I just want to say to anyone that may be thinking that UNDCC is too focused on racing that...
1. We try REALLY REALLY hard to focus on all aspects of cycling, INCLUDING non-racing (in fact we try the hardest on this one). Unfortunately, with ND's relatively short "nice weather" time combined with "school semesters" it probably seems that we are very focused on racing. In fact we do compete heavily in our conference (which in turn provides awareness to further cycling involvement) and this requires quite a significant commitment.
2. Since our club is very small, many, if not all of our core members happen to race. This is completely the opposite of 3-4 years ago when we had less than 10% racing. We would love to involve more members that are just generally interested in cycling, and we would never be ostracizing those members at all.
3. The bottom line is, we are a fledgling club. If you want UND Cycling to be something that you can enjoy, there is no simpler way to do that than to participate. The reason many of our group rides that get posted seem like training workouts is because they are. If you want to post a coffee ride, or an urban destruction ride, or a bike path cruise, or any sort of casual type of ride, post it in here. Introduce yourself. Everyone that is part of this club 1. Loves to ride, and 2. Loves to have fun. Those are basically the only criteria. Sure, ultimately we'd love for you to participate actively in meetings and in the community, but we're realistic and we would be happy for you all to just share your love of cycling with us sometime.
It might sound really cheesy, but it's the truth. If you think UND Cycling is ONLY a cycling team, I hope you'll come ride with us and talk to us about what we can do better, and maybe help us do it!
Sincerely,
David Cardarelli
Cyclist.