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UCVC: First Forays into the Chicago Cyclocross Cup

In honor of this weekend's opening of the Chicago Cyclocross Cup, I am posting photos featuring Thomas Berube, Andrew Nicholson, Pat Kelly, and Jon Tenney from the first UCVC team forays into cyclocross . If you look closely you will find proof that the Ironman will make me skinny, that the XXX-Athletico jersey have improved greatly over the years, cross can be raced with a 3,000-pound mountain bike, and Thomas was, in fact, a racer.

All of the pictures were taken during the 2003-04 season, which I believe was the first season of the Chicago Cup. The first four were taken at the Wheeling race with the remainder taken at Jackson Park. Tenney and Berube had matching bicycles courtesy of Get A Grip Cycles and Cannondale.

Result of the sox poll

Assuming that the price of the socks is between $10 and $15, how many pairs of socks would you buy? Total votes: 30

• One pair of each kind: 14 (47%)
  

• Two pairs of each kind: 2 (7%)
  

• Three pairs in total: 5 (17%)
  

• Four pairs in total: 3 (10%)
  

• Five pairs in total: 0 (0%)
  

• More than five pairs: 0 (0%)
  

• Just one pair: 4 (13%)
  

• No socks at all: 2 (7%)
  

Which kind of sock would you prefer? Total votes: 31

• Tall socks (4''): 10 (32%)
  

• Crew socks (2''): 18 (58%)
  

• I would buy both: 3 (10%)

The poll is now closed.

Sox poll

IMPORTANT!! I (Francisco) changed the poll, because the first time I forgot to include some relevant options. You should vote again, if you did it before Friday 8/29 7:00 AM. The poll has been reset. Sorry about the changes.

The club is making custom socks and we'd like to know your opinion before we order. The socks are made by DeFeet and customized with the school's and/or club's colors and logos. We will have two designs available, both cool-looking, but different. They're not male- or female-specific. The socks can be used for running or other sports too.

Please don't vote more than once. If you have any questions, please ask Devon or Carly. Thanks.

The poll is now closed.

Holding Down the Fort

Whilst the youngster racers have flown the UCVC coop for the summer, it should be known that long (and not so long) time members Eric Norstrom, Tim Belton, Thomas Bérubé, Rob Fairbanks, Suchandra Thapa, and Jeff Norris have all been doing their share of riding and racing in the maroon this season. Eric has been posting solid M4 and Masters crits & road races. Tim can be seen on the path at all hours, mondo 53x11. Thomas has been doing his usual brevet madness. Rob posed as and injured Francisco at the Chicago Crit! Suchandra has jumped headlong into M5 racing solo style. And Jeff has posted respectable results in this, his first real season of racing.

I'm sure that there are others out there, too.

Al Stern Road Race 2004

A picture of three (Kent, Eric, and Jon) of the six cat fours who raced that day. We thought that we were awesome, but we actually sucked.
Mark Edele who now teaches at the University of Perth, Australia. Mark's bike was a piece of garbage, and we kept hoping that he would ride it into the lake and be forced to buy a new one. Debbie MacDougall, the first female member of the UCVC to race her bike. She would later marry Mark and move to Australia with him.

Andrew, now teaching in one of the SUNY schools, Ben, who does mathematics research for some slimey, money-grubbing hedge fund, and big-headed Sam Yount, who probably still lives off his parents. In 2004, Sam was trying to be a professional triathlete so he went running after his category 3 race.
Although we look like tools in these photos, Andrew and I actually came in second in the Ironman Triathlon Collegiate National Championships later that year.

Former UCVC Rider Gets in on the Anti-Doping Fight

J (full name is Jean Jacque Cabou) was one of the guys who led the charge of the UCVC into the collegiate racing scene. After stints working for the government (including our own Mayor Daley), it seems that he has been pulled into the dope wars.

Second article in the Maroon

We got some more love from the school's newspaper.

They say that Devon placed second in the omnium, which is not true, she won the omnium. This is my fault because this is what I announced in the first place, following the list published by USCF. I corrected this information on the club's website and on this blog as soon as Devon and Megan told me, but the Maroon wasn't aware of the change. Oh well, I guess it wouldn't be the Chicago Maroon if all the information was correct.

But, again, for the record, Devon won the omnium, as well as the road race.

