Ibynx

Hi,

I'm in high school and I really like to race cyclocross. I would like to go to a college or university with a strong cycling community, preferably in cyclocross. The city I live in now (Cincinnati) is a pretty good cyclocross city, with the OVCX occurring here and being pretty close to Nationals (I guess...). How do I go about finding areas with strong cycling/cyclocross communities? I've tried looking at US Cycling's official collegiate cycling programs but there are only a handful of them. I'd prefer a club program. I would also like to go to a smaller school, so giant schools in urban areas are not preferable. I have also tried to look at Bikereg's lists of races, but not all of the races throughout the year are in there, and also it's difficult to sort through. A comparable question would be, what regions have strong cycling communities?

Thank you all.

Cyclist0108

I work at a university with and adjacent to a large number of cyclocross-friendly trails in the redwoods and coast, if you want to check it out: Campus Overview Trailforks

1242Vintage

Lots of great cyclocross action in California. However lately we are calling it "drought cross" since everything is so dry. Many great Universities too, big and small with healthy cycling atmosphere. Also there are cross series all over the State. I am near Sacramento and have raced 6 times this month already. Same thing can be found across the west coast.

I have one kid down at UC Santa Barbara and everyone there rides. Literally hundreds of bikes in front of every dorm and apartment. Same thing I am sure at Santa Cruz and UC Davis. However these are large universities.

Universities here are very expensive when you add in the cost of living. Have two kids in college now and one recent graduate. Spending $25-35 thousand a year per kid.

Good luck with your choice of college and I hope you have the opportunity to go visit and spend some time on many campuses as part of the process.

Cyclist0108

Yeah, out-of-state tuition at UC is quite a lot. I should have thought of that.

osco53

Pic a college you like with nice places to ride and start your own races..

jbell_64

Indiana University is pretty close to you with a very rich cycling history. The little 500 race every year on campus, an omnium right there in bloomington, great mountain biking within 30 min drive, a couple gravel races, tons and tons of "charity rides", a cyclocross track in town, and a number of local racing teams. Not sure if there is an official club cyclocross group on campus though.

Kopsis

CX racing is still very much a "grass roots" activity in most parts of the country. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it does mean that the regional series could see big changes from season to season. New England and the Pacific Northwest are where you'll likely find the most mature/stable CX racing series.

But ... this "picking a college based on amenities" stuff is why we have a lot of unemployable college grads with massive student load debt. You need to pick a school based on how well it will prepare you for your chosen profession (which has direct implications on how easy it will be to land your first job) and the expected return on investment. Narrow your options down to 3 schools based on educational and financial criteria. Then, if you want to rank them based on CX activity in those locations, go for it.

Ibynx

Yeah, that's a valid point... which is why I'm just looking for "regions" as a whole that generally have good cycling. I'll start with those regions and narrow my search from there. Obviously if I don't find any colleges I like in a given region, I'll move on to another. I'm not choosing colleges based on if they have good cyclocross, I'm just starting my search from there. Thank you for reminding me of that.

rfmarotti

Wow terrible (and unsolicited!) advice.

Hiro11

Going to college is about going to college, it's not about CX. It seems reasonable to acknowledge that in any discussion about picking a school, practical matters like cost, quality of instruction, culture, location etc should far outweigh the quality of the local "CX scene".

Anyway, answering the OP's question, Western Massachusetts / Northern Connecticut / Southern Vermont has an excellent cycling culture. The road, MTB and CX scenes in the area are all very strong and there's lots of great riding to be found. The CX scene there is one of the largest and oldest in the US and has fostered many of the best CX racers in the country like Jonathan Powers. Legendary road and CX frame builders like Richard Sachs, JP Weigel, Chris Chance and Spooky are from the area. There's a ton of clubs and semi-pro teams in the area etc. Just a great place to be into bikes.

Also, the area is full of colleges and universities, many of which are very prestigious. Of course, paying out of state tuition, paying private school tuition, moving to New England etc are all important factors to consider.

Kopsis

You were expecting something else on Bike Forums?

rfmarotti

rfmarotti

Was only objecting to the part I quoted: viewing college education as a means to a career solely through the lens of financial ROI.

Self-improvement, knowledge for knowledge sake, learning how to think critically: all far more important. And, conveniently, make you more attractive to employers than "I have a degree that says I can do X and all I know is X."

fietsbob

who is paying for your college? have you considered foreign schools?. you wont have $50,000 in debt then..


Slovenia? Germany? France?

Have Money a plenty to pay US tuition and housing costs ? Portland State ..

move to Oregon early and stay long enough to qualify for instate tuition.




'/,

Ibynx

Honestly, I'd like to stay relatively close to my family, so I visit and it won't cost a transatlantic plane ticket. Cali is iffy as well.

fietsbob

College education is almost Free over there .. Avoid a Lifetime of debt you will never pay Off.

Heyspike

West Point has a Cyclocross team.