Since it’s recent implementation in 2015, the Ole Miss Cycling club has grown exponentially, and with that growth comes a need for a more bike-friendly environment on campus.
Everett Gooch, Ole Miss Cycling club president bikes in the Circle. (Photo by: Ariel Cobbert)
In November 2015, the University was recognized by the League of American Bicyclists with a bronze-level Bicycle Friendly Award. According to Ole Miss Cycling Team Advisor Peter Reed, the cycling team has been working closely with the Oxford bike community to advocate for improved bicycle infrastructure and safety both on and off campus.
“The more the University routes traffic more carefully through campus, the safer and easier it gets for bikes — the gates go up and pedestrian areas go up,” Reed said. “It’s increasingly getting better in a lot of ways and the University deserves a big thumbs up on that, but they should also continue to improve as well.”
The University has shown support of the bike community by adding bike lanes and supporting and maintaining the Ole Miss Bike Shop, Reed said. However, he said he would like to see more of an emphasis placed on sustaining a clean space free of debris, rocks and potholes for bikers to safely ride.
“On one hand, we all just want to share our love for bikes, but on the other, we’d like a community and town with infrastructure that makes it easier and safer to love bikes, and that is the challenge,” Reed said.
With roughly 20 members, the Ole Miss Cycling Team is the first collegiate cycling team in the state of Mississippi, Everett Gooch, cycling team president and senior general studies major, said.
“I really would like to see us become greater advocates for the bike community on campus,” Gooch said.
Gooch said he would like to see small improvements on campus for the bike community including the addition of more bike racks throughout campus and a bike lane in front of the Union.
“The whole cycling industry is booming right now, and it’s starting to trickle into
Pete Dawkins, a member of the Ole Miss cycling club, does bike tricks in the Circle. (Photo by: Ariel Cobbert)
Mississippi,” Gooch said. “But we are really doing a good job for the size school that we are when you consider how many people actually ride.”
Instead of focusing on the areas of improvement, however, Gooch said he believes they should focus on the unique opportunities the University offers to cyclists.
“What we’d like to do is to continue to promote things we currently have on campus, like the South Campus Rail Trails that run off of the mountain trails are fantastic,” Gooch said. “There is no other school that has any type of mountain biking trails on campus.”
Gooch said the cycling team originally began in 2011, but was re-chartered in 2015. The team aspires to grow from 20 members to eventually reaching a ‘sweet spot’ of at least 30 active members.
“Really, our main goal is to establish ourselves as a sustainable club, once we get that sustainability and start getting funding, then we can start moving onto competitions and ultimately recruiting good riders,” Gooch said.
The cycling team competes in both road and mountain biking races, and travels to approximately six races across the Southeast during racing season. For a small and newly established team, they have placed extremely well in Collegiate USA Cycling, Gooch said.
At every race so far, the cycling team has managed to achieve a podium finish, receiving either first, second or third place.
Another goal of the cycling team is to create a lasting legacy for the club and to establish sustainability for the years to come, Gooch said.
“Compared to the previous attempt to start the club, we actually have younger members,” Gooch said. “But, we actually have some freshmen now and those people are motivated and excited about it and they’re more than likely going to carry the club on.”
Junior mechanical engineering major Taylor Campbell said the cycling team has offered him a unique opportunity for self improvement, as well as camaraderie among the team.
“I like cycling because it’s competitive in a unique way. Not only do you compete against others, but you are in competition with yourself as you try to break your personal records,” Campbell said. “Whether you are a novice or an expert, you can always go out and have a good time with the team.”
– Morgan Walker
