Features Reporter
Photo by: Alex Krull
Delivering hot cups of coffee while riding a bike seems like a good way to get burned. Luckily for the CMU cycling team, delivering bags of freshly roasted coffee is a much safer alternative. Since July of last year, the Coffee Pedalers have been the primary fundraiser for the team.
Jeff Sederlin, a senior Exercise Science major and cycling member, is head of the Coffee Pedalers. Sederlin competes in mountain, road and cyclocross competitions for the CMU team.
“My coach calls me the Coffee Guru,” Sederlin said.
The idea for the Coffee Pedalers came up when the team was looking for a more steady way of making money outside of school support. The combination of serving a need with skills the team already had, along with the veteran concept of a delivery service, seemed the perfect fit.
“Everyone loves coffee,” Sederlin said in response to how the team chose coffee as their product.
Partnered with locally owned and operated Colorado Legacy Coffee, the Coffee Pedalers offer four specially-made blends for purchase of $12 a bag. Each purchase can be delivered to homes or offices by bike from a member of the cycling team.
“We also ship coffee for out-of-state orders,” Sederlin said. “But for those who really want the bike delivery, we do up to 20 to 30 miles. It just may take a while, and we may be a little sweaty.”
Unlike football, baseball and basketball, cycling as a sport is much less known despite the CMU team being one of the most successful teams on campus. The team has consistently placed within the top four in their division for the last four years and head in to this year’s competition as the number one D2 school. They compete in cyclocross, mountain, road and BMX events.
Overall, the Coffee Pedalers have been able to provide a somewhat steady income to the CMU Cycling team, but it has been much less than they would have liked.
“I’m working on a business plan to try and better stabilize the program.” Sederlin said, also noting that he has a business minor.
Raising public awareness through advertising and expanding the program were the main goals Sederlin had in mind.
“I would take a taste challenge versus Starbucks any day,” Sederlin said.
For orders and more information, search for the cycling team at www.cmumavericks.com
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