Cutters look to capture 3-peat in men's race

The Cutters are aiming to join an elite group with a third consecutive Little 500 victory Saturday.

The 32 other teams in the field are set on making sure this doesn’t happen.

“If there’s one team I want to beat,” Team Major Taylor senior Kenny Parks said, “it’s the Cutters.”

With a win in the 59th Little 500, the Cutters would join Phi Kappa Psi and Delta Chi as the only two teams to win the race three years in a row.

The Cutters know they are the target. Their team shirt – a “Stop Cutters” slogan on a stop sign – plays off the popular Steve Prefontaine “Stop Pre” shirts. And like the 1970s track star, the Cutters know they are difficult to stop.

The Cutters won last year’s race by 12 seconds and have won nine of the 24 races in which they’ve competed – a Little 500 record.

“Our teams are either loved or hated, but we’re never ignored,” Cutters senior Clayton Feldman said earlier this month. “We’re competitors out there, and we’re the fiercest of competitors.”

Delta Tau Delta rider Matt Neibler said he feels the anti-Cutters vibe on the track but added that his team – and all the other teams – must have a different focus.

“In some ways, there is some angst with the Cutters,” Neibler said. “But they have absolutely deserved it both years. I think that teams should be more concerned about riding their own race.”

The weather

Last year’s men’s race was plagued by cold weather and light rain, but Saturday’s forecast predicts the season’s hottest temperatures so far. For the most part, riders are excited for the warmer temperatures.

“My gut response is I’d rather have it 80 and sunny than 40 and rainy like last year,” Neibler said, adding that teams will need to stay hydrated and make preparations before the race to accommodate the warmer weather.

The wind adds another factor to the race, especially on the backstretch. Parks said Team Major Taylor riders will try to ride within the front pack, as they will start in the fourth position.

“Our strategy is no surprise,” Parks said. “We’re going to be drafting a lot.”

Race strategy

Last year, the Cutters broke away from the pack near lap 180. Several riders mentioned the importance of watching out for competitors’ race strategy.

Neibler said his team needs to survive these key moves.

“Teams make moves,” he said. “Our team needs to be aware of that happening and be tactically aware and know what the most prudent move is – knowing who to respond to, knowing whose wheel to catch.”

For the first three-fourths of the race, most teams’ goals are to stay in contention.

“I think it comes down to having Lady Luck on your side and making the right decisions when they need to be made,” Phi Delta Theta team captain Matt Kain said. “Our goal is to be in contention – we just want to get through the first 150 laps first.”

In the final 20 laps, the race turns to experience and strategy, Parks said.

“Last year, the Cutters made a move,” Parks said. “Basically, this year you stay on their wheel. There’s no Olympic rider in the race, so no one can go more than max two all-out laps.”

Fraternities vs. independent teams

Since 2000, only two fraternities have won the Little 500 – Phi Delta Theta in 2001 and Alpha Tau Omega in 2006.

Riders cite several reasons for this recent trend, including race rule changes and the rise of successful independent teams.

“I wouldn’t look at it as much as what fraternities haven’t been doing,” said freshman Phi Gamma Delta rider David Ellis. “It’s more that the independent teams have been able to pick it up. They’ve really come on strong.”

Last year, three of the top five finishing teams were independents – Cutters, Team Major Taylor and Dodds House.

However, this year the top two teams in the field based on qualifications are Phi Delta Theta and FIJI, with Delta Tau Delta in fifth.

“When we ride, we don’t really pay any attention to that stuff,” Ellis said. “We just go out there and try to ride our best.”