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for new riders

Become A Member
If you become a dues-paying member, you receive a discount on Cal Cycling clothing, you are eligible to compete in collegiate races, and you can take advantage of our excellent pro-deals. Check out our sponsors to see which companies give us generous discounts.
To become a member you'll need to:

  • Fill out a participant information form and program waiver online at the Rec Sports website. You'll need to follow the instructions located in the section labeled Steps to Register as a Sport Club Participant. Log in, fill out your information form and waiver, then make sure to click through to Join a Club and select the cycling team.
  • Pay yearly dues of $85 (Check, Cash or Credit Card) to a cashier at the UCB Berkeley Recreational Sports Facility (RSF). Printed forms are available at the cashier. The RSF cashier is located to the right of the main entry doors to the RSF. Checks must be made out to: UC Regents - Cycling. You will receive a receipt as your proof of payment.
  • (Optional) Join the Cal Cycling mailing list to get updates on regular rides, team events, and races and get a login to the team website so you can post rides and be added to our roster.

Ride With Us as a Non-Member
If you do not wish to become a member, you can still ride with us on any of our daily rides. However, university policy still requires that you fill out a Participant Information AND Program Waiver form and give it to us.

Mailing Lists

By far the best way to learn about Cal Cycling is to sign up for the mailing list. Pretty much every kind of announcement gets posted there, such as rides, clothing hours, and pro-deals information. Sign up, and see what it's like. It's easy to remove yourself from the list, and it's free!

UC Berkeley Students with CalMail accounts may sign up for the Cal Cycling Mailing Lists via the CalMail mailing lists page. This link is only for those using socrates or uclink accounts. If your email is not on those systems, you must follow the instructions below.

To subscribe:
If you do not have a CalMail account, you can subscribe or unsubscribe by sending an email to the subscribe/unsubscribe address for the desired list. To subscribe, send an email to calcycling-join@lists.berkeley.edu, calcycling-women-join@lists.berkeley.edu, or calcycling-alumni-join@lists.berkeley.edu). The subject and body can be empty. The confirmation email you'll get back lets you choose to receive all mail from the list or a digest version that consolidates all messages into a single daily email.
To unsubscribe: send an email to calcycling-leave@lists.berkeley.edu, calcycling-women-leavelists.berkeley.edu, or calcycling-alumni-leave@lists.berkeley.edu.

Cal Cycling Main List (calcycling@lists.berkeley.edu)
The Cal Cycling Mailing List is the main discussion forum for the club. Anyone can sign up for the list and post to the list. Rides, items wanted for purchase or for sale, and social gatherings are announced on the list. It's best to subscribe, and see what kind of messages are posted to see what's acceptible. Spamming the list is strictly verboten.

Cal Cycling Women's List (calcycling-women@lists.berkeley.edu)
During the week there are several women's rides which are usually announced in the SPoTW, but some may be posted on this list. Anyone can join and post to the list, but this is not the forum to figure out your sexual identity crisis.

Cal Cycling Alumni's List (calcycling-alumni@lists.berkeley.edu)
Alumni of Cal Cycling now have a mailing list! Cal alum as well as family of Cal Cyclists can also use this list to stay current with organized Alumni events.

I subscribed to the list but I'm not getting any messages. Why?
There are two common reasons. 1) Your account is full. 2) You have a Comcast email address and Comcast SUCKS!

Members' Website

All dues-paying members and alumni get member access to the CalCycling website. If you're a current member this lets you post race reports, photos and rides on the site, and all members and alumni can have themselves added to the online roster. We're handling the online roster in an opt-in way, so you won't show up until you get an account and add a bio.

Getting an account is super-easy! If you're a dues-paying member or an alum, just email Wes Willett (willettw(at)eecs.berkeley.edu), and he'll send you a login and password.

Tips for New Riders
There are plenty of rides throughout the week at all skill levels and speeds.Most rides feature a No Drop Policy (you will not be ditched). The best way to learn when rides take place is to sign up for the mailing list since many rides are announced during the week on the mailing list.

Take a look at the routes page to see some of the popular rides that cover the east bay hills.

Things to bring on a ride with us:

  • A Helmet - absolutely required!
  • Appropriate clothing - arm warmers, wind vest, etc...
  • Water - Two bottles and/or a hydrapack - better safe than thirsty!
  • Food - Powerbars, Clif Bars, etc...
  • Tools - Pump, spare tubes, patch kit, multitool.
  • Cell Phone.
  • Money - on longer rides we'll often stop at conveinence stores.
  • Identification - Valid photo ID, your medical insurance card, and the phone numbers of your emergency contacts.

