Hundreds of cyclists blazing around quick turns on short one-mile loops, whether snow, rain, hail or shine, will be the sight at the Livingston campus of Rutgers University tomorrow morning.

The Penn State cycling team pedals off the start of its season with the two-day event, which consists of two races tomorrow and one on Sunday. The weekend will feature some outstanding riding in a field of roughly 30 teams. The club's road race director, junior Andy Munas, has high expectations for the race.

"Penn State should win it or be in the top two or three," Munas said.

Even with the bar set high for the early season race, many riders are using it as a basis for training and gauging the fitness of themselves and others. The first scheduled event is the individual time trial, which is shorter in length, but "sorts everything out and allows us to see whose going fast," Munas said. The talent and depth of this year's squad allows the team to use the motto, "Don't train for Rutgers, but don't not try to win it."

Such talent is evident with the "super fast" Sarah Uhl. The senior, who has been a main stay in Penn State cycling for years, plans to use Rutgers for training by riding in the men's A division.

"I'm really looking forward to racing in the boys' field, it's nice to mix things up," Uhl said.

Although it is uncommon for women to be racing in the highest-ranked men's division, Uhl, a professional cyclist in the collegiate offseason, has been doing it for a long time.

"The first weekends, guys are like, "What is this chick doing?' " Uhl said.

Even with such competitive goals for the upcoming events, Uhl loves collegiate cycling.

"You get to know everyone real well. There's a warm fuzzy feeling about it," she said.

One newcomer the team is going to get to know real well is freshman Chris Ruhl, who will be racing at Penn State for the first time.

"I just want to get a feel for it," said Ruhl, who, even with his lack of collegiate experience, will be competing in the men's A division. His training for the upcoming season, which consists of 15 hours on the road per week on average, combined with the numerous races under his belt before arriving at Penn State, makes him an up-and-coming star for the already loaded cycling squad.

What makes the sport of cycling unique, especially at Penn State, is the bonds and friendships established between fellow riders. Many members have various duties to help launch the team to its status as a perennial powerhouse in the Eastern Conference. Club President Dave Matlin has been organizing the Rutgers trip for weeks.

"Chaotic is the best word to describe it," he said.

Matlin is in charge of setting up rides and making sleeping arrangements for the team at Rutgers. Even with such duties continuing up until the last minute before departure, he is also there to help newcomers understand what the sport is like. But just as every member of the team is able to score points, organizing a race weekend is a true team effort.

"One of the kids' grandmother is making a big pasta for us," Matlin said.

So as the road season takes off from the starting line tomorrow morning at Rutgers, each member, whether riding or simply helping fellow teammates compete, will be crucial to the uphill climb that is the racing season. With the wintry March wind and the sound of bikes whizzing by down the road this weekend, spectators and Penn State cyclists will be tuned up for another season.