Teams ready for time trials

With less than three weeks until the 52nd Little 500 and just one week after qualifications, the teams are ready to have some fun.\nIndividual Time Trials (ITT), the first event of the Little 5 series, will be held April 3 to test riders' skills and strength. ITT has four riders on the track at the same time, each starting at one corner of the track. The riders race four laps against the clock, and the fastest overall time wins.\nBut this year, ITT is not limited to the riders or fans in the stadium bleachers. IUSF is offering spectators the chance to ride the track before ITT begins Wednesday. From 2 to 4 p.m. the track will be open for anyone interested in trying their hand at taking the turns of Armstrong Stadium.\nFor the riders, the physical and mental challenges of the race make ITT one of the hardest events for riders until the actual race. IU Student Foundation assistant director and Little 500 coordinator, Alex Ihnen, said the race is a chance for riders to race without the presence of a team.\n"It's all about individual strength and a chance to see how (the riders) line up with other competitors. In the past, some teams have had all four riders in the top 10," Ihnen said. "This really has nothing to do with teamwork. It's just four laps to see what you can do on our your own. You just go out and give as much of yourself as you can."\nSenior Daniel Burns said ITT is an important event because the competitor's goals are to have fun. The third-year Sigma Alpha Epsilon rider took fourth place in the competition last year with a time of 2:33.06. \n"I think it would be cooler if it was eight laps by yourself, but it would take too long. You get pretty tired out there, but it's only one mile," Burns said. "The race is fun for riders and especially fun for people to come out and watch."\nThe race poses a different style than qualifications for riders. Where qualifications tested a team's speed and its ability to successfully exchange the bike from one rider to the next, the ITT is a race focused on individual speed over a longer distance.\n"It's not riding as hard as you can all the time, like you do for quals," Roadrunners junior rider Jenn Wangerin said. "Some people have problems where they go out too hard and do very well until the last lap, where they tire out."\nJunior Alpha Xi Delta rider Sarah Kueper, who placed 16th at last year's ITTs, said fatigue isn't a factor because the race is only four laps. \n"For the time it takes to do four laps on the track, you just have to push yourself to your limits and you can surprise yourself," Kueper said. "I think you just have to put your all into it and tell yourself it's going to be over in a matter of minutes. So, whatever pain you go through, it's going to be over in minutes, so you push yourself to your limits."\nThe chance to prove ability and boost confidence are some of the reasons junior Delta Sigma Pi rider Drew Buser is why he expects ITT to be a learning experience.\n"I feel if we do well it'll be a boost, but if we do bad it's not going to (discourage) us," Buser said. "I think (ITT) is good because it reflects the progress people have made. I think the fastest times will show the people that are putting in the most miles and the most preparation from the fall.\n"It's going to be a main psychological advantage -- especially for rookies because they will latch on to this as a victory"