Little 500 facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Little 500

Race details
Date	Third weekend of April
Nickname(s)	Little Five
Discipline	Track cycling
Organiser	Indiana University Student Foundation
Race director	Emily Carrico
History
First edition	1951
Editions	73
First winner	South Hall Buccaneers (Collins)
Most wins	Cutters (15)
Most recent	2024: Black Key Bulls (3rd win)

The Little 500, also known as the "Little Five," is a super exciting track cycling race. It happens every year in April at Bill Armstrong Stadium in Bloomington, Indiana. More than 25,000 fans come to watch this big event at Indiana University.

History of the Little 500 Race

The Little 500 race started in 1951. It was created by Howard S. Wilcox, Jr., who worked for Indiana University. He got the idea from the famous Indianapolis 500 car race. His own father had won the Indianapolis 500 in 1919!

In the Little 500, teams of four riders race relay-style. They ride for 200 laps, which is about 50 miles, on a quarter-mile track. Thirty-three teams get to race after special tryouts. The money raised from this event helps students at Indiana University pay for college.

The race became even more famous because of the 1979 movie Breaking Away. This movie showed a group of local riders called the "Cutters." They were known for cutting Indiana limestone. In the movie, they beat the big fraternity teams. After the movie, a real team called the Cutters formed. They have won the race 15 times and are very successful.

The first Women's Little 500 race happened in 1988. Before that, some women tried to qualify for the men's race but didn't make it. The Indiana University Student Foundation then started a race just for women. The first women's race had 31 teams. The Willkie Sprint team won that first race. The Kappa Alpha Theta sorority team has won the women's race nine times, more than any other team!

In 2020, both the men's and women's races were canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The race came back in 2021, but no fans were allowed. Luckily, fans were able to return to the stadium in 2022.

Fun Events Around the Race

The Little 500 is called "The World's Greatest College Weekend." It's not just one race; it's a whole week of fun activities! The Women's Little 500 race is 100 laps, which is 25 miles. Other events include a running relay race and races for former students.

In 2008, Barack Obama even visited the women's race when he was running for president. By 2019, the Little 500 had raised over $2 million for student scholarships.

Rules for the Little 500 Race

Riders compete in the Little 500 in 1977 at the Tenth Street Stadium

The Little 500 has some special rules to make it fair and safe:

• All riders must use the official Little 500 bike for that year. You can't add things like toe clips, kickstands, or water bottles.
• For safety, riders must always wear a hard helmet and biking gloves.
• Each men's team must make 10 rider changes during the race. Women's teams need to make five changes.
• Near the end of the race, slower riders are asked to move back. This helps the leading teams race for the win without anyone getting in their way. If a team doesn't follow this rule, they can get a penalty or even be disqualified.

Little 500 Bikes

The bikes used in the Little 500 are special. They are track bicycles with a specific gear (46x18) and coaster brakes. They have 700c wheels and 32mm tires. These bikes are designed to be simple and fair for everyone.

The bikes are based on old AMF Roadmaster bicycles from the 1960s and 1970s. The men's and women's bikes are almost the same, just different frame sizes. Every year, new bikes are bought. Each team gets two bikes. Teams can choose to keep their bikes after the race or return them for a deposit.

Who Can Race?

To be a rider in the Little 500, students must meet certain requirements:

• They must be full-time undergraduate students at Indiana University Bloomington.
• They need to have a good academic record, with a GPA of 2.00 or higher.
• A student can only race up to four times in five years.
• Riders must be amateurs. This means they cannot be professional cyclists or have competed at a very high level in other cycling sports.
• For a team to race, at least one member must attend all important meetings. They also need to turn in the names of their team's riders.

Spring Series Events

Before the main Little 500 race, there are four other events. These are called "The Spring Series." The team that wins the Spring Series gets to wear a special white jersey during the main race. These events let all team members participate, not just those racing in the Little 500.