Here's the article:

Haskell wins national title for cycling
By Steve Saltarelli
16 May 2008

The University of Chicago Velo Club (cycling) may not be the best-known team on campus, and they may not even have the title of “varsity sport.” They do, however, have something other teams on campus don’t have—a national title.

On Saturday, economics graduate student Devon Haskell took home the national championship at the D-II road race, dominating the field in Fort Collins, CO. Haskell, along with her teammates, economics graduate student Aspen Gorry and anthropology graduate student Carly Schuster, qualified for the race by earning enough points at the conference championships. The trio took on the rolling hills of Colorado, and Haskell came away with her first national title.

After the first climb, the pack started to break up, and Haskell established her place among the five pace-setting racers. She made her break from the front six miles from the finish and never looked back, crossing the line for first with 24 seconds to spare. Taking the gold marked an improvement from a third-place effort in last year’s race in Lawrence, KS.

“I’ve been training all season with this race as a priority,” Haskell said. “The road race turned out to be a challenging course with strong winds, long and steep climbs (which you can’t find anywhere in Chicago), and tough competition. [The win] was definitely a highlight of my cycling career.”

While Gorry and Schuster weren’t able to join Haskell among the top finishers, they completed their races successfully and earned valuable experience in their first appearance at nationals. They didn’t have much time to rest, and Haskell was unable to savor her victory because the next day the three were back on the bikes and competing in the D-II Criterium race.

Shorter and usually held on closed-off city streets, the Criterium featured a much tighter race. Gorry and Schuster both turned in solid performances, with Schuster finishing in a strong position and Gorry among the pack. Haskell was again at the front of the race, this time taking fourth. No clear break occurred in the Criterium, and Haskell ended up being part of a mad dash for first.

Combining the points from her results in the road race and the Criterium, Haskell wrapped up the weekend tied for first in the ominium classification but had to settle for second overall. Taking runner-up honors bumped her up from last year’s fourth-place standing.

The strong showing at nationals by Haskell, Gorry, and Schuster is a sweet end to a successful season that included a Midwest Collegiate Conference championship for the Maroons. Haskell’s individual title is the second of its kind for the velo club; the first came when Todd Yefezski won the Criterium race in 2005.

This is an especially amazing accomplishment given the difficult competition at nationals, where powerhouse programs are able to qualify more riders with their large budgets. Chicago’s cyclists, on the other hand, are part of a club sport that gets the majority of its funding through donations and sponsorships. In addition, riders have to balance the rigorous demands of academic pursuits with a world-class training schedule.

“I have a great coach, Brian Conant, who helps me keep a manageable workout schedule that fits in well with a grad student’s agenda,” Haskell said. “My training actually provides me a good balance with my studies.”

Haskell will continue to train and compete in races over the summer, but for now the Velo Club’s focus is on this Saturday’s Monsters of the Midway Criterium, when the UCVC will play host.

The race, which attracts over 400 participants from the Chicago area, has been organized by the club every year since 1993 and perhaps earlier. The one-day event, which takes place on a 1.1-mile rectangle around the Midway, features categories for all ages and skill. The youngest competitors fall between 10 and 12 years old, and the oldest bracket is from 60 to 69, while the experience ranges all the way up to the professional level.

The Monsters of the Midway competition gives UCVC riders an opportunity to compete without traveling, as well as to gauge how the young riders are progressing.

The first race will start at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday at the Midway Plaisance between Ellis and Dorchester Avenues.

Hawaiian news

In case you don't know, UCVC has a one-man outpost in Hawaii. His name is Mark Kadowaki, and in spite of the oceanic distance, he continues to race for UCVC.

He participated in the "Tour de Big Island," a stage race in Hawaii, and placed 2nd in the overall classification of his category!! Check out the results.

Tony Lang in action
Incidentally, while at the race he bumped into Tony Lang. Tony Lang is one of the founders of UCVC and creator of the UCVC logo, back in 1989. Tony won the overall classification of the 1/2/3 category at the same race!!

Here's an interview with Tony, where he briefly mentions his initiation to competitive cycling, while at the UofC. I've tried to find his e-mail address to ask him to write a summary about the origins of UCVC, but his contact info proves damn hard to find (maybe it's because he works for the FBI). Hopefully he'll read this and will contact me...

Second article in the Maroon on Friday

Our second article in the Maroon is coming out on Friday, not tomorrow.

Meeting place and other stuff

One of the ideas that somebody proposed the other day is that we should meet at Ratner for our rides. There are reasons for meeting there, and there are also reasons for meeting at Istria or somewhere closer to the lake. I won't get in that discussion now.

