2024 Little 500 Guide

IDS

LITTLE 2024 500 GUIDE

A fan’s guide to the Little 500

By Parker Rodgers parkrodg@iu.edu

The “World’s Greatest College Weekend” is almost underway at Indiana University.

Thirty-three of the fastest men’s and women’s cycling teams at IU will compete in the Little 500. The men’s race consists of 200 laps (50 miles) and the women’s race 100 laps (25 miles). Only the quickest men’s and women’s teams can claim the title as Little 500 champions, hoist the Borg-Warner trophy and have their names cemented into history.

Rules to know

Pits: Each team chooses a pit along the track’s circumference. This is determined by each team’s qualification position. Each pit is 16 feet long, and no teams can exchange in that area. Only six people are allowed in the pit during the race.

Exchanges: Each team must complete exchanges throughout the race. An exchange counts when teams switch riders with one or two bikes. During the exchange, the outgoing rider is not allowed to touch the incoming bike until it has reached the front line of each team’s designated pit area. Each exchange also must be completed within an area of 32 feet. The women are required to complete a minimum of five exchanges while the men must complete at least 10 exchanges.

Lineup: The lineup is how riders are lined up for the pace lap.

Penalties: If a team is in violation of the rules, they’ll be penalized for at least two seconds. The team’s time must be spent in the penalty box, which is near the start line. Teams must serve the pen-

alty within 10 laps of it being announced.

Safety zone: The safety zone is in the infield, 10 feet from the inside line of the track. This area between the line and the track may only have authorized people in it. Entering the infield: Entering the infield is known as the cement gutter around the inside of the track. Riders are not to ride on it unless a team is forced onto the gutter and into the infield. Any attempt of a team trying to improve its position by riding through the infield will be assessed a penalty.

Officials

IUSF Little 500 race director: Emily Carrico, who oversees all cycling activities.

Chief Steward: They decide all questions relating to the conduct of the race. They have the power to disqualify any rider or team from fur-

ther competition in the race for unsportsmanlike conduct. They also have the power to assess penalties throughout the race as needed. The chief stewards’ decisions are final.

Judges: There are 17 judges stationed throughout the track. The judges’ job is to report irregularities to the Chief Steward.

Chief Observers: There are three chief observers stationed in observation towers. The observers’ main duty is to aid the Chief Steward with enforcing rules. Starter: They are responsible for giving out flag signals to riders.

Safety Officials: They are responsible for making sure every rider is safe during the race.

Terms to know

Flags: The race is controlled using official flags that have different meanings based on the color:

Green: Starting signal

Black: Ride on outside of track

Red: Stop, the race is halted

Yellow: Ride with caution and maintain position

Blue with orange stripe: Bicycle attempting to pass White: You are starting your last lap Checkered black and white: You have completed the race Teams that fail to observe flags will receive penalties.

Pole: The team that begins the race in first place.

Bike: The Indiana University Student Foundation gives each team two bikes for the race. Teams that fail to comply with the rules or make illegal changes to the bikes will receive a penalty. Teams may only be issued a third bike if both bikes are damaged beyond repair.

Borg-Warner Trophy: The name of the trophy presented to the winners of the Little 500. It is a replica of the Indianapolis 500 trophy.

Drafting: When

SKI Cycling builds up to 10th Little 500 appearance The independent team

By Edie Schwarb eschwarb@iu.edu

For the first time since 2014, a complete field of 33 teams will line up for the 36th running of the women’s Little 500. After a decade of fragmented fields, the maximum number of allowed teams qualified for the race April 19.

SKI Cycling, a steady force since its inception, anticipates its months of practice paying off on the big day. The independent team has finished in the top 10 every year since it started competing in 2014, and its consistency is reflected in its training.

“In the beginning, the fall is all about endurance and really long rides to build that base,” senior Tori Woolbright said. “On the weekends, we’ll be doing like four-tofive-hour rides which will be

pretty long, and then moving a little bit into late fall and early winter we start moving into really structured workouts, so intervals and sprints.”

At its peak, the team was riding anywhere from 300 to 500 miles per month and averaging 100 to 120 miles per week. For riders like Woolbright, a former high school runner, and fellow senior and captain Melissa Deming, a longtime competitive swimmer, the adjustment was challenging but their athletic backgrounds proved helpful.

“Having awareness of your own ability and especially your ability over a long period of time is important because we’ll do long bike rides and that kind of stuff in the fall,” Deming said. “Whereas if you haven’t done a lot of endurance or something where you’re just

is looking to capitalize on its consistent preparation.

doing the same repetitive task over and over, it’s hard.”

After months of building up stamina, the team takes a training trip the first week of January for a change of scenery before settling into the grueling winter months of indoor practice.

“We’ll drive to all sorts of places, like this year we went to South Carolina for a weeklong training trip, and that’s just time we’re all together doing bike riding,” Deming said. “That’s literally all it is and that’s really fun.”

The second semester of the school year marks a turning point in their training. Upon coming back to Bloomington, SKI practices inside on rollers and transitions to using designated Little 500 bikes. Unlike the road bikes used throughout the fall that are often customized to riders and equipped with mul-

tiple gears, the bikes used in the race are uniform with a single gear.

“It’s almost like taking on a different sport, even though it’s still a bike and it’s still the same thing, it’s just a whole different riding style,” Deming said.

