Cutter team rich in tradition

There is only one other team in the 52-year history of the running of the Little 500 who has garnered more victories than the Cutters six -- Delta Chi with eight -- but Cutter history has its roots buried in Delta Chi.\nThe Cutters stemmed from the Delta Chi Fraternity in 1983. The legacy and tradition truly began back in the 1960's and 1970's, but the "Cutters" team itself wasn't spawned until 1983. It was then that the Delta Chi chapter board members had the bike team kicked out of the house. The abandoned team was in search of direction and was provided the leadership they needed from Delta Chi alumnus Chris Gutowsky and bike team member Adam Giles. \nThe team decided to start an independent Little 500 team and entered the 1984 race under the name Cutters, taken from the movie "Breaking Away."\n"To clear up any confusion, we took the name from the movie," Cutters junior, Nick Pejeau, said. "The movie didn't get the name from us. Also, unlike the movie, we are all full-time students, and the team doesn't always consist of 'Townies.'" \nBut this year, with the exception of senior Chris Sahagun, all the Cutters are Bloomington natives.\nThis year's team consists of one sophomore, (Chris Vargo), two seniors, (Chris Sahagun and Mike Moore) and two juniors (Pejeau and Ron Hanson). The team coaches include Jim Kirkham and Hall of Fame rider Jay Polsgrove.\n"Our coaches are the absolute best," Pejeau said. "We feel extremely privileged to have Jay and Jim as our coaches. They both have exceptional experience and knowledge racing, in which they are sharing with us."\nHall of Fame rider-turned-coach, Polsgrove, was a member of the 1988 Cutter team that achieved victory with the help of his sprint to the finish at the end. Kirkham was a member of the 1992 team that made Little 500 history by being the first team to lap the field on the new track at Bill Armstrong Stadium.\nAs far as this year's team is concerned, they mainly want to keep up with the Cutter tradition. This tradition is one with an exceptional past. The Cutters have only been around since 1984 and, in the 18 races prior to this year, the Cutters have finished in the top ten 17 times. Its average finish on race day is 3.44.\n"The reason why we feel our team is consistently good is that the team members are always true cyclists," Sahagun said. "We all have a passion for riding, so we are constantly riding. It's this passion that drives us to ride nearly eight months out of the year."\nThis devotion and passion is clearly evident during the annual spring break trip to Texas, in which they train the entire week. They ate, slept and rode their bikes. For a team to do this, the camaraderie needs to be really strong.\n"We all respect one another, and we view our entire team as equals," Hanson said. "As far as training is concerned, the best way to train is to just ride. That's all there is to it."\nThis year's team has been doing just that -- riding. Its hopes are to improve on last year's performance of seventh place. The team said last year's finish was good despite the fact they were all rookies. These same rookies are now veterans, and they are hoping to win it all from their 15th starting position.\n"We would really like to win it all this year, but it won't come easy," Sahagun said. "We recognize that it's a strong field this year and we will have to work for every thing we can get"