Miss-N-Out third Little 5 series event

As riders stride closer the Little 500 races in late April, the preparation for the big day continues.\nThe third installment of the Little 500 series events will take place tomorrow beginning at 10 a.m. at Bill Armstrong Stadium.\nMiss-N-Out offers riders an opportunity to experience pack riding at a fast pace, simulating race-day conditions. \n"Miss-N-Outs, as part of the series events, helps create a competitive atmosphere for the Little 500 race," Alpha Phi senior Lauren Claytor said. \nRiders are divided into groups of six to eight per heat and are seeded according to their Individual Time Trial times. The event is compared to musical chairs, as riders circle the track dropping the last rider every time the group passes the Start/Finish line. This is done until there are either two or three riders left in the heat. Riders advance from preliminaries to quarterfinals to semifinals to the final. The winner receives points toward the Series Events Championship.\n"Miss-N-Out is all about strategy," Kappa Alpha Theta junior Nicole Vincent said. "That becomes important during the race. It's like a 40-meter dash on a bike over and over again."\nDefending her women's title this year is Kappa Kappa Gamma junior Meredith Horner. The St. Louis, Mo., native has had a solid spring so far, helping her team qualify for the pole position and finishing ninth in ITTs. \nLast year's men's champion, John Grant of Gafombi, graduated last spring. The highest returning finisher from the 2003 Miss-N-Out is senior Dodds House rider Craig Luekens. \nThe event has no bearing on how riders are going to finish in the race, Claytor said, but it gives riders good pre-race experience.\nThis year, fast times among riders, especially the women's riders, have been abundant. Track records were broken in both qualifications and ITTs. A combination of track conditions, damp weather -- ideal for racing -- and improved riders have been the cause of the lowered times.\n"The track conditions have been really good. The track has been wet and fast," Claytor said. "Rider's in general are getting stronger and are more well-prepared."\nAccording to the IU Student Foundation's Web site, there is not a track record for this event since times are not kept.\n"It's the event that's most like Little 5," Sincere Cycling senior Eric Butterbaugh said. "It's a lot of fun. It's the first series event where you get to bump elbows with some of the guys."\n-- Contact sports editor Josh Weinfuss at jweinfus@indiana.edu.