Cycling Organizations in Lincoln, Nebraska

The Great Plains Bicycling Club (that's us) is one of a number of cycling-related organizations around the Lincoln area.  There are a number of racing-related organizations (see below), but our niche is to organize bicycle rides of a noncompetitive nature.  Typically, we'll have a ride each weekend, although sometimes we'll have two rides in a week and occasionally we'll skip a weekend on account of a holiday (e.g., Easter).  We have a page that describes our typical rides in more detail.

The Great Plains Trails Network is an organization that has been effective at promoting the development of new trail facilities in and around Lincoln. As you should appreciate, these trails (e.g., the MoPac and the "bike paths" around town) are multi-use trails. Therefore, while the GPTN has a great deal of interest in cycling, it is definitely not a cycling-only organization. With the exception of a fund raiser or two (most notably, the Hyland Hundred), the GPTN does not sponsor or organize bicycle rides. Rather, it promotes the development of trails that we can cycle on (and hike on, walk on, jog on, and sometimes ride a horse on).

RACING
There are several organizations or teams for racers or racer wannabees that are either Lincoln-based or based elsewhere with significant participation by Lincoln-area riders. There is a tendency for such entities to change more quickly or go out of existence based on whether a few key members come or go. For information on races in Nebraska, the best source appears to be http://www.nebraskacycling.org. At this time, we are aware of the following Lincoln-related racing organizations:

CCRT (Capital City Racing Team) is a team based out of The Bike Shop at 3855 South Street.  It currently has 10 members and races both mountain and road bikes, mostly around the Midwestern states.  It doesn't have any scheduled team rides.  Contact Craig Schmidt for more information.

S.N.O.R.T. is run by Nate Woodman and is engaged in mountain bike racing.

Blues sponsors a bicycle racing team including road, mountain and some triathlon racing.  Contact Scott Stevens or David Kosark.

Team KAOS appears to have both Omaha and Lincoln ties.  Check the team's website for additional information.

Spilker Ales (Cortland, Nebraska brewery) sponsors a team that one might call cross-country, but it somewhat defies classification.  Contact Jim Craig for additional information

Star City BMX Racing, as the name applies, sponsors BMX racing for youth and adults.  If BMX appeals to you, check out its nice website.

Team Nebraska Triathlon Club is the place to go if ordinary bicycle racing is not enough for you.  Check the team's website for additional information.

The University of Nebraska has a cycling club that is open to students and faculty.  A commendable range of activities is shown for this club.  They also sell some nice UNL club jerseys.  Check out the team's website for additional details.

The Heartland Multi-Sport Club is into all sports, including bicycling.  Check into it for events or training opportunities..

Who to join???

If you have enough interest in cycling to read this page, then you should at least join the Great Plains Trails Network. After all, anyone that cycles -- whether a hardcore racer or just an occasional rider -- benefits from a good local trails system.  Its annual dues for an individual member start at a paltry $5, although you will be invited to contribute more if you can.  It is, after all, an organization that regularly tries to raise funds.

If you like to ride a bicycle for the sheer fun of it, or maybe to get into better shape, or maybe to burn a few calories, and would like to ride with some other people that feel the same way, then you should join the Great Plains Bicycling Club (that's us). Our annual dues for an individual member are only $10 and a family membership is only $15.  And we won't ask you for more money, because we aren't trying to raise funds.  Plus, you'll get the Chain Gang, our newsletter, and can come to Club meetings and other Club events.

If you're interested in racing, then you may also want to look into joining one of the racing groups listed earlier.  If your interest is BMX, then check out Star City BMX Racing.  If you're a student or faculty at UNL, then you'll want to be sure to check further into the UNL club.  If you're into triathlons, then the Triathlon Club is probably your ticket.  As for which other racing organization to pick -- well, we don't know.  The best thing for you to do would probably be to attend some local racing events (see http://www.nebraskacycling.org), observe, talk around, and get to know people.

A favor, please -- racing-related information seems to get out of date in a hurry.  We want to keep this website up to date.  If you spot anything here that is out-of-date, missing or inaccurate, please drop us a note.  Thank you.