Hilltop Views Sports dedicates the month of October to special coverage of cycling culture. Every week will feature a unique cyclist or an aspect of cycling, from the environmentally conscious casual rider to the sports’ poster child, Lance Armstrong.

A St. Edward’s University student will represent the university in collegiate mountain bike races at the national level at the end of the month. Cyclist and biology major Jenna Emerick will travel to Angel Fire, N.M., for the USA Cycling National Championships Oct. 27 through 30 for her first national tournament in her inaugural mountain bike racing season.

Emerick has been in 10 races at four different racing events this semester. She was eligible to compete and represent the university after she founded the Cycling Club at St. Edward’s. Because of her efforts, other students at St. Edward’s are now eligible to compete in cycling races against teams from other colleges and universities.

Emerick, a biology major and president of the club, took on the task of reforming the formerly disbanded organization in September.

Currently, the club has three members, including Emerick. Membership is open to all students, regardless of their level of cycling experience, Emerick said.

Despite having just a few members, the Cycling Club can exist because cyclists can compete on an individual level without the support of a team, said Campus Recreation coordinator Andy Lemons.

“It can give other students the opportunity to compete on a larger scale. Most of the standard is we don’t start club sports if there’s not enough students to sustain it.

“Since her sport is an individual sport, it just takes one to compete and be recognized,” Lemons said.

Under Emerick’s leadership, the Cycling Club became a member of USA Cycling (USAC), the governing body for men’s and women’s cycling in the United States. USAC membership ensures members of the Cycling Club eligibility to compete in collegiate cycling races administered by USAC, Emerick said.

In addition to competing in races, the club fosters interest in other aspects of cycling.

“It’s not just about racing. It’s all about promoting bicycle safety and cycling in general,” Emerick said.

As the representative from St. Edward’s, Emerick competes with individuals from universities from Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Louisiana in the South Central Collegiate Cycling Conference (SCCCC). The SCCCC is one of 11 conferences that participate in USAC competitions at the collegiate level.

The SCCCC holds road, mountain, track and cyclocross racing competitions, as stated on the SCCCC website. Mountain bike races are held in the fall, cyclocross in the winter, road races in the spring and track races in the summer.

Emerick said there are differences between mountain biking and road cycling.

“Road biking to me is all about endurance. Mountain biking is so technical, and it engages your mind and body more [than road cycling],” Emerick said.

Mountain bike races consist of three separate events: time trials, short track/cross country and cross country. Men and women compete separately, with cyclists grouped into ‘classes.’ Riders can choose their own class.  Emerick competes in Women’s A races, the highest level for female collegiate cyclists in USAC races.

“Races are typically hosted at a private ranch, and we have to camp there all weekend,” Emerick said.

Currently, Emerick is the only club member that competes for St. Edward’s University. She participated in ten mountain bike races this season at four different tournaments, the most recent being the South Central Collegiate Cycling Conference Mountain Bike Championships hosted by Texas A&M in Warda, Texas on Oct. 14 through 15.

Emerick placed second out of six riders in the Women’s A conference, and won the Division II Individual Champion title for women racers.

Because of her success this season, Emerick is qualified to compete in the College Mountain Bike National Championships in Angelfire, N.M.

Despite her success in her first racing season, Emerick has other intentions in mind when she’s racing.

“I’m just having fun,” Emerick said.

Students interested in learning more about the Cycling Club can contact the club at [email protected].