UL Lafayette takes home victories in San Marcos, TX

The UL Lafayette Cycling Club participated in the Texas State Ultra Road Race in San Marcos the weekend of February 28 through March 1st.

Faced with miserable riding conditions, the riders rode through weather as low as 30 degrees with frequent misty showers of rain and slick roads. The Texas countryside proved a difficult course with the winding roads and mountainous hills of the area. Regardless, a majority of the riders placed in the top ten placements against schools like Tulane, Texas A&M, Texas State, University of Houston, Rice, Baylor, and others.

The road race originally consisted of 40 miles of road and hills, but due to the weather, it was drastically cut down to 25 miles.

Emily Wells, majoring in History at UL, valiantly held her ground as the only female representing UL. Fighting against the stormy conditions presented to her, she managed to come in 3rd place overall.

The men, Andrew Abbot, Allan Brambila, Lucas Wertz, Reece Merryman, and Scott McBride, faced off against the other riders of the competing schools. Presented with the same conditions as the women's road race, the men avoided dangers such as crashes, slick curves, and freezing temperatures. The weather proved to be an obstacle that broke up the peloton almost instantly. The race turned into survival of the fittest with each member of the race facing the course alone.

Andrew Abbot, majoring in education, proved the fastest of the UL team, coming in at 4th place. Scott McBride and Reece Merryman followed closely behind nabbing spots in the top ten placements.

Later that day, the individual time trial occured in a different location filled with winding, mountainous roads. The weather again foiled previous plans and changes were made to the course. McBride, Merryman, Abbott, and Brambila went down the course with furious intensity placing well individually in the competition. Abbott took 2nd, securing a podium spot for UL.