2024 Spring Series Winners:

• Men's: Sigma Phi Epsilon
• Women's: Kappa Alpha Theta

Qualifications

Qualifications, or "Quals," is the first and a very important event. Teams race four laps around the track to get the fastest total time. These times decide if a team can race in the Little 500. It also determines their starting spot among the top 33 teams. Teams start in rows of three. The fastest team gets the best starting spot and chooses their pit area first. Each team gets three chances to qualify. This helps if a team makes a mistake during one of their attempts. The team that gets the fastest time (the "pole sitter") wears a green jersey for the race.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, qualifications were canceled in 2021. The starting grid was decided by the Team Pursuit event instead. Qualifications returned in 2022.

2024 Pole Sitters:

• Men's: Sigma Phi Epsilon
• Women's: Teter

Individual Time Trials (ITTs)

An Individual Time Trial (ITT) is a four-lap sprint around the track, just like qualifications. But in an ITT, riders race by themselves. It tests how fast and how long a rider can sprint. Up to four riders can be on the track at once, starting at different points. Riders start from a complete stop. You are not allowed to ride closely behind another rider to gain an advantage (this is called "drafting"). If you are caught drafting, you will be disqualified.

ITTs All-Time Record:

• Men’s: 2005 Hans Arnesen (Alpha Tau Omega) - 02:15.78
• Women’s: 2018 Brooke Hannon (Melanzana) - 02:33.083

ITTs 2024 Winners:

• Men's: Luke Naas (Sigma Alpha Epsilon) - 02:26:61
• Women's: Audrey La Valle (Kappa Alpha Theta) - 02:39.98

Miss-N-Out

Miss-N-Out is an elimination race. In each race, there are five to eight riders. After the second lap, and every lap after that, the rider in last place is eliminated. Riders keep racing until only three are left. These three riders move on to the next round. This continues until the final race. In the final, the last three riders sprint for one lap to decide first, second, and third place.

2024 Miss-N-Out Men's Finals:

• 1st: Connor Furlong, Beta Sigma Psi
• 2nd: Max Martin, Sigma Phi Epsilon
• 3rd: Judah Thompson, Cutters

2024 Miss-N-Out Women's Finals:

• 1st: Audrey La Valle, Kappa Alpha Theta
• 2nd: Allison Edgar, Teter
• 3rd: Dorothy Curran-Munoz, Novus

Team Pursuit

In Team Pursuit, two teams of four riders race around the track. The men's race is 15 laps (6,000 meters). The women's race is also 15 laps. A team's time is taken when their third rider crosses the finish line. The two fastest teams race against each other in the final.

Team Pursuit All-Time Record:

• Men’s: 1986 Cutters - 08:38.81
• Women’s 10 Lap Record: 2011 Teter - 07:50.11
• Women's 15 Lap Record: 2024 Kappa Alpha Theta - 10:16.95

Team Pursuit 2024 Winners:

• Men's: Black Key Bulls
• Women's: Kappa Alpha Theta

Fall Series

The Indiana University Student Foundation and the Riders Council also hold events in the fall. These events help students practice their skills. Fall Series events include ITTs, Street Sprints, CycloCross, and the Tuesday Night Race Series. The results from these fall events do not count toward the Little 500 race.

Tuesday Night Race Series

Each Tuesday night has three different races:

• Scratch race: Men race ten laps, and women race eight laps.
• Points race: Men race twenty laps, and women race fifteen laps.
• Elimination race heats.

Media Coverage

In 2009, a documentary called Ride Fast, Turn Left was made about teams preparing for the race. Another movie, One Day in April, came out in 2015. It showed how both men's and women's teams got ready for the race.

A Bollywood movie from 1992, Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar, was also based on the Little 500 and the Breaking Away story.

The Little 500 races have been shown on TV since 2002 on AXS.tv. They are also broadcast live on the Indiana University student radio station WIUX.

List of winners