Freshman rider propels 'Cinzano Baby' in race

All of those in attendance for the 2005 Little 500 Qualifications knew Cinzano looked to make a statement when they saw the writing on the legs of freshman Cinzano rider Shane Whittington. Whittington shaved the phrase "Cinzano Baby" into his leg hair.\nThat same day, Cinzano qualified No. 14 for Saturday's race.\nIn 2003, Cinzano finished seventh, a hundredth of a second behind the photo finish of the first six teams, which finished together in 2 hours and 5.33 seconds.\nLast year, the team that takes its name from the famous Italian cycling team did not exist. Cinzano alumnus Jon Kloppenburg wanted that to change for this year.\nIn the fall of 2004, Kloppenburg put up bills around the dorms and other places on campus, advertising that he was looking to put together a team to ride under the Cinzano name in this year's Little 500. The new coach rode for Cinzano from 2000 to 2003.\nKloppenburg began with seven riders at the first call-out meeting he held in mid-November, but now the number is down to five -- three freshmen and two seniors -- all of whom are rookies.\nThese flyers caught the eye of freshman Aaron Zelin, who has cycled for fun with his father since he was 12 years old. He knew coming to IU that cycling and Little 500 were big activities and he wanted to start racing to see how he stacked up.\n"It was kind of cool to see that a lot of other people my age rode," Zelin said. "Because usually when I rode, it was with people who were older, so that was pretty cool."\nKloppenburg lives in Chicago, but sends weekly training plans to the team via e-mail and he travels to Bloomington on the weekends to coach the team. IU graduate student and Willkie alumnus rider Phil Aylesworth coaches the team during the week.\nZelin said he was not sure what to expect by way of training for the race, but though Cinzano endured less than favorable weather in some of the team's training rides, the Highland Park, Ill., native wishes he could continue cycling for a career.\n"We knew to get where we are now we had to (train hard)," Zelin said. "We are now seeing the results."\nAylesworth said the training regime would only strengthen the riders from Cinzano, because he wanted to team to have a good reputation, so the team could hold its own against such serious teams as Alpha Tau Omega and Phi Gamma Delta. The first-year coach only rode in one Little 500 -- last year's race.\nAylesworth said Cinzano's rookies have made tremendous strides in conditioning and coming together as a team.\n"Everyone knows they are gaining a valuable experience," Aylesworth said.\nAfter watching "Breaking Away" as a child, freshman Cinzano cyclist Erik Hamilton said he has always wanted to come to IU and ride in the Little 500. The Terre Haute-native was mainly a runner who had participated in triathlons and competitive running for eight years before joining Cinzano.\n"I knew Little 5 was competitive, but I didn't realize it was this competitive until I actually started getting out to the track," Hamilton said. "I knew it was going to be hard, but not to the degree it is. I'm use to hard work, but I didn't know it was going to be that hard."\nAs for Whittington and the artistic design he made on his legs for Qualifications, he said this is nothing new for him. While in high school, Whittington had a reputation for having hairy legs and his peers gave him the nickname "Scruffaluphagus."\n"I had to keep with tradition of shaving my legs," Whittington said. "I wanted to be included with my team and it highlights my personality. 'Cinzano Baby' is an inside joke with the team. Whenever we are out on a ride, sometimes we will pass a veteran team and some of the guys will say to them, 'Cinzano Baby!' with extra emphasis on the 'Baby.'"\nRegardless of what happens race day, the team knows they have the right ingredients for the future.\n"Three of our guys are freshman, so we got such a good base for the next few years," Zelin said. "Sure, we're not the best team right now, but when we're juniors and seniors, everybody better watch out because we're going to be busting our asses the next three years. I'm pretty confident that we'll be one of the best teams by then."\n-- Contact Staff Writer Steve \nSlivka at smslivka@indiana.edu.