The North Central Collegiate Cycling Conference is well under way. With two race series now complete, the University of Kansas Cycling team has set the pace and shown other teams that KU is a major contender in this year’s conference.
In Manhattan, KS (25–26 March), KU Cycling members had impressive showings at both the Road Race and Criterium events. Kimberly Kissing rode to 4th place finishes in both races, supported by strong rides from teammates Kathy Kalbac, Annie Ingham, and Katie Roach. In the Men’s-B division, freshman and first-year racer, Chris Carr dominated the field winning both events. Assistant coach and rider, David McLeod finished 2nd in Sunday’s Criterium. Strong rides and excellent teamwork from Jeff Schroeder, Eric Schaumburg, John Giles, Anwar Garcia, and Paul Heimbach resulted in the overall success of the B-Team. In the Men’s-A category, KU faced tough competition from Kansas State University and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Second-year racer Joe Wasikowski rode exceptionally well, finishing 4th in both events. Fellow A-riders, Christian Beer, Michael Folendore, and Joe Fox all had excellent showings in this first collegiate race series.
North Dakota State University hosted the Curly Handlebar Classic road race and team time trial in Fargo, ND on April 9th. The KU women’s team gave excellent performances again, with Kissing securing a 5th place finish in a difficult road race. Along with teammates Roach and Kalbac, the women rode to a 2nd place finish in the TTT event. Heimbach won the Men’s-B road race with the support of Schaumburg, Garcia, McLeod and Todd Beauford who dominated the race and helped secure victory for the team. In the TTT event, the Men’s-B team rode to an impressive 2nd place, finishing just 13 seconds behind St. Olaf University. In the road race, KU riders Jason Knight and Folendore finished 6th and 7th, respectively, followed closely by Beer, Carr, Fox and Wasikowski. Freshman rider Carr had an impressive showing in his first A-race. Two A-squads were fielded by KU for the Men’s-A TTT, with Fox, Wasikowski, Beer and Carr riding to a decisive 1st place finish.
In the coming weeks, KU Cycling will be again setting the pace in Lincoln, NE (22–23 April), Minneapolis, MN (29–30 April), and finally at the Collegiate National Cycling event in Lawrence, KS (12–13 May). Additional information and race results can be found at KUCYCLING.COM.