Background of Wake Forest Cycling

In 2005, there were only 2 members on the Wake Forest Cycling team, who simply rode together for the pure enjoyment cycling offers. Soon afterward, we started to delve into the competitive nature of collegiate cycling. By 2006, we already had 15 members, and had begun to scratch the surface of building a full team. Now, in 2010, we have 35 members, full team kits and a group of nation-wide and local sponsors. While we are officially a 'club' sport, we do not think of ourselves as such - we are a team.

Former Presidents John Shilt, Zane Schweer and Eric Haakonssen have made the club increasingly professional by hosting highly successful ACC Championship weekends in 2008 and 2009. After a break-through season last year, we are looking forward to continuing our growth. We have a lot of returning members who are eager to ride again, and we have also had a very successful recruiting process with a number of highly competitive freshmen joining the team.

In 2010-2011, Wake Forest Cycling has improved and achieved results that they never thought possible. Within the Deac's first cyclocross season, the team won the 2010 ACCC CX D2 title, along with team president James McCabe winning the CX D2 title. Likewise, four members of the cyclocross team went to Bend, Oregon, to compete at the 2010 US Cyclocross National Championships. This was the first national event for Wake Forest University. 

During the 2011 road season, the Deacs rode quite well. New talent was out and racing all throughout the year. We had more racers this season than ever before. As a result, Wake Forest took 2nd place in the ACCC Road D2 Championships. Likewise, such a stellar results lead the team to qualify for the 2011 US Collegiate Road National Championships in Madison, WI. Despite only two members racing, the team made a grand impact.

For 2012, the team has several goals. One being to compete in the 2011 ACCC MTB Season. With new riders coming in with a strong MTB background, look for the Deacs to make a positive impact yet again. Likewise, we believe we can qualify for the 2011 MTB Collegiate Nationals. We look forward to more success in Cyclocross with hopes of qualifying for 2012 Cyclocross Nationals. With Road, we hope to win the overall D2 title yet again. 

Regardless of a rider's experience on the bike or interest in racing, we have a place for every single individual. If you just want to cruise around casually or if you want to live on the bike, we welcome you to join us! Our community involvement is also increasing. All the team members are looking forward to making Winston-Salem more present in the cycling eye.