CRU cycling prepares for April

The thunder rang down the mountain.

Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.

Silence.

The thunder began again, but this time it rang up the mountain — the mountain of stairs known as Ballantine Hall.

Up nine flights, down nine flights, up eight flights, down eight flights and so on, the thunder continued.

The running of stairs is just a portion of the sweat-filled trainings that Little 500 cyclists will participate in during the next two and a half months until race day.

“Good job guys. Come on Austin, keep it up. There you go, Graham. Catch him, Kris,”
Carey Wagoner said.

The senior, sitting out with an injury, watched his CRU Cycling teammates as they spent an hour of their Tuesday night running the stairs and halls of Ballantine.

Although they might be hurting by the end and might even vomit, the members of Campus Crusade For Christ are running stairs to help with that last little bit on the track come April 16.

The team finished its exercise, and times were shouted out as Wagoner wrote them down on a piece of paper.

“We keep people’s times to improve and just create some friendly competition,” Wagoner said.

The team is in the process of preparing for April’s race, but it’s not just about training. Racing comes with a price tag, especially for teams without legacies and many alumni. The four-year old men’s CRU Cycling team has set its first fundraising goal at $400, which covers the fee to enter the Little 500 and two bikes.

The eight CRU cyclists are aware of the costs to provide their own bikes and the fundraisers or family donations they must ask for.

“We don’t raise money for the other 364 days of the year,” Nuzam said. “That comes out of their pocket or from extra donations.”

They said they believe their strength is within their numbers and their belief in God and in their team. That support is also coupled with commitment. A typical ride consists of all eight cyclists riding together.

With four rookies and four other riders each with one year of experience, the CRU
Cycling team members said they agreed that wherever they place in this year’s Little 500, it will be as a result of all eight guys and the training they’ve put in.

“Our mentality is we really want to sacrifice so that we can do it together,” Nuzam said.