In late February, the team takes to the track to start practicing more technical elements. SKI has approximately four workouts on the track per week, with the times of the workouts adhering to the riders’ individual schedules.

“Going to the track definitely feels more applied to what we’ve been training for all year because the sets that we do on the track are really focused on race scenarios,” Woolbright said. “It’s fun, but there’s definitely more intensity to it all; you have to be more intentional with what you do and who’s around you.”

In addition to their track workouts, the group also meets up on the weekends for a recovery ride. The long ride is a welcome break after several practices focused on intervals and sprinting.

The mental component of training is not to be overlooked by veteran riders who understand the complexities of the demanding 100-lap race.

“This year, even off the bike, I think the mental training of it is really big,” Woolbright said. “Going into my rookie year, you don’t know what to expect with the race, and I went into my first race being like, ‘Oh, I’ve trained nine months, how hard can this race be,’ and it’s pretty difficult because it’s really high intensity.”

For captain Deming, watching the team improve throughout the season has

remained a point of pride as she rounds out her Little 500 career. “It has just been really cool to watch all of the time and dedication that we put in finally have tangible results,” Deming said. “Like you can see the time drops, the differences or how much more comfortable somebody is on a bike.”

With this year’s race set to showcase the most female riders in a decade, SKI looks forward to taking part in the historic Hoosier weekend after months of preparation.

“I think it’s a super cool tradition that anyone who is tied to IU talks about, and so it’s really cool after the race to be like, ‘I did that, I did the big thing that everyone talks about at IU,’” Woolbright said. “I think finding purpose outside of training to win is definitely a good way to go into it.”

JACOB SPUDICH | IDS

SKI Cycling riders talk to reporters during Little 500 Media Day on April 10, 2024, at Bill Armstrong Stadium in Bloomington. Media day was moved inside due to the inclement weather.

By Joseph Ringer jnringer@iu.edu

Every mid-April, about 25,000 people travel to Bloomington for the Little 500, known as “The World’s Greatest College Weekend.”

A number of those attendees may keep up with coverage yearround, monitoring results and updates on Indiana University Student Foundation’s social media pages.

The majority know iconic teams: the winningest team like Cutters, or the disbanded programs Delta Chi and Willkie Sprint or an original group like Kappa Alpha Theta.

But what about the Little 500 cyclists who ride the track all throughout the school year? Those taking part in the race might have a better understanding of teams in the running to become champions — What do the riders think?

Delta Tau Delta “Delta Tau Delta did really well last year,” Delta Phi Epsilon’s Lindsey Hunsinger said. “I follow a few of the riders. They post about their practices, and it looks like they’re working really hard.”

Delta Tau Delta, reborn after five years racing as JETBLACH from 2017 to 2022, finished second in the 2023 Little 500. The team is led by veteran Josh Herbst, who is one of the only four Little 500 champions in the field. The Delts have consistently placed on the podium and within the top-10, averaging a fifthplace finish in the last nine races.

In Spring Series, the Delts placed five of their seven riders within the top-50 at Individual Time Trials with Herbst finishing third. They finished sixth in Team Pursuit behind solidified teams like Black Key Bulls, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Sigma Phi Epsilon and Phi Delta Theta. With history as a team and results to back it up, Delta Tau Delta will be a team to monitor come raceday.

CUTTERS

“I feel like CUTTERS is a very strong team,” Bison Cycling’s Haley Hahn said. “They could probably pull out a win again.”

CUTTERS, reigning champions and the winningest team in Little

500 history, will surely be running on highs from last year’s success and hungry for another win.

CUTTERS lost two seniors following the 2023 race. Peyton Gaskill and Torin Kray-Mawhorr played an integral role last year, aiding in its 2023 Spring Series win, where it won Qualifications and Team Pursuit. Returning champions for the team are Judah Thompson and Jacob Koone. Jake Zarov and captain Danny Ghalayini round out the CUTTERS’ race roster. CUTTERS placed seventh in Spring Series with highlighted results of Thompson’s second place finish in Individual Time Trials and third place at Miss N Outs. With the backing and knowledge of the Cutters’ program, the team is focused on capturing win No. 16.

Black Key Bulls “Black Key Bulls did really well in Team Pursuits, so they work really well as a team,” Kappa Delta’s Taylor Lock said.

Black Key Bulls has made headlines ahead of raceday. They failed to qualify for the 2023 race but have made their comeback clear this season.

BKB had notable finishes at the Indiana University Cycling Club’s

“Candy Stripe Classic” home race in early March, placing two of its riders first in two categories. Captain Jack Handlos won the men’s C race, while Will Wagner won men’s B. In qualifications, Black Key Bulls placed third, close behind Sigma Phi Epsilon and Sigma Alpha Epsilon. Notably, it finished first and second in team pursuits, displaying the depth of its roster.

Wiley Close, Kan Kikuchi, Wagner and Handlos rode on the team’s A-squad, “BKB 1” in Team Pursuit. Zane Snider, McGuire Wolfe, Brady Larkin and Zack Villarreal made up “BKB 2.”

Black Key Bulls has been a strong contender throughout its 16 races, always finishing within the top-10.

Sigma Phi Epsilon “I watched Sigma Phi Epsilon’s qualifications, and I think they have a really solid team,” Alpha Omicron Pi’s Ella Maher said.

