The wheels of Northeastern’s Cycling Team, or NUCT, power through the rocky surfaces and muddy conditions of New England’s trails. This past season, the team ended with a ninth-place finish at the USA Cycling, or USAC, National Championships, held Oct. 9 to 12 in Grand Junction, Colorado. It marked a historic milestone for a club that is coachless and self-managed.

NUCT flew to Colorado on its own dime, determined to perform at its highest level and represent Northeastern with pride.

Across all mountain biking disciplines, the team tallied 242 points, competing against club teams with greater funding, coaching and staff support.

Stronger opponents, like Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colo., and Milligan University in Elizabethton, Tenn., amass seven-figure budgets. But that didn’t affect Northeastern’s unifying team spirit, which is core to the club’s values.

Much of that bonding is forged during weekend camps that bring together students from different universities who share a love for bikes and cycling. Every weekend, from the start of September until the middle of October, riders from all over New England pack their bikes and drive to a campsite near the USAC’s race location.

This season, for two races, cyclers camped at Bolton Valley Resort in Vermont and Holiday Brook Farm in Dalton, Mass. At the camp, they practice and race against each other in the fall’s misty mornings and crisp afternoons.

“The racing part is good, but I think very few people are there exclusively for the race,” said Michael Mehall, a third-year data science and economics combined major and captain of the team. The bigger motivating factor is building community.

During the evenings, teams cook dinner, relax and get to know each other around a bonfire.

“The bonfire is, hands down, the best part of every weekend,” Mehall said. “That’s what makes all the planning and the logistics and the paperwork, which there is a ton that we do in the back end, worth it.”

Riders don’t attend the camp just to win races, but to form long-lasting friendships.

“At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter what school you go to, what jersey you have on, what place you got in the race or what races you race,” Mehall said. “Everyone is there for the love of bikes and for the love of being outside.”

Beryn Value, a fourth-year civil engineering major, has been riding bikes with her mother and siblings since high school and quickly realized she was the most talented rider on her high school team. Value feared she would quickly burn out if she joined the university team — a common concern — but instead discovered a supportive community.

“There are so many friends that we’ve made on different teams, and all my core memories come from [the camp],” she said.

Weekends are rigorous, filled with intense races that demand a calm, focused mind free from thoughts of schoolwork.

Riders plan their study schedules in advance. Occasionally during emergencies, they “roll up the windows and close the car’s door” to complete homework assignments while at the camp, said Alden McCarthy, a second-year industrial engineering major.

When unable to fulfill school requirements, there is no other option but to get back on track during the week.

“There’s a lot of catching up during the week,” McCarthy said. “This is the first week back from nationals that I feel that I’m finally caught up back in school, like taking math tests that I missed and doing assignments and homework.”

Value changed her approach to homework when she joined the team. She previously finished her assignments on weekends, but now stays glued to campus during the week to enjoy the off days.

While Value adjusted to a new routine, the team also faced a variety of modalities in the competition.

NUCT is divided into two different types of racing categories: endurance and gravity.

Within endurance racing, there are two main disciplines: short track and cross country. Cross country races span 16 to 20 miles and follow a first-come, first-serve format — the first rider to cross the finish line wins. Short track races, on the other hand, are fixed, time-based competitions on shorter courses that demand speed and multiple laps around the track. Riders complete as many laps as possible within the time limit.

“They’re very pedally courses and not overly technical,” Value said of the short track races.

Gravity racing differs from endurance racing because it requires greater skill and more delicate attention to details. It’s also broken into two disciplines: dual slalom and downhill.

Dual slalom is a 30-second course where two riders race head-to-head simultaneously. After the first run, riders switch sides and face off again. The times of both runs are added together, and the rider with the fastest total times advances to the next round of the bracket. Contrary to endurance races, gravity-based events don’t have laps — timing is what matters, and the fastest rider wins.

Downhill races kick off at the top of a mountain — usually at about 8,000 feet — and riders pedal as fast as they can, assisted by gravity. The terrain features rocky sections that make the bike jump and drop, which is why riders must deck out in full protective gear. Downhill races are timed, and the rider with the shortest time wins.

Each race is broken into skill categories ranging from A to C, ensuring riders compete against opponents with similar abilities.

Mehall and McCarthy are placed into the A category in endurance racing and the C category in gravity racing. Value is in the A category in both disciplines, making her an omnium rider. She finished sixth at nationals in the female individual club omnium category.

Races are held during myriad weather conditions, varying between states and seasons.

“Our first race [in Vermont] was downpouring and super muddy. At nationals, for the Downhill [in Colorado], my bike weighed 60 extra pounds because there was so much mud on it from the rain,” Value said.

Not all courses are soggy and slippery, though.

“There is really awesome, beautiful weather in the prime fall conditions,” Value said.

Different terrain conditions have devoted fans and ardent haters.

“If you want to get kitted up and go ride in the mud, it’s pretty fun,” McCarthy said. “I love a good mud ride, just to go out and ride around and not care about how dirty you get.”

Even though collegiate cycling doesn’t have an official winter season, some riders embrace the cold and snow, taking what they can get.

“People say there’s no season in the winter, but there’s kind of a vibe of getting a fat bike, like a bike with crazy wide tires, and going riding in the snow,” Mehall said.

Graduation is approaching for Mehall and Value, while McCarthy still has two more years to compete. They all want to pursue their cycling hobby wherever life takes them after graduation.

In the meantime, McCarthy will compete this summer at the Sea Otter Classic, a race in California, and hopes to bring some riders from the team alongside him.

“That’s my favorite race ever, and they have every discipline … it’s an amazing time,” he said. “I’m trying to convince some of the cycling people to come out to that.”

Value will tackle some other national competitions, like the Enduro Nationals and the U.S Open.

Mehall wants to compete in races beyond the collegiate level, which feature longer trails and require high endurance.

“I love races that are 40 to 50 miles because they’re brutal,” he said. “You’re just sitting back, and you’re just kind of powering through. Those are five hour races, and there’s something particularly miserable that I love.”