Students attending Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk, NC can now minor in Bicycling Studies. The college is the first in the U.S. to offer a degree in cycling. According to an article in cyclingnews.com:
“Courses that make up the program include History and Principles of Bicycling, Business and Economics of Sports, Nutrition and Athletic Performance and Creativity and Innovation. Students will also complete a field study in cycling and an internship in cycling before graduation. This program will position graduates to obtain positions in fields such as team management, bicycle design, coaching, education, urban design, training, retail, planning, event promotion, marketing and more.”
Lees-McRae College’s cycling team won its first national title in 2003 while competing at the Division II level. The team has won over 10 national titles and continues to win individual and team championships each year. The team suffered a recent tragedy with the death of Carla Swart in a training accident in her native South Africa on January 19. Swart had recently signed with HTC-Highroad for the 2011 season. She was the most decorated collegiate cyclist in history with 19 national titles, and in 2008, she won a “Grand Slam”, with national titles in each of the four collegiate cycling disciplines in a calendar year, a feat no other collegiate cyclist has accomplished.
Life’s a journey. Enjoy the ride!
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Thanks for visiting.
Cyclingproject365 
Good to see you posting again! Don’t wait so long next time, eh? It’s almost spring, I have over seven hundred bicycle miles in for the calendar year, and it’s time to get on your bike! Get over those viruses and get RIDING! (;-) <—helmeted rider grinning
Oh, and, by the by, it's cool to hear about a minor in cycling! Thanks for spreading the news!
Nice to hear about a college being this progressive with their curriculum! Don’t you think they should include a writing and photography class as part of the coursework?
I couldn’t agree more, Cherilyn. Cycling, writing and photography – sounds like a perfect combination!
It’s exciting to hear that students can minor in Bicycling Studies at Lees-McRae College. It will be interesting to see if other colleges and unversities begin offering this minor as well.