Andy Phelps refuses to define a specific goal for the Kansas University Cycling Club’s upcoming trip to nationals.

He doesn’t want to sell any of the Jayhawks short.

“It’s really hard to say,” said Phelps, club president. “One of the reasons is, we don’t see all the other teams. We only see the teams in our region. The guys didn’t go last year, so you can’t use that as a gauge, and on the girls’ side, there’s only one girl returning who went last year. So, realistically, I don’t really know if it’s best to say if we’re looking for a certain finish.

“It’s a great experience for the people who go. To be able to race, to compete well, is our goal. We don’t have specific goals to win the team title, or anything like that.”

The Collegiate Road National Championships will run Friday through Sunday in Madison, Wis.

The event consists of a criterium Friday in downtown Madison, a road race Saturday in Black Earth, Wis., and a team time trail Sunday in Waterloo, Wis.

Each individual event will have a national champion, and there will be an individual “omnium” award for the top finisher in the two races combined. There also will be a team omnium award for top team finish in the three events.

Five cyclists from KU — Adam Mills, Steve Schneller and Rick Barrett on the men’s side, and Jessica Drees and Kim Kissing on the women’s side — qualified based on their regional standings.

“It’s our goal to send men and women to nationals every single year,” Phelps said. “Unfortunately, last year we only sent women to nationals. The guys went in 2002, but not last year.”

Kissing, a sophomore from St. Louis, didn’t make the trip last year, but she figures she has learned plenty from someone who did — teammate Drees.

“I didn’t think I’d qualify this quickly, but this season has been pretty good for me,” Kissing said. “It’s been great to race with Jess. She’s been to nationals, and she’s really good about letting us know what to expect and what we need to work on.”

Qualifying for nationals is only part of the preparation. Though the KU Cycling Club will pay for part of the excursion, it can’t foot the entire bill.

Phelps estimated the trip would cost as much as $2,000.

“We’re trying to finance as much as possible,” he said. “The club is paying for basically most of the hotel and race expenses. Travel and food … they’re on their own.”

To help defray some of that cost, the club is selling T-shirts.

“(The fund-raising) actually is going pretty well,” Kissing said. “A lot of my friends have bought them and family members and other people in the club. I think it’s pretty nice the club is paying for the majority of the national trip. It’s not too bad to have to sell T-shirts. It’s a big expense.”

Anyone wanting to buy a T-shirt to help fund the trip can contact Phelps at aphelps@ku.edu or Kissing at kkimbo@ku.edu.