DEMOREST — Piedmont College is expanding its intercollegiate athletic program to include varsity cycling beginning in fall 2016.
Athletic director Jim Peeples said the new program will operate under the umbrella of USA Cycling, the first such college varsity program in Georgia.
"Situated in northeast Georgia, we have some of the most scenic outdoor terrain in the region," Peeples said. "Piedmont is perfectly suited to begin the program and joins several other emerging cycling teams in the South, including Brevard College in North Carolina," he said.
Peeples said the college plans to eventually compete in three types of cycling, including road racing, mountain biking, and cyclocross-a combination of mountain biking and obstacle course. At the end of each season, USA Cycling offers a national championship competition.
President James F. Mellichamp said Piedmont is currently conducting a national search for a head coach to lead the program and expects to make an appointment to the position by the end of the current semester.
