Since its inception, collegiate cycling has always remained a club sport primarily for reasons. University, cyclists say, fear taking responsibility over students biking on busy roadways. Because of this club status, the cyclists must annually worry about funding.

"We get money from the club sports department and the Under-graduate Council, "Glass says. "And we also get national sponsorships from companies like Powerbar and Oakley."

The cyclists say, however, that club status does not reflect on the team's determination.

"People that do cycling take it seriously," Cohen says. "You have to if you're out there at six in the morning."

"It's a weird sado-masochistic sport in a way, "Krishnan says. "You go out, suffer, and come back--you're beat before the day even starts."

And the team is looking to bolster its ranks with more masochistic athletes. In the past three years, membership has risen from 10 to the present 30.

But the squad always welcomes new blood.

"We're not in the habit of cutting people," Kirshnan says. "We're committed to developing riders from within Harvard."

"I'd like to emphasize that in collegiate racing, anybody with a university ID is welcome to participate," Alice says. "We wish to raw to draw on the graduate schools a lot more.[The team's] also open to the staff at Harvard. It's definitely not just for undergrads."

Perhaps the most desperate plea comes from Cohen, who finds herself the only women on the team.

Fortunately, since female membership is increasing in the United States Cycling Federation, the hope to recruit more women is very much alive.

"We want more people," Cohen says. "There are only two requirements--you need a bike and a helmet."