I just want to give that idea a fair chance. So for the next few days I'll be calling rides that will start at Ratner. I'll be speaking with people, collecting their opinions about the issue, and gathering a sense of what people, or at least the ones who actually come to the rides, think. I'll get back to you when I've done that.

We did this today for the first time and we had a group of three, including myself. Admittedly, it was very cold.

Next ride: tomorrow (Wednesday April 30), at 6.30am

Of course everyone is free to do whatever they want. All I'm asking is some collaboration from you for the next ten days or so and that you make an effort to meet me at Ratner instead of Istria.

(I'll be totally accommodating at those rides: I'll never leave anyone behind, and if everyone who shows up is strong, I'll go as fast as they wanna go.)

Another idea that someone pitched was calling rides through a club calendar. Ben created a calendar months ago, and nobody seems to be using it. Again, to give the idea a fair chance, I've put the calendar on the club's website (last option in the menu). Everyone can see it. And you can post a ride if you know the user name and password. (I'll send them by e-mail.) For the next couple of days I'll post the ride on the calendar and will announce it by e-mail. After that, only on the calendar. After ten days or so we'll see what we think.

By the way, I gave a little botox to the club's website--just the main page. It looks neater. We will have a brand new website by the end of the summer. We can't neglect this, it's the face of the club in the world.

Today's article in the Maroon

And here's our article in the Maroon:

Newly competitive velo club qualifies for D-II Nationals
By Sheridan Lardner

In what has proven to be a breakout year, the University of Chicago Velo Club has raced out of obscurity, ahead of the competition, and into the top tiers of the nation.

Comprised of members from across the University community, the “Velo,” or cycling, club enjoyed its first big year in the spotlight. Taking first place in the 2008 Division II Midwest Conference, the team ended years of dominance by its archrival DePauw University. With the gold fresh in hand, the club has now set its sights higher, sending three of its top racers to the D-II National Championships May 9 to 11. In only a few weeks, these elite athletes will head out to Colorado to continue the group’s push for glory.

Broken down into two parts, the club’s season sees cyclists training for both road and off-road events. Before classes even begin, the group hits the trails from August to October. Taking a short break for the winter, cycling then picks up its competition schedule in February. During both seasons, the club takes on the Midwest Collegiate Cycling Conference (MWCCC), a collection of colleges vastly different from the normal UAA fare. With races held everywhre from the University of Wisconsin to the University of Missouri, the team faces a number of Big Ten schools including Michigan and Ohio State.

Leading off the competition is DePauw University, a fast club with an impressive record on the roads. Last year, DePauw took first in the 2006–2007 MWCCC Championships, beating out Chicago yet again to keep up a five-year running tradition. The team went on to take third place in the nation, with cyclists placing in the top ten across the board.

Despite its past dominance, DePauw was seeing different colors during this year’s finals, facing a decisive defeat that gave Chicago the title. This upset was mostly due to the performances by three Chicago racers, economics graduate students Devon Haskell and Aspen Gorry and anthropology student Carly Schuster. All three of these racers were integral to the victory over DePauw and will be representing the school at Nationals.

“I think the most important factor in beating DePauw were the improvements in Devon’s racing, who won every race she took part in,” club president Francisco Torralba said. “A teammate of mine once described her performance at one particular race as ‘like something out of a cartoon.’”

Always a strong racer, Haskell has leapt ahead of the pack this season. Back in 2005, former graduate student Todd Yezefski won the criterium race at Nationals, the first University cyclist to attain such an honor. Graduating at the end of that year, Yezefski went on to become a professional cyclist, leaving Chicago without any top notch athletes of its own to replicate his achievements. This was not to last. Beginning in 2007, Haskell filled in Yezefski’s spot. In one year, she went from being a simple competitor in the B category to dominating her opponents in the A. With her performances this year exceeding even those of last, it would be no surprise for her to grow out of Yezefksi’s shoes.

“This year Devon has been a racing machine. The races where she participated became boring, because there was no contest. It is likely that she makes the top three at Nationals. It would not be surprising at all if she wins,” Torralba said.

Joining Haskell at Nationals will be teammates Gorry and Schuster. These racers too have blasted out of their old categories, taking their races from the B to the A level in one short year. No matter how they do at Nationals, all three athletes will have another full year at Chicago to improve even more.

