group ride is the lowest-commitment way to start, and the training routes let you practice on your own between sessions.

A practical way to decide

• If you want to race: check the Race Schedule and ask officers which disciplines and categories fit your experience, since the team competes in both MTB and road within the ACCC.
• If you just want to ride with people: start with Group Rides and the local route pages; racing isn't required to be part of the club.
• If you're a graduate student: you're explicitly included — the club is made up of both undergraduate and graduate students.
• If you're unsure about cost or equipment: ask the current officers directly. The site doesn't publish dues, gear-loan policies, or travel costs, so those are questions for the team, not assumptions to make.