Collegiate Spotlight: Cal Poly Cycling Team

Cal Poly Cycling is nothing short of an incredible, nerdy, loving, strong, and adventurous community. I’ve met my best friends through this club, and it has enabled me to grow as a cyclist in countless ways. Our club is a group of dorky, outdoors-loving, goofballs who are united by the desire to get stronger, explore, and spread the bike joy. 

When I asked others in the club why they ride, I was met with the following responses. I ride because it brings me joy. I ride because it's the purest expression of my individual freedom. To explore, have fun, and get stronger along the way. To push my limits and get outside with my friends. To destress. 

We ride together, in support of each other, and to appreciate the world around us. Our purpose is to cultivate a community of cyclists driven by the values of fun and responsibility. We foster an environment of inclusivity and friendship, where members support each other's self-growth and strive for excellence both on and off the bike. Together, we pedal towards a common goal of embracing the thrill of the ride!  

Not only do we ride, it’s extremely important for us to take part in and improve our local cycling community. San Luis Obispo offers extraordinary green space where we volunteer with local organizations and the SLO Ranger Service to help out with trail building and maintenance. We also love helping host aid stations and volunteer at local events like the Lighthouse Century and Bovine Classic! 

This May, we sent seven riders to Wisconsin to compete in collegiate road nationals and they showed the country that we’re the best in the west. Hear it from the riders themselves:

“The racing kicked off on Friday with a flat, 45 minute team time trial in the farmland of Wisconsin between Madison and Milwaukee, where the team pulled out a 2nd place behind University of North Carolina. 

We had pressure on us because we were bringing both the returning National Champion from last year Mattheus Johnson as well as Andrew Carr, the Green Jersey Winner from the Redlands Cycling Classic.  

The plan for the crit was for all of us except Andrew to attack the field until we eventually ended up off the front, and either rolling that breakaway until the finish or leading Andrew out for the sprint at the end, where Mattheus and Andrew had a plan they had been discussing since the previous year’s crit. During the race, we animated constantly, to the point where the announcer thanked us for making the race interesting afterwards. There were many points where one of us was up the road solo, or with a few other riders, but eventually Simon and I ended up in a break of 5, which we rolled for about 35-40 minutes before we got caught. 

As our break got caught, one of our breakmates re-attacked and remained off the front solo until only a few laps remained. After he was caught, the team assembled at the front of the field, in a way reminiscent of the team trial a few days prior. The leadout was perfect from Jack and Simon, so much so that Mattheus was able to sneak out 2nd place as he led Andrew out for the win. Overall, the team was 3rd in the Team Omnium, 1st in the Male Team Omnium, 1-2 in the Crit, and 1-2 in the Male Individual Omnium. Those are some pretty big shoes to fill for next year’s nats trip but as they say, pressure is a privilege.” Mats Leckie 

“It was my fourth year at Collegiate Road Nats and couldn't have asked for a better way to wrap up my time racing for Cal Poly. We came with some big goals and expectations, rode completely as a team, and came away with some huge accomplishments. I'm pretty stoked to be a part of such a cohesive squad and I think it says a lot about the culture within Cal Poly Cycling. We work towards winning as a team rather than as individuals which is a massive advantage in the collegiate field. It was great to hang out at the airbnb, eat some good food, and enjoy focusing everything on competition while escaping from school. Stoked to come away as the Collegiate Club Crit and Omnium National Champion!” Andrew Carr 

“It's hard to put into words how much this race meant to me. This was my third trip to Collegiate Road Nationals, and I wanted redemption after being sick the two previous years. As I'm a senior, this was also my last chance. This past year has been rough and I came less prepared than I would have liked, but I resolved to just do my best. The level of competition at these races always makes them hard (but fun!!), so I'm proud of a 2nd place finish in the road race, a top ten in the crit, and 3rd in the omnium. I'm also honored simply to stand on a national podium with such strong women. I'm happy to end my collegiate cycling career on a high note, and am immensely grateful to the team and its sponsors for all their support these last four years.” Hannah Stackpole 

Four of the seven riders who went to road nats just graduated from Cal Poly in June, and we couldn’t be happier for them about their amazing efforts racing in their last year. 

We’re certainly not all business around here. Thanks to former club president, Beckett McVoy, this year we held an informal cross race in Poly Canyon’s Experimental Structures Laboratory (aka Architecture Graveyard).  

The race consisted of almost a mile long lap full of loose turns, steep dirt, stairs, barriers, and techy switchbacks. The anaerobic difficulty of this near obstacle course was made even better with the cheering and heckling from friends and teammates, as well as cheeto handups and some good old goofing around.  

It’s hard to describe the whole of our organization in one article, but we have a free Substack newsletter where you can keep up to date and read about our adventures! We’d love to connect with others in the collegiate cycling community and beyond.  

Substack: https://calpolycycling.substack.com/  

Instagram: @cal_poly_cycling 

Our Website: https://calpolycycling.wixsite.com/cal-poly-cycling