2024 Spring Series winners Sigma Phi Epsilon are on the hunt again. It placed podium for the past three years — an indicator of a successful and enduring program. The troop pulled a gutsy solo breakaway on lap 71 of the 2023 race, lasting 87 laps in front before getting caught by the pack. Despite

the team’s tired legs, veteran captain Will Pitts sprinted out of the bunch for a third-place finish. Pitts, strong in both sprints and endurance, has finished top-five in ITTs from 2022-2024. Riders Alex Hamilton and Max Martin both turned in efforts worthy of top-10 in the 2024 ITTs. Depth and experience for the team is clear, and with 2023’s unsuccessful breakaway in the back of riders’ minds to fuel them, Sigma Phi Epsilon could take the top spot.

***

Kappa Alpha Theta “Kappa Alpha Theta swept the women’s Spring Series, and they have the all-star rider on the team,” Mezcla’s Luc Charlier said. “At the top level, it’s about mentality. They have all the confidence, so they’re going to take it.”

For the first time since 2011, a team swept Spring Series. Kappa Alpha Theta captain Audrey La Valle piloted the effort with solo wins in Miss N Outs and ITTs. La Valle, Bailey Cappella, Greta Heyl and Claire Tips rode to the Team Pursuit win, coming back from a five-second deficit to Teter. Kappa Alpha Theta finished eighth in 2023 with riders Katie Humphries, La Valle and then-rookies

Tips and Capella. With numerous veterans and the added wattage of the rookie Heyl, the team is sure to be a top contender in the women’s Little 500.

Teter “Teter are always yelling, calling out and motivating each other while they’re on the track,” Americana’s Preston Fonseca said. “They look really strong out there.”

The 2023 Little 500 and 2024 Spring Series runners-up, Teter has historically had strong finishes on raceday. The team took pole position and the green jersey at 2024 Qualifications.

Like Sigma Phi Epsilon, Teter executed a gutsy breakaway attempt last year. It launched riders out front of the pack, breaking free near lap 50, but was caught with 20 laps to go.

Teter retained its 2023 raceday team: co-captains Jessica DiBella and Cecilia Ball, Allison Edgar and Seneca Simon. Edgar and Ball placed seventh and sixth in ITTs. The two also made Miss N Outs finals, placing second and fourth. Simon and DiBella finished in the top15 in ITTs. With strong legs, a roster with race day experience and a historically successful program, Teter will surely be a team in the running for the top spot.

“Right now, it’s a race for third, because Teter and Kappa Alpha Theta are going to be one and two,” CSF’s Dan Lin said. “And either Alpha Chi Omega or Delta Gamma will be there in third.”

Surprisingly, all interviews with student riders placed Teter or Kappa Alpha Theta on the podium’s top spot. Both Alpha Chi Omega and Delta Gamma placed top five in Qualifications, Team Pursuit and in Spring Series. Reigning women’s champion Melanzana placed third in the series behind Teter and Kappa Alpha Theta. Delta Gamma cocaptain Kate Burnett placed 11th at 2024 ITTs, followed closely by fellow co-captain Shannon Kerr in 15th and Bridget Pfau, who rounded out the top20. Cayla Zimmerman finished 23rd for the Delta Gamma squad. Alpha Chi Omega placed two of its riders in the top-20 at ITTs. Chloe Eades finished 15th and Grace Howard 19th. Evelyn Morris and Brenner Hanna of Melanzana notably placed 12th and fourth. Melanzana is looking to complete the hat-trick and a few strong contenders will be aiming to take their talents to the podium. If the race ends in a bunch sprint, any team can make it happen.

By Joseph Ringer jnringer@iu.edu

The maintenance trucks slowly drove under the morning lights of Bill Armstrong Stadium. The drum and brushes following behind flattened the cinders; fresh white lines of chalk were laid, and the track was prepped for 2024 Little 500 Qualifications.

The 34 women’s teams signed up for quals had prepared months for the one mile, four-lap cycling relay, which determines the 33-team field for the Little 500.

With those 34 women’s teams competing — the most signed up since 2014 — and a 33-team field limit, the looming questions were “Who will win?” and “Which team will be left out?”

The damp and packed-down track conditions allowed riders to aggressively turn the corners, aiding the strong Kappa Delta (KD) team in its benchmark time of 2:57.029.

The efforts made by Taylor Lock, Alyssa Ferry, Emily Gausepohl and Kyra Ferry allowed KD to sit in pole position until the 11 a.m. wave of teams. Big hitters like Delta Gamma and Kappa Alpha Theta would later topple the time, both posting results under 2:55.

Alpha Chi Omega placed second with a time of 2:49.606.

But the blazing run by Teter, finishing in 2:47.142, would prove to be untouchable. The relay made up of Jessica DiBella, Allison Edgar, Cecilia Ball and Seneca Simon featured smooth exchanges and fast turns. Following their relay lap, DiBella, Edgar and Ball lined the final corner of the track, cheering on Simon until she finished.

The team qualified on its first of three allowed attempts, unlike 2023, where it qualified on its third and final attempt.

“This year, instead of focusing on not faulting, we focused on having fast and smooth exchanges,” Teter co-captain Jessica DiBella said. “We tried not to use the words ‘fault’ or ‘fall.’ The positive self-talk made a big difference.”

Teter’s time was an 8.6-second improvement from its 2023 attempt and would have topped last year’s pole sitters, Alpha Chi Omega, by 7.4 seconds.

Going forward, Teter hopes to “keep the positivity” and beat its 2023 team pursuit performance. The roster runs deep and will be a team to monitor moving forward.

