Men’s cycling team makes clean sweep at national championships

How good is the Furman University men’s cycling team?

This past weekend at the USA Cycling Collegiate National Championships in Asheville, N.C., Furman claimed victories in the

Freshman Brendan Rhim celebrates victory in the USA Cycling Collegiate National Championships.

Road Race, Criterium and Team Time Trial events.

“We were the first men’s team in the history of collegiate cycling to claim victories in those three events at one national championship,” said Rusty Miller ’98, who coaches the Furman team.  “And we did it with four freshmen and two sophomores.”

Brendan Rhim, a freshman from Hanover, Vt., won both the Road Race and the Criterium.  The team of Rhim, Charlie Hough of Travelers Rest, Brian Suto of Oxford, Ct., and Richard Rainville of Livonia, Mi., won the time trial event.

“Brendan had a tremendous championship,” Miller said.  “He won the 75-mile road race by breaking away from the field and riding solo for about 45 miles.  He was a heavily-marked pre-race favorite, and he simply rode away from the six full varsity teams and 25 club teams who coordinated in a desperate chase to catch him.”

Miller said winning the Team Time Trial event at the national championships was particularly gratifying since it was a season-long goal that could only be accomplished through team work.

“While the Road Race or Criterium can be won by a star rider with some help from teammates, the time trial can only be taken by a squad of precisely-drilled athletes,” he said.  “We held weekly practices and devoted a lot of time to learn the nuances of winning at this discipline.”