FORT COLLINS - The USA Cycling Collegiate Road National Championships returns to Fort Collins May 7 through 10. Nearly 500 student-athletes representing more than 60 colleges and universities from across the country will compete for 18 national titles.

The event, hosted by the Colorado State University Rams in partnership with the Fort Collins Cycling Festival, will see men and women from Division I and Division II institutions compete for individual championships in three categories -- criterium, road race and individual omnium -- as well as team titles in both the team time trial event and the prestigious overall team (omnium) classification, which combines results from all races, both male and female.

Following the first-ever Echelon Collegiate Cycling Leadership Conference, May 6 and 7, competition will begin Friday, May 8, at 8 a.m. with the road race, starting and finishing at Hughes Stadium on Overland Trail. On Saturday, the criterium begins at 8 a.m. in Old Town Fort Collins, while Sunday will feature a team time trial competition starting and finishing at the intersection of Buckeye and Lake roads north of Fort Collins.

Awards will be presented at approximately 2 p.m. on Sunday at the Hilton Fort Collins, 425 W. Prospect Road.

The women's competition will once again serve as a qualifier for the Ryan Collegiate All Stars -- a composite team of six student-athletes from different schools who finish among the top of the final omnium standings. They will earn an invitation to the Nature Valley Grand Prix, one of the highest-ranked stage races on USA Cycling's calendar, held in and around Minneapolis, June 11 through 15.

For more information, visit usacycling.org. or contact the Fort Collins Cycling Festival at 970-481-8455.