9:53 a.m., May 20, 2010----Philip Gasparovic, a senior majoring in business and economics and a member of the University of Delaware Cycling Team, has finished first overall in Division B of the Eastern Collegiate Cycling Conference (ECCC).

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“Finishing first means everything -- it's the payoff of not only a lot of training and sacrifice, but also some luck,” said Gasparovic. He explained that he set a personal goal for himself to win the championship before the season began and that he “had a decent idea of what kind of dedication it would take to accomplish that goal -- to actually win it is very satisfying, as I worked hard and gave up a lot to achieve it.”

Gasparovic also credits his teammate Clint Dager, a senior majoring in health sciences, for helping him train and pushing him to achieve his best. “Clint was a great training partner all season long as well as a tough competitor,” he said.

The ECCC season begins in March and last eight weeks, with different types of individual events and one team event.

Gasparovic explained that competed individually in road races (45-65 mile races), criteriums (short laps of about one mile, with about 25 laps being completed) and individual time trials. He also competed in team time trials with three other teammates, noting, “We had to work together to put in a competitive time.”

Relatively new to bicycle racing, Gasparovic said he has been riding for a little more than two years. He enjoys the sport for the “freedom and how relaxing it is.”

Gasparovic said racing is “a completely different animal -- I love the competition and the strategy.”

To finish first for the season, Gasparovic had to race down to the wire. “I finished first with 327 points, and the second place rider scored 249, but the championship actually came down to the final race,” he said. “The second and third place finishers would have beaten me for the championship had they beaten me in the final event.”

In a dramatic ending, Gasparovic said he passed both of those competitors on the final climb of the final race. “The racing was so tight over the course of the entire season that the championship was literally decided on the final climb of the final race of the season,” he said.

Gasparovic, who rides what he describes as “a relatively old Cannondale that is out of date by today's standards but still gets the job done,” said he will be entering the work force when he graduates.

He is currently entertaining job offers, and that he knows cycling and this accomplishment will always hold a special place in his life.

“I will always love cycling, but realize the collegiate championship will probably represent the peak of my cycling career,” he said. “I'm glad I could go out on top with the team here at UD.”

Article by Adam Thomas