While club sports teams operate differently from Divison I squads, that doesn’t mean their goals are any different.

They both want to be successful.

Practices, events, and everything else that goes into a successful Divison I team still lies within a club team. 

The UNC Wilmington cycling club exhibited those qualities last year, in their most successful season to date.

The club was second in Division II in the spring of 2013 and finished ranked sixth overall. Division II is the placement of a team based on the size of a campus, with Division I for smaller campuses. 

The team plans to do better this year, but first has to recruit more members and train existing members who are new to racing. 

Due to members graduating the previous year, club president Alex Claiborne hopes to recruit more members by making the club more accessible. 

“That’s one of the goals I’ve been aiming for this year,” Claiborne said. “People see us wearing our jerseys on our road bikes and are intimidated. I don’t want that. I don’t like that.” 

Vice-President of the cycling club William Raynor is also working to train new members who have yet experienced road racing before.

The club is divided into two separate groups Men’s A and Men’s B.

To be placed in Men’s A, members have to complete a set amount of races and rank high enough to be placed. The club plans to gain one other member with the possibility of ranking in Men’s A.

Raynor and club member Carter Harris are the only members that are currently eligible for Men’s A.

For interested members, training to handle the road races, which cover both hills and long hours in the biking seat, will be underway during the fall and winter months to prepare for the spring races. 

The club plans to develop three female members for various races out of a total of five or six female members on the team. Along with recruiting more members, Claiborne says that they are also looking to recruit more female members for the team. 

Road racing starts in February and ends in mid-September and the team plans to train through the season to prepare for the spring events. 

All those interested in joining the cycling club are encouraged to contact Alex Claiborne or William Raynor via email.