Collegiate Champs in the Midwest - time for IU to step up!

The championship schedule for 2011 events was released by USA Cycling yesterday and for the racers here at IU it is friendly reading. Three championship events will be held within a 6hr drive of IU so hopefully there'll be good IU representation in all events. Lets assess-
May 6-8 Road Nationals- Madison WI- The IU team has a real chance to make some good noise at this event. The 'A' squad will be rejuvenated after a down year in 2010. The Mens 'A' team of Young, Catanzaro, Shei, Dewart, West, Kiel et al should qualify with plenty to spare (even if Regionals are the same weekend as Little 500). Eric Young can beat any collegiate athlete in a sprint so if the team can focus on bringing him to the last 200m in good position, IU could land a road title or two. The Midwest season will offer perfect opportunity to practice these skills.
Track Champs- September 15-17th Indianapolis. After last years great success, IU should be able to put forward another strong team performance in this close-to-home event. We might lack the individual excellence of Eric Young in 2011 but as a team IU has the talent to compete for top 3 in the team omnium. There is racing ALL through the summer at Major Taylor Velodrome so get involved. If you want any further advice about track bikes or track racing contact me or Eric (egy@indiana.edu) or Chris West (westc@umail.iu.edu) who will help you out.
Cyclocross- Jan 4-8 2012 Madison WI. Cyclocross is huge in the US these days and the Midwest is a hotbed of action with an excellent autumn series. With Nationals just a shortish drive away I'd hope some IU students get interested in riding. It's a lot of fun and is an enormous help for Little 500- it keeps you fit through the winter and massively improves your bike handling skills. Of IU students, this year only the Kiel brothers and Ashton Wischmeier raced Cyclocross and the Kiels are graduating this year. If anyone is planning on getting involved and want some advice then please contact me, Ryan Kiel (rpkiel@umail.iu.edu) or Ashton (wischmeiera@gmail.com).
The ease of travel to these championship events gives IU an opportunity to be a real force in Collegiate Cycling. Little 500 develops the talent on campus, people just need to get out of their comfort zone and explore other avenues of competition!