SCAD Cycling
Written by Paul Holm. Graphic by Paul Holm.
SCAD’s Best-Kept Secret?
Many people might not know this, but SCAD has a cycling team. And even more might not know that they’re really good, leave-you-in-the-dust good.
When these artists-on-wheels aren’t sculpting, sketching, or animating, they’re tearing up pavement and raising their paint stained hands on podiums across the country. The athletes who wear the coveted SCAD racing bibs aren’t just talented, they’re fierce competitors in national races.
Calling them fast would be an understatement. Just a few weeks ago, junior Jette Aelken sprinted to first place at the USA Cycling National Championship, while grad student Andy Scarano powered into fourth. Not just fast, really, really fast.
So the next time you spot a black and yellow blur whizzing past on two wheels, take a closer look, it might just be a SCAD student racing their way into history.
Now, you might be wondering, what exactly is the sport of cycling? How does one race? And more importantly, how on earth does one win a national championship race?
To find out, I spoke with the very athletic and very talented Talia Sullivan, a graduate student in painting who, brace yourself, cycles for the Bees and runs for the track and cross country teams. Talk about an artist-athlete.
Talia joined the cycling team just last year, after an injury forced her to hang up her running shoes and hop on a bike. What began as a way to stay in shape quickly morphed into a full-blown obsession and a second collegiate sport. When I asked how she manages to compete at the college level in two sports, she said, “If something challenges me, even to my detriment, I’m going to do it.”
“There are three types of races,” she explained, walking me through the cycling trifecta: the road race, the criterium and the time trial, all usually slammed into the same weekend.
First up, the road race: 70 to 80 grueling miles through steep hills, sharp corners and treacherously tight roads where a simple sneeze can cause a 30-bike pileup.” It’s the Tour de France, but with art students.
Then there’s the criterium, or “crit” for the insiders. It’s a fast-paced circuit on a closed course, lasting anywhere from 30 to 90 minutes. “It’s more about survival,” Talia said. “If you get dropped, you get taken out.”
And Finally, the time trial: an all out push for 10 miles with each rider lined up in a pace line with their wheels less than an inch away.
But here’s where it gets really interesting: cycling is way more of a team sport than most people think.
“There are a lot of tactics involved, especially in the road race,” Talia said. “It’s about strategy and teamwork.” Riders take turns blocking competitors and creating slipstreams to let their strongest teammate break away and go for the win.
“You have to know how each other rides to figure out a strategy,” she told me. “It’s 60% strategy. When someone wins, it feels like a win for all of us, because we all help each other get there.”
Finally when asking Talia why she loved the sport of cycling she replied, “It’s not just cycling, it’s being part of a team, helping something greater than yourself. It feels like a family.”
So next time you see a SCAD cyclist make sure you congratulate them on all their countless successes and remember behind every solo sprint is a whole crew of artist-athletes riding as one, drafting, grinding and strategizing their way to the finish line.
Paul Holm is a Writing major with a Photography minor. He enjoys reading, writing, playing sports, and sipping expensive coffee all over Savannah. His dreams include working for National Geographic, writing a book, and learning to dunk.