Despite being labeled as a “dark horse” by the

Little 500 network, Novus cycling easily found its way into a third-place position with 2:52.535. But a newcomer to the women’s field this year, Alpha Fasta Bika (AFB), was the surprise of the day. It finished sixth overall with 2:56.424, ahead of teams like SKI, Kappa Delta and reigning Little 500 champions Melanzana, which placed 12th. “It was one of those ‘wow’ moments,” AFB captain Bell Pastore said. “The result will be great to think about going forward. We’ll continue to push our limits and see what’s possible.”

Cru Cycling, SKI and Zeta Tau Alpha rounded out the top 10 at quals and secured their race day positions.

Athena was in 34th place, narrowly missing a spot in the field. It finished 1.5 seconds behind position 33. Like other teams this year, Athena made a return to the race following a long hiatus. It raced from 1999-2009 and last attempted to qualify in 2014.

The conclusion of quals marked the beginning of the Spring Series. The women’s teams had just four days to prepare for individual time trials March 27 and eventually finish preparations for the Little 500 itself.

By Mateo Fuentes-Rohwer matfuent@iu.edu @mfr0617

As the “World’s Greatest College Weekend” draws closer, the first series event for the Little 500 began at Bill Armstrong Stadium on Saturday. The men’s qualifications featured 39 teams vying for 33 spots in the famous race. The qualifications consist of four laps, one for each team member. Peaceful transitions between riders are paramount considering they must occur within the exchange zone — a small box at the start and finish line. If a fault occurs due to an unsuccessful exchange, the team is granted another chance, with each team afforded three opportunities to complete the attempt. After three faults, the team is eliminated from qualification. The festivities began at 8 a.m. with temperatures settling around freezing, but that didn’t deter any of the fans of Phi Gamma Delta — more commonly known as Fiji — from attending the first qualification run with energy. Many fans of other teams throughout the day followed suit, with cheers and claps lasting until the final attempt at 4:30 p.m. Sigma Phi Epsilon finished the qualifiers at the top of the leaderboard with a time of 2:26.934. The squad has been no stranger to success, placing top 10 in

nine separate years since 2013 and winning the Little 500 in 2015.

Rounding out the top five with Sigma Phi Epsilon are Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Black Key Bulls, Lambda Chi Alpha and Chi Alpha. Reigning champion CUTTERS is notably absent from that list, although it sat just one position off in sixth place. The squad lost seniors Torin Kray-Mawhorr and Peyton Gaskill from its 2023 winning team, but a sixthplace finish won’t bother the riders or their coach Jim Kirkham. “I’ve been around long enough to know that every year is different, every team is different,” Kirkham said after the qualification run. “We did graduate two seniors that were really impactful and helped bring the team back after COVID, which was really hard on our team. We miss them, but we just gotta move on, and whoever shows up and sticks around — that’s your team.”

Black Key Bulls, a perennial powerhouse, failed to qualify in 2023 after top 10 finishes in every race since its formation in 2006 along with two wins in 2014 and 2017. With that failure still on its mind, the squad used it as motivation to achieve a third-place finish and head back to the big race.

“Last year I was on the quals team, and we had some stuff happen in

quals and unfortunately, we didn’t qualify,” junior Will Wagner said after the qualification run. “We put in that extra work, put in all that time doing exchanges … We came in today and told ourselves we’re going to get one attempt done and we did just that.”

Every year since its inception into the IU Little 500 race in 2006, the Black Key Bulls cycling team has placed in the top 10, even winning the race in 2014 and 2017.

A smaller success story featured the rebooted men’s Mezcla team, which achieved qualification for the first time since 2001. Sebastian Breña-Ochoa — the founder of the rebuilt team — feared inexperience would overcome the squad, but it finished 26th in its first competitive event since 2005.

“Going into this race, none of the guys who just participated in quals had any experience,” BreñaOchoa said after his qualification run. “This whole experience is new to us, and I feel like we did better than we could’ve ever imagined.” The six teams that failed to qualify were IUDM, Kappa Delta Rho, Evans Scholars, Tau Epsilon Phi, Chi Phi and Wild Aces Cycling. The margin between IUDM and Army Cycling — the last team to make the cut — was .250 seconds.

