Top 10 collegiate cycling teams

By Drew Hincapie

College teams racing

 

10 Best College & University Cycling Teams

Going away to college doesn’t have to mean giving up your cycling habit. Collegiate cycling is a unique sport. There are categories for all ability levels, meaning anybody can race from beginner to expert. In addition to the competition, collegiate cycling promotes community, camaraderie, and strong character.

Collegiate cycling teams compete in regional conferences organized by USA Cycling. Schools with varsity teams generally have professional staff, while club teams are usually run by students. There are categories for both divisions of schools. Beyond the regular conference season, there are national championship races for road, track, mountain biking, BMX, and cyclocross. 

If you’re looking to join (or cheer for) a strong cycling team, all 10 of these college and university cycling teams deliver the best performance in the nation, each having earned many individual and team national championships titles. The list is based on national championship rankings determined after the 2023-24 academic year.

1. Colorado Mesa University

Colorado Mesa Cycling Team
Located in the high-desert city of Grand Junction, Colorado, CMU offers a competitive team and a climate for year-round training. The school competes in the Rocky Mountain Collegiate Cycling Conference against varsity schools such as Fort Lewis College and Western Colorado University. The team offers scholarships and operates with a roster of about 50 riders.

2. Marian University

Marian University cycling team
Before being eclipsed by CMU, the Marian cycling team ranked first in the nation for numerous years and have also been awarded USA Cycling Collegiate Varsity Club of the year 11 times. The program's mission is to “develop student cyclists into life-long leaders and learners who commit to academic accomplishment, team achievement, and personal excellence on and off the bike.” Marian University operates the Indy Cycloplex on behalf of the City of Indianapolis. The 42-acre training ground includes a velodrome, BMX track, cyclocross course, dual slalom course, and singletrack mountain bike trails.

3. Lindenwood University

Among Lindenwood University’s alumni is World Cup-winning cyclist, Hannah Otto, one of the top pros competing today. The program was founded in 2007 and is now a top contender in all 5 disciplines. Lindenwood’s cycling program is fully funded and scholarship-based, and the university is situated near a local velodrome, bike trails, and a BMX track.

 

4. Savannah College of Art and Design - Atlanta 

SCAD Atlanta Spring Ride Jackson Bridge, ATL
SCAD Atlanta – Spring Ride. Photography by Justin Chan. Used with permission.
According to their collegiate cycling director, the SCAD cycling team is “here to show the world they’re about more than just art.” The unique artist-athletes on SCAD’s varsity team have experienced remarkable success since its start in 2016. Since its founding, SCAD Atlanta has earned 13 national championship medals.

 

5. Fort Lewis College

Fort Lewis College cycling team
Fort Lewis College dual at Nationals. Photo credit Benjamin Brashear.
Fort Lewis College has trained cycling Olympians, such as Todd Wells, Howard Grotts, Sofia Gomez Villafane, and Savilia Blunk. The program focuses on road, cyclocross, and mountain biking, and helped bring the Collegiate Mountain Bike National Championships to nearby Purgatory Resort in 2021 and 2022. The team boasts 24 national championship titles and has a roster of more than 100 riders across disciplines and abilities.

6. Lindsey Wilson College

Lindsey Wilson College - Emily Harris, placed 4th in Nationals.
Lindsey Wilson College – Emily Harris. Emily placed 4th in the dual slalom at nationals last year. Photo used with permission.
The Lindsey Wilson collegiate cycling team is strong on BMX and mountain bikes as well as in the classroom. In 2021, 12 cyclists were named to USA Cycling’s Academic All-Stars List, and the team claimed the BMX national championship title in 2022. Each year the college hosts the Lindsey Wilson Mountain Bike Showdown at the college’s own cycling complex.

 

7. Milligan University

Milligan University Cycling Team
Milligan University Cycling Team. Photo credit Weldon Weaver.
The Tennessee-based Milligan University is notable for its strong women’s cycling team. Olympic bronze medalist Megan Jastrab is an alum and won 6 championship titles for Milligan. The University has won 5 national championships and 3 podiums in the 2022 national championships.

 

8. Lees-McRae College

Lees-McRae College cycling team
Lees-McRae College Cycling Team. Photo used with permission.
In addition to its cycling team,  Lees-McRae has dedicated itself to improving its infrastructure to make cycling more accessible. The efforts have earned the status of Gold Bicycle University by the League of American Bicyclists. Lees-McRae is the only school on our list to have received this honor. The University also created a minor in Cycling Studies to encourage students to preserve cycling through advocacy, design, or development opportunities.9. Lees-McRae College

9. Piedmont University

Piedmont team members recently traveled from Georgia to compete in the 2024 Gran Fondo Hincapie event in Greenville, South Carolina. The university was founded in 1897 and is an independent, comprehensive, co-educational liberal arts school. Piedmont cyclists have been a varsity program since 2016.

 

10. Brevard College

Brevard College is surrounded by beautiful mountains in North Carolina, so it’s no wonder the college excels in mountain biking. The Brevard cycling team is also the first to launch gravel racing as a discipline. Academics are prioritized in the Brevard collegiate cycling program, and members of its team have made the Academic All-Stars and Academic All-Conference lists.

Club vs. varsity cycling teams

As mentioned above, club teams are student-led and allow any full-time student to participate in training and racing. Club cyclists have the opportunity to be mentored by coaches and more experienced riders. Varsity cycling teams receive additional support, scholarships, and professional guidance. To receive varsity status, teams must be supported by a college or university’s budget, have full-time paid and certified coaches, and participate in at least 1 national championship each year. Varsity teams are divided into Division I or Division II depending on enrollment numbers. Division I schools have over 15,000 students, while Division II schools have fewer. Both divisions compete against each other in all conference races but not in national championships.

Varsity teams are not necessarily better than club teams. Some of the top schools in the nation are considered club teams and offer leading academic programs and plenty of training and racing opportunities. Like some schools on this list, club teams can move up to varsity with increased investment in the team. According to the most recent rankings, the top 10 club teams are the University of Colorado Boulder, Colorado State University, University of Vermont, University of Arizona, US Air Force Academy, San Jose State University, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Colorado School of Mines, Army West Point, and Clemson University.

How to get into collegiate cycling 

Many collegiate cycling schools will attend high school races through leagues such as NICA to meet prospective students. Each team has a website and social media pages that will house more info about the team and how to join. Teams often like to meet with prospective students when they visit the campus or at the beginning of their Freshman year. At the bare minimum, racers need a USA Cycling race license to compete in collegiate races. To learn more about collegiate cycling, visit the USA Cycling website. 

 

No matter the cycling discipline, the Hincapie team can help your team look and perform their best with a custom collegiate kit designed and tested by pro cyclists.

Our cycling training plan for beginners or our guide to increasing cycling power can help you train for better performance at your next race or at one of the 20 best Gran Fondos in the USA.

 

Post feature image courtesy of Lees-McRae College.

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