Cutters looking to keep tradition strong

As other riders gear up in biker shorts and helmets, P.J McMahon puts on a casual T-shirt and khakis to hit the track at Bill Armstrong Stadium for practice. Due to a broken leg he suffered in late March, McMahon has been advised by his doctor to sit out practices, but because of his commitment to the team, he said he has been at all the practices, cheering his team on.\n"It's frustrating, disappointing," he said. "I try not to worry about it and just help the team out any way I can."\nIt is this spirit of persistence and camaraderie that characterizes the Cutters -- the men's independent team with the most victories in Little 500 history.\nLead by their only previously Little 500 competitor senior Nick Pejeau, not only must face the set-back of injury but of a lack of experience.\nMcMahon and the other two riders, freshman Alex Harrington and senior Jason Smith are all rookies this year,but on the track there is no way you could tell, Pejeau said.\n"They are all pretty tough for rookies," he said. \nStill not everything has been so easy.\n"Being a rookie team is always tough," Harrington said. "It's always kind of an experiment in the beginning, but when you ride all the time since school starts, it works out."\nAssisting them in making the adjustment is two coaches that offer a wealth of experience -- Jim Kirkham and Hall of Fame rider Jay Polsgrove. \n"They showed me a whole new world of biking," Smith said. "I wasn't even riding a bike that fit well, and they fit me to a bike, showed me what to do better. They're great."\nPolsgrove lead the 1988 Cutter team to victory with the help of his sprint at the end. Kirkham was a member of the 1992 team that was the first team to lap the field on the new track in Bill Armstrong Stadium.\nWith the help of their coaches and day-to-day practices, this independent team hopes to build on the long tradition of the Cutters.\nThe six-time winning Cutters are only second in wins to Delta Chi's eight victories. Oddly enough, the Cutters owe their existence to these rivals. \nIn 1983, when the Delta Chi Fraternity kicked the bike team out of the house, Cutters founders Adam Giles and Chris Gutowsky decided to form their own Little 500 team. They borrowed the name from the 1979 Oscar-winning film "Breaking Away," about a group of Bloomington locals (nicknamed "Cutters" because their families work at the local quarry) decide to show up the rival college students by winning the Little 500.\nBecause of the success of the film, many Hoosiers have stereotyped the modern team.\n"People think we are a group of rowdy, townie hippies," Harrington said. "They think we are anti-frat because of the first Cutters, but that's not true at all. We are just here to ride."\nThis year, despite placing 24th in Qualifications, the Cutters are looking to build on the proud tradition of the Cutters.\n"Qualification and time trials are not really an indicator," Smith said. "It's all about race day."\nPart of that tradition is an exceptional past. Although the Cutters have only been around since 1984, they have finished in the top 10, 18 times in the past 19 years. They placed seventh for the past two years and won it all in 2000. Their average finish on race day is 3.68.\nEven with this impressive history, the Cutters are more worried about having fun and experiencing Little 500 more than which place they receive.\n"We just want to have a good time and do the best we can," Pejeau said. \nStill they are taking the race seriously. Despite what they described as a disappointing finish qualification, training new riders and injuries, the Cutters still ride on.\nEmbodying this spirit, McMahon said he plans to ride on race day.\n"I know it will hurt a little, but hopefully I'll be able to ride," he said. "I may not be able to as many laps as the other guys on the team, but I'll give it my all"