ROW 1

ROW 2

ROW 3

ROW 4

ROW 5

ROW 6

ROW 7

ROW 8

ROW 9

ROW 10

ROW 11

Teter

Jess DiBella Cecilia Ball Allison Edgar Seneca Simon

Delta Gamma

Rebecca Ronning Kate Burnett Shannon Kerr Cayla Zimmerman

Kappa Delta Alyssa Ferry Taylor Lock Kyra Ferry Emily Gausepohl

Zeta Tau Alpha

Coco Casey Lauren Hamlet Jules Everett Elena Barbaric

Alpha Omicron Pi

Ella Maher Tori Donato Lexi Kassenbrock Olivia Kozak

RideOn Cycling

Lindsey Way Maddie Coggan Claire Swigart Sofi Danielson

Sigma Kappa

Lauren Mervar Julia Berman Brenna Goethals Lucy Smith

CHAARG

Isabella Romaine Sophie Reilly

Theta Phi Alpha

Riley Shorter Annie Semprevivo Livi Ackerman Lauren hatch

Pi Beta Phi

Eve Forburger Paige Lipman Isabella Matutes Bella Salvi

Delta Phi Epsilon

Bailey Johnson Dylan Grych Juliet Goldberg Faith Shands

Alpha Chi Omega

Ellie Marsella Grace Howard Sophie Martin Chloe Eades

Kappa Alpha Theta

Claire Tips Bailey Cappella Audrey La Valle Greta Heyl

Cru Cycling

Mackenzie Curry Linda Cordes Audrey Law Abby Lindvall

CSF Cycling

Whitney Banks Anna Steffey Taylor Osterling Emma Hiebner

Phi Mu

Emily Hornberger Aysa Streeval

Anna Pennecke Taylor Nelson

Alpha Gamma Delta

Isabelle Blazey Annie Surette Audra Caczmarek Alexa Spahr

Alpha Delta Pi

Lauren Tincher Jaycie Gibson

Tessa Brennan Emily Biltimier

Bison Cycling

Sam Little Demetra Christos Makenna Fuller Haleigh Hahn

Alpha Xi Delta

Grace Jarrett Lillian Clay Peyton Willis Eloise Barnett

Kappa Kappa Gamma

Macie DeLillo Breeann Stewart Jaimie Katz Madison Ross

Phi Gamma Nu

Sara Schlichting Alison Lee

Novus

Dorothy Curran-Muñoz Beatrice Burton Daniela Rios-Rojas Shay Conroy

Alpha Fasta Bika

Makiah Pickett Mia Behringer Bell Pastore Lauren Frank

SKI

Melissa Deming Tori Woolbright Lauren Sensibaugh Maya Mills

Melanzana

Maggie McGuire Evelyn Morris Nora Abdelkader Brenner Hanna

Delta Zeta

Abby Holmes Lillian Lacy Tatum Montague Allison Lacy

Gamma Phi Beta

Jennifer Fox Ally Harris Erin Mchugh Juliana Nasti

Descent

Rowena Marielle De Guzman Maria Lopez Andonegui

Godspeed

Jordan Seller Emily Kiefer

Chi Omega

Ashton Rohrbacher Colleen Erdman Corey Maloney Savannah Yassin

Sigma Delta Tau

Mindy Kramer Maddie Logan Isabel Lyons Alyssa Brachetti

Alpha Epsilon Phi

Talia Richland Avery Marcus

Mollie Nisim Riley Mentzer

2024 PIT GUIDE WOMEN’S TEAMSFRIDAY

MEN’S TEAMSSATURDAY

Inspector displays yellow flag, clears the track of wrecks, controls re-entry and points out infractions. Timer located in the press box, is responsible for the lap counting and time.

INDEX

PJ PJ Pit Judge presides over pits to monitor conduct, such as in exchanges. One judge presides over every two pits. Starter gives the flag signals for the start and finish line.