Other Notes
Be Prepared

Always carry a pump and a spare tube. Relying on any of the seasoned riders for help in changing tires is not recommended as they usually patch tubes with their PowerBar wrappers and re-inflate with their huge lungs (and wouldn't waste any of their precious oxygen on you, pledge!). More importantly, it's kind of like your second grade teacher used to say: "If everyone decided to rely on their neighbor for a pencil, then no one would get the phonics homework done." Food is another necessity, expecially on long rides and colder days. Good foul-weather gear is a must in this area, and you should start to stock up on this now if you haven't already. Make sure your bike is ready for the winter, also.

Be Safe
Take it from someone who has rear-ended a pickup or two that you don't have an advantage over motor vehicles, no matter what people might say about maneuverability. And besides, whatever they lose in that regard, they make up for with the silenced 9mm semi-automatic with seventeen in the clip and one in the chamber which rests on the dashboard. Which brings up another good point -- bicyclists shouldn't get road rage. It's like a bunny rabbit talking smack to a mountain lion. Just learn to ride smoothly, and then start to ride closer to the wheel in front of you. Learn descending skills a little at a time; i.e. don't go down hills faster than you are comfortable with. Exercise caution on wet days (north Pinehurst eats bikes and riders alike!)

Get to know fellow riders
You'll be counting on your teammates in future races. Wait for those who don't descend as quickly (don't stop, just ride slowly.) Don't disrupt purposeful training sessions; i.e. don't attack in the middle of a paceline practice! And remember: no one is gonna hate you for little mistakes -- a simple apology if you cross wheels a little goes a long way.

Learn and prepare
Now is the time to learn good riding skills, how to train, proper positioning on the bike, etc. Don't be afraid to ask questions. Consider getting or borrowing a beginning bike racing book. Think about your strengths and weaknesses and plan your training program for the next few months. Start a training log.

Racing Information

Cal Cycling is a member of the Western Collegiate Cycling Conference (WCCC). We compete against schools in Mountain, Road, Cyclocross and Track events. The WCCC is a member of the National Collegiate Cycling Association (NCCA) a part of USA Cycling, which organizes national events.

Racing Licenses
Virtually all races, both collegiate and non-collegiate, require a USA Cycling (aka USCF) racing license. They can be bought the day of the race, but if you plan on racing more than a few times, it makes sense to buy a yearly license. Collegiate Licenses typically cost $30 a year and are good for all collegiate races. If you'll be racing in non-collegiate races as well, you can buy yearly mountain, road, and cross licenses (these cost more) and, as a student, you'll get a collegiate license as a free add-on.You'll save money and get a nifty peice of paper to stick in your wallet.

Mountain Bike Racing
Mountain bike racing combines the skills of off-road riding with atheletic endurance. Skill without speed or speed without skill are not enough; one needs to have both to be a good racer. Do you have the skill to fix a flat in 60 seconds or the mental toughness to race at altitude? Mountain bike racing is tough, but extremely rewarding.
Mountain bike races usually have three disciplines: downhill, cross country, and dual slalom. Downhill is pretty simple, get to the bottom of a hill faster than anyone else. Cross country is done on a loop and usually has all kinds of terrain, while dual slalom is a sprint distance race done two racers at a time in parallel courses.

Road Bike Racing
Road bike racing is all about endurance, race strategy and teamwork. To be successful a racer needs to know when to stay with the pack, and when to push themselves as hard as possible. The winner can break away from the pack with 40 miles to go, or win by a tire-width in a sprint finish. It's fun and exciting, and very worthwhile.
Road bike races have three disciplines: road races, criteriums, and time trials. Road races run from 40 to 100 miles depending on the category, andusually have a few longish climbs. Criteriums take place on short courses usually less than a mile long and cover distances of 20 to 30 miles. Time trials are individual or team races against the clock that cover distances usually less than 20 miles.

Cyclocross Racing
Cyclocross is a sport that was invented by the Belgians as a winter sport for road cyclists, and thusly, it is *supposed* to be done in the mud and the rain. The courses are on the order of a few miles long and incorporate sections where running while carrying the bike may be required. They last from 30 minutes to 1 hour long and require 110% effort throughout the race.
The WCCC does not have cyclocross events, but some college conferences do. Because there are no WCCC events, anyone can race at nationals if they like. It usually takes place in December.

Racing/Training Tips
Here's some wisdom on racing strategy and training collected from team members.