NCCA Road Venue Information

Madison’s metropolitan district, positioned within the neck of land between two lakes called the Isthmus, is also an extremely bike friendly environment. Because of the large and sprawling campus of over 40,000, bike commuting is a necessity, and everyone from undergrads to emeriti ride to class throughout the year. Bike lanes abound, good bike shops are never more than a mile away, and many businesses will allow you to take your bike in with you if you can’t (or don’t wanna) lock it up outside.
The Memorial Union Terrace, overlooking Lake Mendota. No bikes allowed, but you can have it down by the water.

The Madison area has hosted a number of major athletic events in recent years, and the public support for these events has been awesome. Over the past two years, the Ironman has held a qualifying race in Madison, beginning and ending at the Monona Terrace Convention Center, a lakefront center designed by Frank Lloyd Wright (and, might I add, our Banquet space!) Madison is a college city of bike enthusiasts, and the community will be thrilled to have collegiate Nat.s here!

Weather
The average high in May is 70°, average low is 46°. However, just about anything can happen near those figures, so you should come prepared for anything from dry and pleasant to windy, cold precipitation. In the event of a storm, as always, the safety of racing will be determined at the discretion of our officials and USA Cycling.

Food
Although we have taken the work out of breakfast for you, you will need to take care of lunch (keep in mind that you’ll be out of Madison on Saturday and Sunday during the lunch hour) and dinner (except Saturday).

• You’ll be staying one block off of State Street, the cultural avenue connecting the capitol building (which, yes, is a replica of the nation’s capitol) and the University campus. Along (and just off) this street you’ll find an awesome array of ethnic restaurants, burger joints, health-food cafés and coffee shops. If you’re looking for upscale, Nadia’s, L’Etoille and Harvest are all excellent.
• For groceries, you have several options. The Farmer’s Market is on the capitol square (a block from the host hotel) every Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. and features fresh produce, eggs and meat from independent vendors, a few of whom you might ride past in your races. In keeping with the local and/or organic theme, the Willy St. Co-op is just over a mile away, and is very affordable. If you want to stay downtown, Capitol Center Foods is a five minute walk from the host hotel. Their produce selection is somewhat slim, but they’re great for the basics. There are also plenty of large grocery stores to the west (along University Ave.) and east (out East Washington) that are reachable by bus, bike or car. (I wouldn’t recommend biking these routes after dark, however, since the wheel eating potholes and fast traffic make it somewhat hostile for bikes).

Diversions
Madison’s Isthmus is a very safe city after dark, and there’s usually something free and all-ages going on near or on campus. Take a stroll down to Crave Lounge, a very classy (but accordingly priced) non-smoking bar. For a cheaper place of celebration after your last race, venture all the way down State St. to the UW Memorial Union Rathskellar, also non-smoking and more relaxed.