PJ PJ

ROW 1

ROW 2

ROW 3

ROW 4

ROW 5

ROW 6

ROW 7

ROW 8

ROW 9

ROW 10

ROW 11

Sigma Phi Epsilon

Alex Hamilton Gus Kowalevsky Max Martin Will Pitts

Lambda Chi Alpha

Brooks Hillenbrand Jackson Klem Kyle Rosecrans Austin Richards

Pi Kappa Alpha

Carter Hazzard Shaun Seguin Jack Wagner Joey Matysik

Sigma Nu

Isaac Baker Jeff Raley Stuart Reimers Camden Saylor

Cinzano

Mau Brito Ethan Barrows Gavin Gorski Nick Tabscott

Phi Kappa Psi

Kaleb Cooper Albert Schafer Hunter Jones Nick Tschetter

Human Wheels

Owen Teed Collin Monesmith Josh Evans Davis Falcon

Phi Sigma Kappa

Charlie Coury Alex Lijo

Daniel Neuroth Michael Best

Alpha Kappa Lambda

Luke Breier Jacob Breier Liam Collins Matt Bolotin

Americana

Soham Patel Tyler Strantz Preston Fonseca Sea Woo (Aiden) Cho

Sigma Chi

Luke Vaccaro Dylan Zenor Will Jamison Trevor Hansen

Sigma Alpha Epsilon

Luke Naas

Lucas Lemme Rhett Skvarna Matthew Naas

Chi Alpha

Ryan Lo Andy Yan Trey Samas Matt Walker

Phi Gamma Delta

Evan King Jarno Hicks Walker Kight Matt Cancilla

Alpha Sigma Phi

Carson Heath Ethan Best Warren Fessenden Adam Snyder

Theta Chi

Charlie Carroll Will Duncan Parker Katz Tommy Macdonald

Gray Goat

Sam Hixson Ryan Costabile Colten Seiler Mason Davis

Forest Cycling

Ezekiel Robertson William Bridgwater

Novus

Joseph Grimes Griffin Stark

Matthew Wessel

Drew Poellein Kobe Thompson Bailey Rubinstein

Mezcla

Luc Charlier Sebastian Breña-Ochoa

Bears

Danny Avila

Abdullah Abdulwahab

Sebastian Cowen Carson Tanner Owen Boyd Jack Warnes

Army Cycling

Joshua Brinkman Brady Fischer

Max Cruz-Rojas Louis Knable

Black Key Bulls

Wiley Close McGuire Wolfe Will Wagner Jack Handlos

CUTTERS

Danny Ghalayini Judah Thompson Jacob Koone Jake Jarov

Macro Cycling

Michael Dubois Andrew Flynn Duncan McDonald Conor Furlong

Delta Tau Delta

Josh Herbst Blake Kottlowski Sean Simpson Ben Nordstrom

Phi Delta Theta

Elias Konow Drew Miller Thomas Reising Quinn Peterson

3PH Cycling

Rishi Poludasu JT Underhill Nathan Imlay Ethan Lax

Delta Sigma Pi

Wyatt Holtan Bailey Wilson Keshav Laddha Nyle Kafeel

Godspeed

Evan Jobe Sean Coman Liam McDonald Bryce Jobe

CSF Cycling

Dan Lin Steven Song Josh Gritt Josiah Fornelli

Ghost Cycling

Josh Church Jackson Miller Gabe Mack Joe kensik

“My son was into watching Michigan State football, so I made it into a tailgating vehicle,” Cinzano coach Mark Dillon said. “But after my son graduated, we stopped going to games. By that time, I was back into bikes, so I said, ‘I’m converting this baby.’” Dillon, a retired teacher of 31 years, is also an IU alumni and Wissler 5 rider

from 1983-1984. Last year, too many riders wanted to join the Cinzano team, so riders were split into two renewed teams: Cinzano and Americana. Dillon coached Cinzano whilst a friend coached Americana. Dillon also coached the McNutt dorm team prior to its dissolvement in 2022. He helped Cinzano in its eighth place qualification result in 2023, its first year of racing since 2007.

With the firm establishment of Cinzano and the addition of rookie riders in 2024, the team aims to continue growing its legacy, aided in-part by the new team vehicle. The ambulance only underwent its renovations recently, during the week of March 10-17, which

coincided with IU’s 2024 spring break. A time lapse of the team’s painting process can be found on its Instagram page.

And while painting the ambulance was a team effort, Dillon and Gorski both credit rider Mau Brito as the mastermind. “I found a blank canvas of an ambulance and I opened up photoshop,” Brito said. “I came up with a few concepts and Coach liked them, so he placed an online order for some vinyl wrap.” The vinyl, once arrived, didn’t portray what the riders had hoped for, so Brito suggested paint.

“I remember one night during break, Mau was creating the stencils for it,” Gorski said. “Then we painted it the next day.”

The ambulance, once plain, now sits with a diamond of blue and red on either side and white “CINZANO” placed in the middle. On the driver-side door, a smaller “CINZANO CYCLING” in blue.

The painting process, Brito said, took several hours, but the result made the effort worth the time.

“People would send us pictures of the ambulance or comment on our posts,” Brito said. “It’s iconic.”

The team plans to make further renovations to the vehicle — like possible additions of a shower and lockers. Brito mentioned the addition of a Cinzano RV in the coming years.

But for now, the team will be rolling in style to

Inside Alpha Fasta Bika’s road to race day

By Joseph Ringer jnringer@iu.edu

Clad in mismatched gloves, baggy T-shirts and cycling shorts from the racks of a thrift store, Makiah Pickett, Mia Behringer and Bell Pastore rolled up to the gates of Bill Armstrong Stadium aiming to learn the sport at the Little 500’s fall 2023 skill clinics. The impromptu idea to create a Little 500 team following the 2023 race bloomed into something real. “It started as a joke,” Alpha Fasta Bika captain Bell Pastore said April 6. “We thought, ‘It would be so funny if we started a Little 500 team.’” Pastore, a senior at IU, contacted Pickett and Behringer as the trio attended North Central High School together in Indianapolis.

Lauren Frank, a junior at IU, later joined to make up the current roster. Last summer, they accumulated miles by commuting to work or for food, and after coming back to campus in the fall, they decided to fulfill the requirements necessary to race: 17 hours riding at the track, road rides required by the Indiana University Student Foundation and passing a skills test. The team trained outside of track hours, riding the roads surrounding Bloomington and learning new routes. “At first, we didn’t know any routes,” Pickett said. “The way we figured things out was by looking at other peoples’ rides on Strava. We tried to figure out new routes with each other, but we had no idea where we were or how far we’d gone.” Not only did the team

have to overcome necessary skills for road cycling and riding around Bill Armstrong Stadium, but they also had to find coaches, equipment and sponsors.

“At the beginning, it was very ‘Learn as you go,’” Pastore said. “We legitimately had nothing, but then we got really fortunate.”

Behringer’s dad bought her a road bike for training while SKI cycling, another team in the women’s field, donated three Little 500 bikes to the squad. Co-coach Tom Schwoegler gave Pickett a road bike after hers was damaged in a collision with a vehicle.

Alpha Fasta Bika enlisted the help of Schwoegler after a referral by Behringer’s uncle. Schwoegler has been in and around the track for many years. He was a member of the Indiana University Student Foundation’s Steer-

ing Committee in 1975 and coached teams like Alpha Xi Delta, Acacia and Wing It. Schwoegler helped Alpha Fasta Bika with training and mechanical skills through his extensive knowledge of the race, but he’s also brought an uplifting spirit to the team.

“Tom helped push the team, like ‘Yes, you can have fun, but here are the tools you need,’” Pickett said. The team was looking for another coach to help them, and co-coach Michelle Volz added further depth of knowledge to the team’s leadership.

“When we got into cycling, we were brainstorming for someone who knows a thing or two about biking,” Pickett said. “And Michelle came to mind.”

During the fall semester, Alpha Fasta Bika prioritized gaining sponsors for the cycling season and the race.

Initially, they encountered challenges.

