Community and teamwork

The Portland State cycling club has had a successful year with a slew of team members receiving various awards and distinctions. Of the 63 registered members, 36 competed in the six omniums that comprise the collegiate competitive season.

Senior Michael Palmer, who began cycling with the team last spring after his car broke down and needed other transportation, qualified for the collegiate national championships after being nominated by his teammates and selected by the commissioner of the Northwest Collegiate Cycling Conference.

The Women’s C team, the least experienced women’s team, received an award for most points overall in their division.

Miles Crumley, who serves as vice president of team affairs for the club, won the conference’s sportsmanship award. He also organized the omnium that was held at Portland State, which drew the largest participation in conference history with 330 racers.

And in what was probably the biggest achievement for the team, they navigated the NWCCC’s red tape to create room for the conference’s first hand-cyclist, Jeremy Robbins. Robbins went on to set a record time in the collegiate championships.

Though these decorations speak volumes about the team, they do not even begin to scratch the surface of what makes this club a monument to teamwork and community.

First, there are the aforementioned difficulties concerning getting Robbins involved in racing.

“I was basically building a bridge where there wasn’t one,” Crumley said.

Though there were liability and equal rights issues, he remained resolved in allowing Robbins to participate. As a result, the conference is now open to hand-cyclists.

Robbins admits that at times he was frustrated with the bureaucracy that seemed to see only the hindrances of his disability instead of the potential. That seems to have all changed now.

Savoring his role as an ambassador for athletes with disabilities, Robbins talks to people at races about his position and the challenges he faces.

And even when challenges arise during a race, he retains his competitive edge. Earlier this year at Hagg Lake in Oregon, he missed a corner only to find himself at the bottom of a hill, which he then had to ride back up to get back on the course.

“My goal this season was to start and finish every race,” Robbins said. And though he didn’t achieve this every time, he always met his goal of “opening people’s eyes.”

Crumley, Palmer and Robbins feel that the club offers a supportive environment and that the sport as a whole serves to nurture the cycling community.

Knowing that the cost of travel can be formidable, Crumley says the teams do what they can to help each other out with affordable accommodations.

Though they were obviously deemed as competition, he housed the entire team of 25 cyclists from Western Washington University at his personal residence when Portland State hosted their omnium.

This, he says, was just repayment to WWU for providing the Portland State team lodging at another omnium they both attended.

Palmer points out that when he attended the national competition, he was invited by competitors from other Oregon universities to relax and dine with them.

The community that the club has created within itself is remarkable. Palmer credits the team’s support for the significant progress he has made having only been with the team for a year.

Robbins stoutly believes that there would have been no chance for him to compete if the entire team had not gone to bat for him.

Crumley prides himself on creating an atmosphere of inclusiveness. He wants the club to give everyone a competitive edge, and if anyone simply wishes to ride and hang out, he wants that to be an option, too.