Team development has been a main theme this year, with the club growing substantially larger than in previous seasons. One of the team-building strategies has been its training program, a grueling 15-mile route from 57th Street down to 72nd. Practicing through the frigid Chicago winter has definitely helped the group improve, and its performance against DePauw showed this.

“We recruited a lot of new members in the fall, and we stuck together through the cold. Many of the guys are relatively new to cycling, but we hope they’ll stick around and grow as racers,” Torralba said.

Once Nationals are in the bag, Velo will be right back in the races at the Monsters of the Midway Criterium. Organized by the club since the early 1990s, the race sends cyclists on a 1.25-mile circuit around the Midway. Depending on the event and bracket, the competitors will race for anywhere from 30 to 45 minutes, with the first person across the finish line winning it all. The race attracts in excess of 400 participants of all levels from the Chicago area. In the past, the club has not placed well in its own event, although given the new heights Velo has reached, perhaps this will be its year.

No matter how Velo performs at Nationals or in the Monsters Criterium, this will certainly be a landmark year for cycling. With records set and expectations broken, the Velo Club has raised the bar for years to come. Given the group’s current path, no one will be surprised if it’s raised even more.

Article in the Maroon

I got us an article in the Chicago Maroon tomorrow.

I had a loooong e-mail "interview" with the writer (a questionnaire, actually). I told the writer about the "internal debate" we're having and gave him a copy of our "club conversation," complete with names. I thought it would make the article a lot more interesting. (Just kiddin', people, just kiddin'...)

They promised us another article in a couple of weeks, when Devon wins Nationals. I'm not sure if they'll write about Monsters this week or after Nationals.

A conversation about the club

lalalalala... we are such a happy club... lalalalalala... we all like our club... lalalalalalala...

UCVC jersey circa 1990

Craig Gartland bought this jersey from Ed DesJardins (then the UCVC president) in 1990. He had just arrived to Chicago from UC Santa Barbara where he had taken up cycling after failing as a rower. At that time, collegiate cycling was just starting in the Western states and may not have even spread to the Midwest.

When asked by Ed what category he was, Craig replied:
"I am a 2."
"You raced in California?"
"Yes."
"Then you are a REAL 2."

Craig ended up winning the Monsters of the Midway making him one of only two UCVCers known to me to have won our home race (photo #2).

Craig also won the huge Chicago International Cycling Challenge on 9/25/1993 (now defunct, sort of revived this year) after a late solo attack in the rain (photo 3).

"I was racing Cat. 3 in the early '90s for UCVC and this was a big win for me (I think I took home over $300). It was right downtown around Buckingham Fountain. Like the Monsters of the Midway Race of '91, I soloed, this time with 2 laps to go. In the rain. Lots of crashes that day."

The pros race later in the day featured Laurent Fignon and Gianni Bugno, whose Gatorade team must have been paid huge appearance fees.

"In the "team" photo (next) with me are: Scott Anderson (left) and Paul Sklena. Scott was from Vancouver and had raced track and road up there since he was a kid. A strong rider. Paul is now a pediatrician in Ohio. Paul's claim to fame on the UCVC was as a track sprinter. In '93 (I believe) he qualified for and competed in the USCF National Track Championships (Minn., MN). Note the next evolution of the UCVC kit on the middle guy (and note the early incarnation of the UCVC logo). That is your '93 jersey. Also note the down tube shifters."

"This is important stuff! I have great memories of it all. I have even found a couple of Maroon articles about the MoM race from '91 and '93. In the '91 article they said my victory "saved the day" for the UCVC. Too much."

The Jerseys of the UCVC: A Retrospective and Critique

In a previous post Devon provided a picture of a UCVC jersey from the late 1980s and early 1990s. I thought that I would give a retrospective of the years that followed.











The UCVC Rises Again (c. 1995-1999).

In the mid-1990s, Greg Munson (formerly a student in Assyriology, but who eventually graduated from the College of Medicine) and two other students discovered that the University of Chicago used to have a cycling club (the University of Chicago Velo Club=UCVC). They decided to reactivate the club and gather up former members (Craig Gartland, Tim Belton) of the defunct UCVC of previous years. Munson also reintroduces the Monsters of the Midway Criterium on the University of Chicago's Midway Plaisance. A long and solid partnership is established when American Bicycle Racing provides a generous grant to get the race off the ground. During this period, Monster's draws some of the biggest names in Midwestern cycling, including the Trek women's regional team, and members of the US Postal Service, and features as the Illinois State Championship.

