A Fred's-Eye View: A chat with the new chief of collegiate cycling

A Fred's-Eye View: A chat with the new chief of collegiate cycling: "A Fred's-Eye View: A chat with the new chief of collegiate cycling
By Fred Dreier
VeloNews associate editor
This report filed February 3, 2006

A round of applause, please, for USA Cycling, which announced last week that it had created the permanent position of director of collegiate cycling.

Anyone involved in bike racing at the collegiate level in this country knows the value of collegiate clubs and racing conferences. Collegiate cycling provides an entry point into the sport; a social group for making lifelong friends and riding buddies; and a place for athletes to challenge themselves, maybe even launch into the pro ranks. I know I would not be writing this column had I not joined the cycling team at UC Santa Cruz.

Another thing anyone involved in collegiate racing knows is the sport's grassroots nature. Volunteers have made collegiate cycling happen, its success riding on a few individuals' labors of love, and thus the sport's organization has waxed and waned over the years.

This collegiate jersey gets an F

My club was pretty good at raising money through team dues and securing gear and maintenance sponsors. But we always seemed to screw up our kit. One year our president forgot to put our title sponsor's logo on the jerseys. D'oh! Another year we sported bright yellow shorts, which, when wet, showed more than a little too much ass crack. Then there was this specimen - notice how none of the lines seem to match up. Weird, huh?

But I digress....

While USA Cycling's appointment of a full-time director probably won't do away with poorly stitched, ass-crack shorts, bake sales or collegiate cycling's grassroots nature, it will provide some much-needed stability. Now, collegiate cycling has at least one salaried person working to maintain and advance the sport.

That person, I was surprised to learn, is Kam Zardouzian. I first met Kam in 2003 when he moved to Santa Cruz. He had jus"