While many CC students wrapped up final papers and projects at the end of Block 8, Hayley Bates \u201918 was not only managing her academic course load, but she was also preparing\u2014physically and mentally\u2014for her steepest competition of the season: representing the CC Cycling team at the USA Cycling Collegiate Road National Championships.<\/p>\n
Bates says she was pleased\u00a0with her 14th-place finish in the national field May 13-15 in North Carolina. She finished second just a few weeks before in the regional championship, and says despite illness and some crashes in front of her on the race course, she\u2019s happy with the experience.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a bigger field with a lot of really experienced racers,\u201d says Bates of the national competition. \u201cI\u2019m only 19, so one of the younger ones. I\u2019ve still got plenty of time and plenty of chances. There\u2019s a lot of learning in racing, especially when you get to a higher level; it\u2019s more strategy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bates is a double major in international political economy and romance languages, with aspirations to go on to law school to study international law. She\u2019s from Long Beach, California, and has family in Colorado. She grew up visiting the state, skiing and mountain biking in the high country. Both her parents are accomplished cyclists, too. Bates says she was exposed to the sport at a young age, and they\u2019ll have the chance to ride together this summer.<\/p>\n
But even with summer\u2019s arrival, Bates gets little in the way of an off-season. For the first time, she has a coach and they\u2019re now working to target races for the coming year. She\u2019ll compete in some non-collegiate races during the summer, working on moving up from \u201cCategory 1\u201d to the \u201cPro\u201d classification. \u201cI love it enough to do what it takes if I have what it takes,\u201d she says of what motivates her to keep training and racing year round. \u201cBut, I\u2019m ready to go home to California and ride with my friends there and my parents.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bates will be back in Colorado in August, racing the Leadville 100-mile mountain bike race, her second time taking on the grueling, highly competitive course. \u201cThis year I\u2019m focused on what time I can get,\u201d she says. \u201cAs for an ultimate goal, for cycling, I\u2019m working my way through the rankings, focusing on improving, and racing collegiately. Right now, I\u2019m just trying to see where my momentum takes me.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not just momentum, but dedication and talent that are carrying Bates in such a challenging and competitive sport. Like many student-athletes, she has to stay on top of her coursework while traveling and competing, and communicates often with professors about expectations and scheduling.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I came into school this year, I spent the first weekend on campus, and didn\u2019t spend another weekend on campus until Halloween weekend,\u201d Bates says of the challenging schedule. \u201cIt\u2019s a lot of communication with teachers; in between races our team members are studying as opposed to hanging out. During the week, I\u2019m up super early in the morning to fit in training, racing, school, and work.\u201d<\/p>\n
But unlike many other student-athletes, Bates is also coordinating the logistical details of her team\u2019s competitions. CC\u2019s cycling team is small: six racers in each discipline (mountain and road) competing regularly. Bates, currently one of the youngest on the team, is the manager. \u201cI\u2019m the driver, the hotel-booker, I get them there, get a place to stay, manage all of that,\u201d she says. \u201cWe needed someone who wanted to race and who wanted to organize, so I just decided to make it happen.\u201d<\/p>\n
Not only did Bates make it happen, she stormed onto the scene her sophomore year, racing at the front of the pack in nearly every competition. She placed in the top ten at the mountain biking nationals, and took second in the road conference championships. The cycling team travels all over the state for six weeks each season: March-May is road cycling, September-October is mountain biking. Bates says she\u2019ll also incorporate the cyclo-cross season into her racing plan, which she\u2019ll pick up from about November-January. Bates says fortunately, her house on campus has a basement.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn January and February, I hook up the bike to the indoor trainer, and train in the basement at 6 a.m. So far, no one has complained about any noise that early. I do a lot of training in the mornings; if class and work allow, I\u2019ll ride outside. But, it\u2019s a lot of (indoor) trainer time, you\u2019re that much stronger when you get outside, getting yourself to where you need to be.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bates will be back for mountain biking season in the fall, so keep an eye out for opportunities to cheer on her, and the rest of\u00a0CC\u2019s cycling team<\/a>\u00a0when the 2016-17 academic year begins.<\/p>\n
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