Munson and company were fans of Laurent Jalabert and had Voler create a jersey based on the ONCE team uniforms. They incorporate ONCE's yellow and black color scheme, and create a UCVC logo to imitate the ONCE logo. The jersey includes the University's of Chicago's phoenix and crest, but the choice of yellow instead of maroon starts a debate for years to come.

Most riders are new to the sport and poor. Their base layers consist of cotton waffle-knit long johns. Emory Creel rides in the liner of a hockey helmet.

Team leaders: Greg Munson, some Asian dude, Emory Creel.

The Biemme Debacle (2000-2004).

With the increased team membership and Craig Gartland's interest in getting a skinsuit, the team switches jersey manufacturers from Voler to Biemme. The decision to use Biemme as a manufacturer was a mistake that the team management regrets for several years. Biemme misses production and shipping deadlines by several months and cannot maintain basic quality. They promise to color match the jerseys from previous years, but cannot even come close. Some jerseys have strange red spots in them.

Towards the end of this period, Biemme ships an order that is beyond horrible. The color from previous years is of a completely different shade of yellow, the logos have been shrunk by 50%, and the design elements do not reflect the final approved proofs. The fabric also has a strange metallic sheen. Some jerseys arrive without finished pockets (i.e., instead of three separate rear pockets there is just one enormous pocket). Biemme claims that they "mixed their colors wrong" and will give the UCVC a discount on their next order, but eventually stops answering calls and e-mails.

The Monsters of the Midway race experiences two years of tough weather that impacts its financial well being. During one particular year riders face 30-40 mph wind gusts and rain that push riders into the ditch and blow race barriers all over the course. Despite the difficult times, the UCVC leadership manages to squirrel away funds for a rainy day. Team racers are still required to pay their own expenses.

Racing highlights:
1. The team enters into its first MWCCC race
2. Gold medal state time trial championship
3. Victory in Superweek's Lakefront road race.
4. The team finally has enough members to order shorts.
5. The first female racers start riding for the team: Jen Robinson (alumnus) and Debbie MacDougall (grad-anthropology) from Erie, PA.
6. 9th place Collegiate Ironman National Championships.
7. Riders are finally capable of achieving 25 mph on the lakefront path.

Team leaders: Greg Munson, Eric Norstrom, Jon Tenney, Kent, Jean-Jacques Cabou, Sam Yount, Craig Gartland.

Critique:
Stay away from Biemme. Any company that takes full payment for a product, sight unseen, produces a beyond inferior product, and then refuses to remedy the problem is extremely unethical and should not be allowed to conduct business. They are a bad, bad, bad manufacturer. Several riders complained that you could see people's butts through the back panel of the shorts when they sweat. My response would be that everyone has a butt and that butts sweat when you exercise, regardless of the color of lycra used to cover them. Newbies liked the big, cushy pad in the shorts, but they cause mad saddle sores after 33 miles.

On a positive note, Biemme was one of the only companies at the time that would make some of the more exotic clothing items (like tights), and their ATEX winter coat was beyond warm. I also really liked their European sizing, which fits thinner and taller people better.

A NCCA National Championship Victory (2004-05).

The UCVC returns to Voler to manufacture their jerseys, beginning nearly five years of ordering bliss. Voler never misses a single deadline, has consistent colors and never, ever makes a mistake.

The team also acquires its first product sponsorships, Orbea, Reynolds, Look, Rudy Project, and Sidi.

The University tightens its control over club funds and makes it nearly impossible to pay for vendors and services for the team and the Monsters of the Midway. In the first year after this policy change, Patrick Meyers is forced to put the entire up-front cost of the race on his credit card. On a positive note, Student Government increases Sports Club funds and the team leadership is allocated a few hundred dollars to cover race expenses.

Monsters has a few years of nice weather. ABR is rewarded for its safety record and is able to reduce the per rider insurance costs for its promoters. Monsters is able to stay on stable financial ground. USCF continues to increase its fees.

A small core of racers circulate e-mails amongst themselves to keep slower riders and one poisonous ex-girlfriend from showing up on their rides.

Team Leaders: Todd Yezefski, Jon Tenney, Eric Nortstrom, Joel Roth, Tim Belton, Craid Gartland, Megan Myrick, Andrew Nicholson, Patrick Meyers.