“I probably sent personal emails to over 100 Bloomington companies,” Pastore said. “I think I got two responses.”

The team’s persistence in finding support secured several sponsors for race day and donations from alumni riders Schwoegler coached.

“Cycling is very much not an accessible sport,” Pickett said. “It’s very hard to fit into, but after being on Alpha Fasta Bika, I’ve really been getting into cycling. It’s a team that’s easy for people without cycling experience to join.” The team placed sixth at Qualifications, following big hitters Teter, Kappa Alpha Theta, Alpha Chi Omega, Novus and Delta Gamma. Their success aided them in finding last-minute race day sponsors.

“Our placing gave us a

boost,” Pickett said. “But there are teams that don’t place as high and don’t get as much help.”

Despite their improbable success, the team just wants to continue having fun.

“Our goal is to just ride our hearts out on race day and remember who we’re doing it for,” Pickett said. “We’re there for each other.” Pastore, the lone senior, will graduate in May, moving on from the young team.

“I hope the team stays,” Pastore said. “I think we have a very cool team dynamic that brings people in. We have a very big emphasis on having fun and being friends.” Pastore, Pickett, Behringer and Frank will round the turns of cinder among 32 other teams on race day, now firmly established with their hard work and the help of others.

Naas brothers aim to immortalize family legacy

By Mateo Fuentes-Rohwer

@mfr0617

A surround sound system is connected to TVs propped against the wall. Basketball jerseys dangle from the ceiling and are draped over the blue-gray paint, accompanied by framed posters, flags and pictures around the room. Situated in the center are four bikes, each locked into a stationary stand. Next to the TVs sits the 2002 Little 500 trophy, a motivation tool for future triumphs easily visible from the seat of the bikes.

To some, it is a makeshift garage. For Luke and Matthew Naas, it’s the “Grind Lab.” The “lab” complemented the brothers’ new commitment to cycling. The activity had played a role in their lives, but it was never something they considered competing in over team sports such as soccer, football and basketball.

But now, with junior Luke and freshman Matthew riding for Sigma Alpha Epsilon, it’s at the forefront of their athletic career. “We really didn’t start taking this super seriously until last year,” Luke said. “It’s new for us, which is why we’re really seeing how good we can get. It’s addicting when you can see that new passion.”

For many years, the Naas family would go on a summer bike ride for a mile distance 10 times the grade they were about to enter. The farthest they went was 90 miles as Luke was starting ninth grade.

But other than leisure rides, the brothers never rode competitively. “It wasn’t like we were growing up to race,” Matthew said. “Just to go on the bike and have a good time.”

The brothers played four years of basketball for West-

field High School, and Luke even attempted to walk-on to Indiana in 2021, his freshman year of college. However, his rejection from the team left him searching for something to fill his competitive need.

That’s when he landed on the Little 500.

“Once I was here and I was in SAE and I knew I couldn’t play basketball, I knew I wanted to commit all my time to this,” Luke said. “We knew about Little 5 growing up — it was always in the back of our minds. Now we’re in it, which is really cool.” The Naas family’s connections with the Little 500 extend far beyond the brothers. Their father, Bill, raced in the 90s along with his younger brother, Jeff. After his racing career, Bill became a coach for Sigma Alpha Epsilon, helping the team win the 2002 race while also coaching Kappa Kappa Gamma to five victories in an 11-year span from 1996 to 2006. But most importantly, he met his future wife, Gina, through Little 500.

The 2024 season marks Bill’s third year as the Sigma Alpha Epsilon coach since returning from a hiatus spent raising his children. After having already coached for a decade, he describes the new experience of coaching his boys as fabulous. “It’s the most wonderful time from my standpoint,” Bill said. “I tell my wife all the time that I’m living my dream right now, being able to be with my boys and help them do something they want to do.”

The father-son coaching relationship has certainly tested Bill, Luke and Matthew. Bill admits the trio argues on rides, and the arguments can even extend to anger, but it is simply a part of their intensive training. From the boys’ perspective, the negatives are more posi-

tive.

“Over the summer, you can’t take a day off,” Luke said. “Every morning, he’s coming to wake you up early. He has that extra motivation to make sure we get to that final goal.”

For the brothers, it’s not the amount of motivation Bill provides — it’s how he does it.

“He knows how to push the right buttons because he knows us so well,” Matthew said.

Besides the fact they are his sons, Bill knows Luke and Matthew because he can relate to their current situation. In 1995, Bill raced alongside Jeff on the Sigma Alpha Epsilon team. The experience from Little 500 tightened their bond and connected them until this day, and Jeff now provides film analysis for the team as well as race day tactics.

So, when Bill sees his boys on campus, or he rides with them, or he and Gina spot an Instagram post of the two riding together, he knows what the future has in store for them.

“It just really warms our hearts because here they are, as brothers, and they’re really good friends,” Bill said. “You just see they’re gonna be lifelong friends.”

Both Luke and Matthew see their friendship put to the test, as the two are prone to arguing with each other more than any other members of the team. Still, Luke understands the close connection he has with Matthew, and the growth it will sustain as they continue to compete in cycling. In some respects, Matthew already notices it improving their abilities.

