Will J McGarty
     Staff Writer

In the world today, the pressure to win is higher than ever. Competition drives people to be the best in their respected fields, but many blur the lines of what is acceptable on the road to achieving that elusive title.

It seems that, regardless of sport, the use of performance enhancing drugs to get ahead are increasing at an alarming rate. Not only does this taint the integrity of the sport but also seemingly encourages athletes to use steroids or growth hormones as it has become the status quo within their competition.

Fortunately, there are still some businesses and athletes that stand strong against the use of performance enhancing drugs, and some of these very individuals are right here in our community at UNC-Greensboro.

In November of 2013, UNCG English Professor Matt McNees teamed up with colleague Neil Lewis to create Cyclus Sports, a cycling company focused on building local riders from the grassroots and practicing both clean riding and business practices.

Since its birth, Cyclus has grown tremendously. What started as a single team of five has evolved into a network of over 20 riders who are training on teams in Greensboro, Charlotte, Raleigh and Pittsburgh, PA.

When it comes to performance enhancing drugs, Cyclus has a zero tolerance policy. That means anyone who tests positive or has tested positive in the past is ineligible to ride for the team.

This is something the team is very passionate about. Cyclus believes that in order for the sport to progress past the Lance Armstrong era, there must be a change from the inside-out. This testament to riding cleanly is the foundation for that change within the sport which it very much needs.

Local development is another value deeply rooted in the culture of Cyclus, as the team would rather build talent than buy it.

“Without local development among sports entities, the success they achieve is meaningless for the community in which they are based,” McNees said.

This is the reason that every individual team within Cyclus must have a majority of its riders based in the area in which it is headquartered. This locally driven approach opens the opportunity for communities to rally around and relate to their athletes in a much more personal way.

With the knowledge that this organization is so rooted within the Greensboro community, it comes as no surprise that one of the riders is a student at UNCG.

Junior Alex Winnicki joined the Greensboro team back in October of 2015 and is a landmark example of the commitment and sacrifice required to have success in the sport. Since joining the team, Winnicki talked about how his lifestyle as a college student has changed in almost every way imaginable.

On top of a fulltime job as a Robot Operator at John Deere-Hitachi and his course work as a Business Administration student at the university, Winnicki still finds the time to train between 15 and 20 hours a week on the bike. In his December training alone, he logged over 1,100 miles on the bike, with many rides that lasted over five hours in the December frost.

“You’ve got to be a certain level of insane to spend five to six hours in the cold, alone, with no sort of instant gratification,” Winnicki said.

Winnicki also discussed his initial attraction to the team.

“Their level of commitment and sense of brotherhood, Cyclus is a team that puts in the work and doesn’t cut corners,” Winnicki said. “It’s not about winning right now; it’s about strategically planning for the future and putting in the work to obtain the desired results the right way.”

After all, everyone wants to win, but what is the value of winning if it isn’t done the right way?

At its core, Cyclus is a group of determined minds committed to achieving success in the world of cycling and becoming the model for future organizations to succeed the right way.

For more information on the culture of the sport, check out Co-Founder Matt McNees’ new book “Sport Philosophy Now” or visit http://www.cyclussports.com.