Racing highlights:
1. NCCA National Criterium Championship Victory
2. 2nd place National Collegiate Ironman Triathlon Championships


Critique:
The design is still yellow and black, done mostly to appease members who already owned clothing from the previous year. It is not a terribly inventive design, and is basically the same as that used in 1997. Riders still complain about the back panel of the shorts.

The Last Yellow Jersey (2006).

2006 was the last gasp of the yellow jersey. Essentially a continuation of previous years with more prominent display of some sponsors, including Get A Grip Cycles and Orbea.

2006 marked a significant split in the activities of the team. The club splits among 2 parties: the collegiate racing team and recreational riders (mostly U of C staff and faculty who ride sweet bikes) who start their own 60-mile ride to northern Indiana. Faculty and staff generally take over the running of Monsters (Joel Roth, Tim Belton, Patrick Meyers), while the collegiate team just sucks up funds and races on Monsters weekend. Things come full circle when the recreational riders start their own e-mail list to keep the racers from disrupting their ride.

The team finally reveals its rainy day fund to the Sports Club Office.

Team leaders: Jon Tenney, Todd Yezefski, Megan Myrick, Franciso Torralba, Joel Roth, Tim Belton, Kevin Covey.

Highlights:
1. 2nd place NCCA National Championship Road Race
2. The start of the Schererville ride.
3. Joel Roth starts racing cyclocross.
4. Monsters features the largest Category 4 field ever seen.
5. The team no longer has any triathlete members, marking the UCVC as a true road racing team,

Critique:
It is still yellow. The design at this point is beyond boring.

A Good Team Kit is Like A Good Essay (2007).

After years of battling with the powers of conservatism, the UCVC management manages to change the basic color scheme of the jersey. Significant changes bring the jersey more in line with the themes and mentality of the University of Chicago, including replacing the UCVC logo of the 1990s with the Maroon "C", and lettering that reflects the University's own design.

Notable is the back panel of the jersey, prominently displaying the team's association with the biological science division.

The color change is made in relative secret by just a few student members from the collegiate racing team. A portion of the club feels hoodwinked and betrayed.

New leadership spends all of the money saved by the previous membership in a single year. The riders who were involved in saving the money (Norstrom, Roth, Munson, etc...) never get to enjoy it.

Highlights:
1. First MWCCC victory in women's field
2. Schererville ride grows in popularity.

Team leaders: Francisco Torralba, Joel Roth, etc.

Critique:
This kit reflects the high standards of quality that the University tries to instill in its students. It also argues that the same qualities that go into a good essay are the same as should be used to design a cycling uniform. These qualities are: 1) all of the components must form a comprehensive unit; 2) simpler is always better; 3) fonts should be consistent; 4) contrast, contrast, contrast; and 5) proofread. Drafts, as my mentor told me long ago, should be proof read by crusty old men with high standards who examine things with a hard nose and a jaundiced eye. Commentary such as "I like it, "its good," "wow," make a person feel good but ultimately reinforce the mediocrity of early drafts.

This design also managed to use simple colors in a manner that made for a very striking image. Most notably is the very simple rendition of the university phoenix in white (on the shorts and long sleeves, not really shown here). It was pretty dope. Plus, the entire kit was distinct in both the regional (MWCCC) and National Championships, which is something that the previous design failed to achieve. Nobody ever complemented our jerseys until we came out with this one, but it happened a lot last year. For example, during the NCCA National Championship Criterium, an entire family picked me out from the 100+ racers and adopted me strictly for my team kit and silver shorts, screams of "Go, Chicago!" encouraging me lap after lap (I guess they could read the font). In fact, the son asked me to sign and give him my race numbers after the race was over. It didn't matter to him that I only lasted for 50 minutes of the race, and that it was still going on while I was signing the numbers.

Notable negatives include the fact that the maroon color is really red (everyone thought that we were getting maroon based on the proofs, but this could have easily been altered in the next batch), some of the black type does not standout on the gray background, and that the silver lycra of the shorts shows sweat (once again the butt obsession comes to the fore). However, cycling is cool because you get to wear the super hero outfits that you never could sport in the office. Nothing screams superhero (or prostitute) like silver pants.

Finally Maroon (2008).

In 2008, club leadership decided to change manufacturers to Champ-sys because it is slightly cheaper than its competitors. It is a relative newcomer to the cycling clothing field, has a very limited in-house design team, and its production is done in China.

A real cycling shop enters the Hyde Park neighborhood. Tati brings a much needed influx of Keirin/Retro/Portland style to the UCVC.