“It makes everything a little bit more competitive,” Matthew said. “Unfortunately, he typically — well, always — wins whenever we (race). That just helps us push each other more and more every time.” What the two are pushing for is a victory in the Little 500, something Sigma Alpha Epsilon has not accomplished since it was under the tutelage of Bill in 2002. And due to the team racing as “The Corleones” that year, the fraternity has failed to hoist the trophy under its own name since 1963. The 2024 “Spring Series” has started brightly for Sigma Alpha Epsilon, highlighted by a second-place finish at the qualifications and an ITTs win for Luke, exactly 30 years after Bill won it for the first time. Even with all the

accolades, the team eyes the top prize above all else. As a coach, Bill understands the drive and passion his boys have, but no matter the outcome, he already is a proud dad. “I’m really proud of how they have taken on the challenge and how they have responded to it,” Bill said. “Very proud of their work and the things they are learning from this. I’m really proud of them both.”

For the brothers, a victory on race day is the end goal, but the responsibility they feel stretches beyond their family ties and into decades of Sigma Alpha Epsilon tradition. “We’re not only representing ourselves, but also all those other teams in the past,” Luke said. “Everyone who ever put on this jersey as a part of our fraternity, we’re representing them.” From the summer sessions in the “Grind

COOPER SHANNON | IDS

Junior Sigma Alpha Epsilon biker

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The mystery behind CUTTERS’ secret Little 500 training track

The secrecy has continued for CUTTERS in recent years. Judah’s brother, Novus junior Kobe Thompson, admits he is often unaware of the team’s whereabouts, even with a sibling on the team.

“Back in the day, CUTTERS would rarely train at Bill Armstrong,” Thompson said. “Most of the guys on the team would try to avoid people as much as possible because a lot of the teams would come out here to look at other teams, see what they’re doing.”

The reason for the secretive nature of the team was the instant success CUTTERS sustained. In the nine-year span from its first race in 1984 to 1992, the team won four Little 500 championships and finished top four every year.

Consequently, CUTTERS’ lack of appearances at the track led teams to speculate where it was practicing, and the conclusion was a secret track.

Every year on Dec. 25, Santa Claus bestows his presents across the world. On Easter Sunday, the Easter Bunny deposits eggs around the yard. And when Bill Armstrong Stadium is closed, CUTTERS practices at its secret track. Or so people believe. “I think it started out as a joke, a CUTTERS joke,” CUTTERS coach Jim Kirkham said April 7. “We probably created the legend and fantasized about building our own training facility, buying a piece of land and putting in our own track.” CUTTERS debuted in 1984, five years after its depiction in the Academy Award-winning film “Breaking Away.” The movie features a group of Bloomington teenagers who join the Little 500 under the name CUTTERS, in honor of the stone-cutting industry in Southern Indiana. Since its inception, the team has won a record 15 Little 500 championships while never placing lower than 12th. The origin of the secret track rumor is unidentifiable, and while Kirkham believes it stemmed from within the team, current CUTTERS sophomore Judah Thompson recounts a different story.

“They’re very secretive about everything,” Kobe said April 10. “One time it was raining out here, and they said, ‘Oh, we’ll be at our track instead.’ I’m like, ‘What is this? Where does this exist?’ I should know. I’m the big brother.” Whether he ever discovers the truth of the track or not, Kobe appreciates the nature of the situation.

“It’s one of life’s biggest mysteries,” Kobe said. “It makes Little Five more fun.”

After many years, the truth of the CUTTERS secret track is still uncertain. And just like Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny, it’s up for people to decide what they believe.

“It’s what you make of it,” Judah said. “You can either buy in to there’s a secret track. You can either buy into it being fake.”

During spring break, on March 15, Delta Tau Delta went to practice at the cinder track at Bill Armstrong Stadium in preparation for the Little 500. What seemed like another ordinary practice turned into an unforgettable one.

Junior rider Blake Kottlowski crashed, taking a fall to the face. Blood covered his face.

“It looked really bad at first,” Delta Tau Delta senior rider Josh Herbst said. “(It) looked like he was going to have broken facial bones.”

Kottlowski’s teammates took him to the emergency room where he underwent numerous scans and tests in precautionary measures. With the race being 36 days away, the team had to wait to determine if they would be at full strength.

“It was definitely scary when that happened that close to race day,” Delta Tau Delta sophomore rider Ben Nordstrom said. Kottlowski’s CT scan and X-rays all came back negative, revealing he had no broken facial bones, internal bleeding or brain trauma.

Herbst launched a GoFundMe on March 15, aiming to help Kottlowski cover the costs of the medical expenses and a new helmet because his was totaled in the crash. Herbst disabled the GoFundMe as he raised $2,993 for Kottlowski via 89 donations.

“We have far surpassed our goal and Blake is overwhelmed by the support that friends, family, and the Little 500 community have shown him,” he wrote on the GoFundMe page.

“He is doing well and we have raised enough to cover all his medical expenses as well as a new helmet.”

Delta Tau Delta junior rider Jack Lloyd said the team had a sense of déjà vu with Kottlowski’s accident, recalling a similar incident two years ago on the Friday of spring break when Herbst crashed during practice and broke his collarbone.

“It was one of those moments where you see one of your teammates go down (and) you’re pretty scared,” Lloyd said. “We weren’t really sure (what would happen).”

Kottlowski is now doing much better and has recovered quite well, according to his teammates.

“He’s close to 100%, and we’re really fortunate for that,” Nordstrom said. Despite the frightening crash, Kottlowski’s team collectively agreed that he would undoubtedly be ready to compete at 2 p.m. April 20 to help Delta Tau Delta win the 73rd running of the men’s Little 500.