Cycling Club shifts gears for Cyclocross season

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Rugile Kaladyte

Jason Ceresoli, left, and Ian Gielar watch the men’s professional cycling race at the Grant’s Tomb Criterium in New York City.

Ian Gielar, a fourth-year mechanical engineering student from Keene, N.H., is the president of the RIT Cycling Club. Jason Ceresoli, a third-year industrial engineering student from Chittenango, N.Y., is the assistant sponsorship coordinator of the club. The two friends met through their passion for cycling and have stayed in contact while Jason has recovered from his battle with leukemia. The Cycling Club will be competing in the SuperCross Cup Weekend, which takes place Nov. 22–23 at Stony Point, N.Y.

Question: What brought you to RIT?
Jason: I’ve always been interested in math and science. The main reason I came to RIT was for the amazing co-op program.
Ian: I came for similar reasons: the co-op program and the engineering opportunities.

Q: Why did you choose your major?
Jason: I originally didn’t know what type of engineering I wanted to go into, so I did the exploratory program before I settled on industrial engineering. I like it because it’s very universal and you can go into all kinds of fields.
Ian: I took some AP classes in calculus and physics my senior year of high school and my teachers suggested it.

Q: How did you get involved with the cycling club?
Ian: I already knew about the club when I got to school. I had started mountain riding seriously only about a year before coming to RIT—I had never raced or anything—but I started going to the meetings and racing. I became a captain my freshman year and I’ve stayed involved ever since.
Jason: I started riding during high school so I knew it was something I wanted to do when I got to campus. It’s a great group of guys and a ton of fun. Cycling has become my outlet.

Q: What is your role in the club?
Ian: I’m the president and captain of the mountain team. We don’t have a coach or anyone helping us, so it’s a lot of work organizing the club. It’s completely worth it though.
Jason: I’m primarily a road rider but I do a little bit of everything. I also help coordinate sponsorships for the club.

Q: The club is split into three different teams. How does that setup work?
Ian: We have the overall club which everyone is involved in. Within the club, we have the three teams: mountain, Cyclocross and road. Each one is very different and competes at different times in the year. Cyclocross is in season right now. It’s very high-intensity and somewhat of a hybrid between mountain and road racing.

Q: Has the Cycling Club been successful during the season?
Ian: Absolutely. It seems like the mountain team has been especially successful. We’ve had quite a few Men’s A (highest level of competition) wins in the past few years and we’ve gone to nationals for the last two years in a row.

Q: Why do you love cycling?
Ian: It’s really fun to move fast under your own power. Mountain biking is especially fun for me because of all the obstacles in the way. Nowadays, the racing aspect has me hooked.
Jason: It’s an outlet to get away and an opportunity to clear your head. It helps me relax and de-stress.

Q: Jason, you’ve had to deal with some tough times this year. What are looking forward to most now that you are on the road to recovery?
Jason: My goal right now is to get back on campus for spring semester if all goes well. I was diagnosed with leukemia earlier this year so I haven’t been at school for awhile. Luckily they caught it when they did and I’m doing really well now.

Q: That must have been extremely difficult. How have you managed to stay so positive?
Jason: I actually have no idea. Someone asked me once “Did you ever think you were going to die?” and I honestly just never thought about it. It just wasn’t something that I viewed as a possibility. It’s definitely changed my view on life though. The important things have really become clear.

To stay updated on Jason’s recovery, you can follow his blog here.

Derrick Hunt compiles “Student Spotlights” for University News. Contact him at djh9758@rit.edu with suggestions.