Highlights:
More victories in the MWCCC than we can count.

Team leaders: Francisco Torralba, Devon Haskell, Carly Schuster, Dan Houle, Aspen Gorry.

Critique:

Champ-Sys used a very heavy lycra and a double layer of fabric on the back panel of its shorts, which hopefully will eliminate the decade-long butt sweat debate. They also incorporate a nice cell phone/i-pod pocket into the shoulder straps of its bib shorts. The pad is acceptable, but some complained of saddle sores. In terms of construction, it is a good value, but they screwed up the arm warmers and failed to make some items.

The triumph of this jersey is that it finally includes maroon (but not as the primary color). From a design standpoint, however, it has problems. It has an inconsistent design between the jersey and the shorts, the weird use of red and yellow next to maroon, way too many logos (including two different bike shops), and a manufacturer that can't provide the crisp lines as its competitors. The image of the white phoenix doesn't work , the font colors on the side of the jersey do not match the same lettering as on the shorts (black vs. white), the logos on the shoulder panel are odd, and the rear pockets are just a solid block of black which looks really bad on jackets and vests without pockets. It is not up to the standards of the University of Chicago, and I feel like I am wearing bad grammar when I ride in it. The biggest negative, however, is that the entire package is invisible in the MWCCC peloton.
















A better move would have been to stick with the compositionally excellent Voler design from the previous year and just swap out the accidental red color with a true maroon and turn some of the U of C font from black to white (since the official U of C colors are maroon and white).


What are the themes of the second incarnation of the UCVC? The first is that constitutionally, the students hold the reigns of power and have consumed more and more resources as their racing has grown in strength and success. The non-racing component shoulders the greatest burden of the team, the Monsters of the Midway, but they have little voice in the direction of the entire club. These two components have different reasons for riding their bikes, and they started to grow further apart sometime after the Biemme years. The saving grace seems to be the cyclocross season wherein elements of both sides can come together. Other themes include the battle between the team and the Sports Club bureaucracy, the difficulty in introducing and maintaining the club's female membership, that there is a weird obsession with fannies, and that designing a good cycling jersey is a difficult task. Lastly, the great nemesis is really the Chicago weather.

Old School

Here is what our jersey looked like back in the early '90's (92 or 93 perhaps). Notice the Monsters of the Midway Logo on the left - pretty neat! Anybody else out there have pics of jerseys from back in the day??

UCVC and Custom Decals

A bunch of folks have enquired about getting (a) team logo decals and (b) frame name decals. Here is the update.

First of all, there are several ways to do decals for bicycle frames: vinyl die cut, water slide, printed vs screened, under vs over clearcoat, etc. It is of course possible to print them on your own using store-bought sticker paper and a laser/inkjet printer, but these are problematic because UV rays will eventually damage the ink and the adhesives tends to delaminate. So it's best to have them professionally printed by a place that ideally works specifically with bicycles. Also, it's best to clearcoat over decals, but I doubt that this applies to anyone except those considering custom frames at this point.

I'm going to place an order on February 21 from Victory Circle in Golden, Colorado. Victory does work for a number of USPRO teams and uses only the thinnest and highest quality transfers. A set of 4 name decals runs between $12 and $20 depending on the design. I'll cover the shipping, and you can pay when the decals arrive in early March.

>>> Here is the order form.



Two versions of the frame decals will be printed. These will be free to all UCVC members.

Results of the kit poll

I've taken the poll off the website and the results are below:

	UCVC kit poll
	DESIGN (1=awful, 2=just ok, 3=good, 4=great) Total votes 41
	1 (3)	7%
	2 (2)	5%
	3 (12)	29%
	4 (24)	59%
	QUALITY (1=poor, 4=very high) Total votes 41
	1 (1)	2%
	2 (2)	5%
	3 (27)	66%
	4 (11)	27%
	PRICE (1=highway robbery, 4=bargain) Total votes 41
	1 (0)	0%
	2 (9)	22%
	3 (30)	73%
	4 (2)	5%
	Which COLOR do you prefer? Total votes 41
	Yellow (6)	15%
	Maroon (35)	85%
	Which SUPPLIER do you prefer? Total votes 41
	Voler (4)	10%
	Champion System (8)	20%
	Other (6)	15%
	I don't know (23)	56%

The charts speak for themselves. Let me remark, nonetheless, that 88% of the participants in the poll think that the design was good or great. Kudos to Liam.

