MSU to Host Cycling Event

MSU to Host Cycling Event

The Midwestern State University campus will be transformed into a race track Sunday, March 24, when the MSU Cycling Team hosts cyclists from the South Central Collegiate Cycling Conference (SCCCC) for the 2013 Vuelta del Viento Race Weekend.

MSU Cycling Team Director Charlie Zamastil said that Sunday's criterium races are spectator-friendly, featuring many high-speed laps. "The course is 1 kilometer long, so you see the racers go by many times," Zamastil said. "Riders take corners at over 30 mph and crashes are all but inevitable. High speeds, fast corners, tight packs - it's basically our equivalent of NASCAR on two wheels." More than 125 cyclists are expected to compete. The criteriums begin at 8 a.m.

The road races and team time trials will take place on a 9.4-mile loop of farm roads near Kadane Corner on Saturday.

The MSU Cycling Team is currently ranked first in the SCCCC, ahead of schools such as Baylor University, Oklahoma State University, Rice, Southern Methodist University, Texas A&M, Texas Christian University, the University of Texas, and the University of Oklahoma. The SCCCC is a collection of cycling clubs representing colleges and universities from Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana.

This is a rare chance to cheer for the MSU Cycling Team at home. This season the team has traveled to races in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Oklahoma, in addition to other Texas races. The SCCCC championships are April 20-21 at Baylor.