My Experience as an Exchange Student with UBC TSC Cycling

Quick facts about me:

  •   Yann Meier, 21
  •   Mechanical Engineering student from EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland
  •   spent my 3rd year in UBC as an exchange student


As I used to race in Switzerland, it was important for me to find a way to compete Vancouver as well. Being a member of the UBC cycling team turned out to be one of the greatest experiences of my exchange. Since there are a lot of international students in UBC, I found it sometimes difficult to meet and hang out with Canadians out of class but being in a club is an excellent opportunity to rub shoulders with locals.
The Saturday group rides also motivated to me to ride my bike even during the rainy days of the Winter. I had my best memories when it came to race in the North West Collegiate Conference down in the US. I was part of this team and I really felt supported.
Every race week-end is well organized, and I would like to thank the exec’s for all the work they do to make this possible! Since only students compete in the NWCC, the atmosphere is relaxed before and after the race and people don’t take it too seriously even though everyone gives their best! It was also the first time I competed in a crit’, which is pretty intense but definitely a lot of fun.
Road-tripping in the US was eventually one of the highlights and I got to visit places that I would have never gone to in other circumstances, for instance Corvallis, OR, which is in the middle of nowhere but is a great place for cycling. I can sum up the races as: “Take a break from your usual routine to spend the whole weekend on your bike with awesome people!”
Yann