Mountain and Cyclocross

Mountain

Mountain biking is a team sport that covers a variety of events: cross country, short track, dual slalom, and downhill. Mountain biking takes place in the Fall semester and take place at various colleges in the Midwest. The Purdue Cycling Club takes in members from all skills levels and helps them develop into the best rider possible. You don't need any prior experience to ride with us- just a helmet, a bike, and a will for fun!

 If you would like to race with us in the 2009 season, please come out to one of our meetings or e-mail our Mountain Vice President, Andy Shaw (ajshaw(at)purdue.edu). Our e-mail list is also a great tool for riding information.

2009 Schedule:

August 29/30	Bulter
Sept. 5/6	Ripon
Sept. 12/13	Lindsey Wilson
Sept. 19/20	Purdue
Sept. 26/27	Michigan Tech
Oct. 3/4	Mizzou (Regionals!)

Classes
Men's A/Women's A- It doesn't get any harder than this in collegiate mountain cycling. Serious, grueling, and sharp skills describe this category. Most races range from 20-30 miles. This is not the place for beginners.

Men's B- A good category that is fun and competitive. It's a nice step up from C's and provides a good challenge for most riders. Most races are around 14-20 miles. This is a good category is training time is a factor.

Women's B- This is the beginning category for women riders. It has a wide variety of skills with some riders who have never raced and those who have raced a few times before. It is a very fun, yet competitive, category. Races are generally 7-10 miles.

Men's C- This is a great place to start if you've never mountain biked before or if your skills are a little rusty. Most races are around 7-10 miles. This is an excellent place to see if you like racing!

Local Trails
The local trail is located right next to campus and offers a good place to train and practice your skills. Thanks to the the forestry department we are able to ride there; however there are a few rules- MAKE SURE TO READ THE RULES AT THE TRAIL HEAD! Make sure to wear a helmet!

McCormick
Go west of State street (away from Campus)
Turn Right (north) on SR 526/McCormick Rd
Go up the hill and turn right (east) on Cherry Lane
About 1/4 mi. on the right (south side of the road) is the trail head.
Go here for a nice map of the trail.

Murdock
This is a very technical and slightly confusing trail if you've never done it. You may want to ask another member to come with you.
From the RSC:
Go north on Martin Jischke Dr.
Go right on Stadium Ave.
Go right on Northwestern Ave
Go left on to Wiggins St and cross the river.
Take a right on 18th street in Lafayette
Go to the top of the hill and turn left towards the school
Trail is in the woods behind the school.

Gavin Shipley racing at the Purdue Cross Country race in McCormick Woods.

Cyclocross
Cyclocross is a combination between road and mountain biking. The bikes look like road bikes but have narrow knobby tires similar to a mountain bike. Cyclocross is raced over grass, mud, sand, and pavement on a loop that is generally around 2-3 KM in length and around 4 meters wide. There are barriers across the course that require you to dismount and run over them. This is an extremely fun type of cycling that takes place in the winter months and breaks up to monotony of winter training!

Derek Laan clears the barriers at the Purdue 'Cross race in 2008.