93% think that the quality of the clothes deserves a rating of 3 or 4, on a 1-4 scale. I prefer the Champion System fabric for the short-sleeve jersey to Voler's, but this is just a matter of personal taste.

A few people left comments. I'm copying them here, with my replies in italic:

• The logos on the top rear of the shorts get covered by the jersey. [Feb 11, 2008] This has more to do with the anatomy of the rider and the size of the jersey than with the cut. I've observed this problem many times before. It happens for some people, but not for some others. You may not experience this problem when you're actually on your bike, because then your back will be stretched out.
  

• Shorts lower quality waistband ; tech jacket GREAT ; SS Jersey runs small [Feb 11, 2008]

• I like the pad in the new shorts better than last year. [Feb 1, 2008]. Yes, I think that the Voler pads were less durable, but you don't know until you spend dozens of hours on the saddle.
  

• The quality of the hat is a bit low, and I think the short sizes ran a little bit small. [Feb 1, 2008] I completely agree that the cap is low-quality. I was quite disappointed myself. The resolution of the school's shield, on the lower side of the bill, is pretty low too. In the future the club may consider ordering the caps from a different vendor, although it may be more of a hassle, and minimum orders will be much bigger. With Champion System the minimum order is 10. Any other seller of customized cycling caps that I've seen requires ordering 100+
  

• The colors are a bit bright, and the maroons in the jersey and bibs don't quite match. minor points, though, as these kits are pretty cool! [Feb 1, 2008] The matching of the color of jerseys and shorts is usually a problem. It certainly was a problem with Voler. The issue is that the fabric for the jersey is different from that for the shorts, so the same dye color looks different. Pro teams may deal with this issue by applying different dyes to jerseys and shorts, so that the colors of tops and bottoms look identical, but I don't know.
  

• thank to everyone (Liam, Francisco, etc.) for all of your hard work. [Feb 1, 2008]

I encourage you to leave more comments to the kits, here below this post.

I was disappointed that a few people voted for a vendor different from Voler and Champion System, but didn't say which vendor in the comments section of the poll. Here's your chance to do it now. You may leave anonymous comments if you'd prefer.

The results of the poll are not scientific, of course, since there is self-selection in participation. The purpose of this poll was to have a rough sense of how people felt about general aspects of the kit. The person(s) in charge of the kits next year may or may not take your opinions into account.

Complementing the Kit

Update: The first samples will arrive the week of January 20. The full kit will be sewn to order and arrive in mid-February. The pricing will likely be $40 for caps and $100 for jerseys. I've requested a 10 ounce mid-weight wool instead of the usual 14 ounce so that the jerseys can be layered in the winter and worn along throughout the spring and in the case of the short sleeve, even in the summer.

I'm share the anticipation of others for the new club kit; it looks modern and professional and should look good piecemeal or in full regalia. And as someone who hasn't worn lycra with regularity in over a decade, I look forward to donning the jersey from time to time this spring...

But for those interested in either (a) complementing the kit or (b) showing your team spirit without sporting logos or (c) wearing a more casually fitting maroon kit, (d) gifting something maroon to your non-UCVC cyclist friend/family, I have hope for you.

I've commissioned some swanky maroon kit from a custom shop that specializes in wool cycling apparel. The look is decidedly late-60s club kit, so it is form fitting -- though looser than modern lycra stuff. The material is mid-weight New Zealand merino wool, which youngsters might scoff at, but is in fact very soft and breathable and comfortable at a wide range of temperatures. And it doesn't get smelly! Initially, there will be three designs: a full zip long sleeve jersey, a 1/3 zip short sleeve jersey, and an Italian-style reversible winter cap with tuckable ear flaps and a short bill (just like the one I wear to work).

Here are the highly technical schematics. (Trust that the color will in fact be much darker in person.)




Some of you know about the other wool jersey project I've been working on. That one is taking a bit longer and will not be maroon. It will have thicker wool and be more of a 1930s look with an epaulet-style collar and cherrywood buttons instead of zippers. The rear pockets will also be buttoned. They should be ready mid-spring and should be classy enough to wear on or off the bike.

Do let me know if you're interested in any of these things; the runs will be pretty small, maybe a dozen of each jersey and a couple dozen caps. The shop offered to also knit some wool arm/knee/leg warmers, which might look cool in maroon, or might just look cartoonish. Dunno. These will be ready around the same time the lycra kits are done.