The National Collegiate Cycling Association (NCCA), founded in 1985, is a
standing committee of USA Cycling. The National
Collegiate Cycling Association (NCCA) administers, develops, promotes and
governs collegiate cycling across the country. The continued progress and
development of collegiate cycling is the responsibility of the NCCA Management Committee, NCCA staff and the conference directors.
NCCA clubs, or "teams," are assembled specifically for
recreational and competitive bicycle racing at the junior, four-year college and
university level. The club is organized under the auspices of a school's
recreation, sports or club department, and is governed by NCCA rules and
regulations.
Whether it be road, track, cyclo-cross or mountain bike riding, the sport of
cycling has experienced a wave of popularity in the U.S. The level of
participation in recent years has taken the sport of cycling to new heights.
More than one in every three Americans own a bicycle, and it is used as a form
of recreational transportation and competition. It is also one of the most
common modes of transportation on today's college campuses.
This enthusiasm for bicycle riding by students at the collegiate level was
begun in earnest as a result of a partnership between a Yale graduate student
and a bicycle dealer in New Haven, Conn. Their efforts were responsible for the
introduction of bicycle races and the collegiate cycling club organization
concept.
In the early 1960s, the Eastern Intercollegiate Cycling Association was
founded as a single spring race which was developed into a racing series. In
1962, West Coast participation flourished after the second annual Western
Intercollegiate Cycle Meet took place at UC-Davis, Calif.
In the 1970s, collegiate cycling operated under a committee of the American
Bicycle League of America. This informal structure, however, was not able to
sufficiently accommodate the expansion and development of the sport at this
level. In 1985, the directors of the Eastern Collegiate Cycling Federation and
the Western Collegiate Cycling Conference combined efforts to persuade the USCF
of the necessity to develop a national collegiate program. As a result, a
sub-committee within the USCF organizational framework was founded.
Membership fees were initiated to establish the NCCA budget, enabling USCF
staff to take responsibility for the daily maintenance and development of the
collegiate cycling program. Responsible for the continued progress and
development of collegiate cycling are today's NCCA Committee members,
NCCA staff and the 10 conference directors.
It was also at this time that the South Central and the Southwestern
Collegiate Conferences were established. A short time later, the Midwest,
Northwest, Rocky Mountain, North Central, Southeast and Atlantic Collegiate
Cycling Conferences were also established.
The first collegiate track national championship was held in the fall of
1987, followed by the road championships in the spring of 1988. Here the
tradition of championship competition was begun. Collegiate cycling has
sponsored the track championships in the fall and road in the spring ever since.
In 1994, the inaugural National Collegiate Mountain Bike Championships were held
in Castaic, Calif. 1996 saw the addition of the National Collegiate Cyclo-cross
Championships in Seattle, Wash.
In 1991, the NCCA sent riders to Spain to compete in the World University
Cycling Championships. In the American collegiate athletes' first appearance at
these games, the cyclists took home gold medals in the women's pursuit and the
men's road race, and a bronze in the points race.
Since this time, the NCCA has continued to broaden its membership base. The
NCCA encourages new athletes to get involved in cycling and establish new clubs
on collegiate campuses across the nation.
Today, there are approximately 215 NCCA member collegiate cycling clubs with
over 2,500 member athletes. Each club belongs to a particular collegiate cycling
conference, which is designated on the basis of the school's location.
