A guest blog on the Little 500.
On the surface, the Little 500 is a charity bike race that students drink for in the name of tradition. That alone makes it pretty special. However it has much more substance to it than the average fan would realize. This is why I wanted to write something focused around what leads up to that One Day in April. In between the green, so to speak.
I began my Little 500 career after I transferred to Indiana from IUPUI upon burnout from collegiate running. Although one journey had run its course, the thought of being a “normal student” scared the hell out of me. That’s when I decided to join JETBLACH/Delts on a whim in the summer of ‘21, without having even owned a bike at the time. This story is the reality for many strong riders in the field, including my teammate, Josh Herbst, who did not have cycling experience going into college, and has since been a top wheel since his freshman year race.
That is just one of the many aspects that makes this event special. You don’t get to join a team, fuck off, and then show up on that one day in April and race. In between mid May, all the way until race day, there is strategy, training plans, and consistent 200 mile weeks from many teams. There are intense 2 a day workouts over winter break in a garage with no windows. Intense enough that in my senior year (second year riding), I started feeling similar burnout signs I had felt in the past.
The difference this time however, is I had a community of hundreds of riders to lean on. Not only was everyone on my team like brothers to me, so too was every former JETBLACH/Delts rider, and the community of other riders as a whole. Whether it was an alum who last raced in 2012, or one that was on the team just a year prior, I had never seen alumni support that strong period, on a personable level. It’s so special that I could message a buddy on another team, or an alumni from 10 years ago, about something I was struggling with, and they’d give me some advice to get my head on straight.
All of this to say there is a genuine story behind each rider you see walk out on the cinders Friday/Saturday. It’s very easy to look over those teams that finish 10-33, but I’m telling you the race becomes even more special when you realize what some teams have to sacrifice just to get into the race. Drink up, because it should remain the greatest college weekend in America, but I encourage you to take a second to appreciate what riders sacrificed just to make it out to the starting grid. There is something beautiful about putting your body on the line for something bigger than yourself (quite literally a handful of riders break their collarbone every year). Those 2 days in April over the last 2 years are undoubtably 2 of the best days of my life, and such is the case for countless other riders in the field.
Anyways, after just falling short the last 2 years finishing 3rd and 2nd, I am excited to see my best friends finish the job and bring home title #4 on Saturday. Good luck all, whether you’ll be guzzling beers, cheering on friends, or riding in the race. This university is special.
Happy Little 5 Week