Individual Time Trials begin Little 500

Thursday evening marked the kick-off of the 63rd year of the Little 500. The first event of the fall cycling series was the individual time trials.

Delta Tau Delta took the top two spots for the men thanks to Paul Smith’s 2:15.22 ride and Warren Clayton’s 2:15.38. Nick Torrance of Sigma Phi Epsilon placed third with a time of 2:16.37, followed by Black Key Bulls rider Jacob Miller, who finished in 2:16.87. Paul Gillettee of Sigma Phi Epsilon rounded out the top five by crossing the line in 2:17.56.

Wing It Cycling placed 1-2 in the women’s individual time trials. Laura Miller crossed the line in 2:37.76, with a time just ahead of her teammate Melissa Moeller, who finished in 2:37.93. Lisa Hutcheson of Teter placed third with a time of 2:39.04. Kappa Delta rider Lauren Kohut finished fourth with a time of 2:39.53. Cru Cycling’s Emily Palmer was fifth thanks to crossing the finish line in 2:40.13.

ITTs typically take place at Bill Armstrong Stadium, but a conflict with a soccer game forced them to be on the roads. The starting and finishing line was in between the Briscoe Quad and the tailgating fields behind the Virgil T. DeVault Alumni Center. The riders rode south, took three consecutive rights on East 13th Street, North Fess Avenue and East 14th Street, before finally taking a left back onto North Walnut Grove Street to complete the .93-mile-long course.

The riders seemed to respond well to the new location for ITTs.

“I think it gives an advantage to people who race on the roads, especially with the turns,” Palmer said. “It’s going to give an advantage to experienced racers and will make it more difficult for the rookies. We spend so much time on the track that it’s nice to do something different.”

One of Palmer’s teammates, Anna DeBoer, also liked the new format.

“I think it’s cool because it’s something new and a change from past years,” she said.

However, the roads may have been partly responsible for several injuries during ITT’s. Spencer Brauchla, a rider for the Black Key Bulls, was one rider who got into an accident. He wrecked in the opening straightaway and injured his shoulder.

Despite the injuries, the event ran smoothly thanks to the organization of the IU Student Foundation, which runs the Little 500.

Sean Dulworth, a member of IUSF who was in charge of setting up and organizing the event, said there was a team of 12 IUSF members stationed at various points of the course to assist with ITTs.

“We have people registering riders at the check-in, timers at the finish line, a bike holder who makes sure that the riders have a good start and someone who organizes the next five riders in line,” Dulworth said. “There are people starting every 60 seconds so it is important to keep it running smoothly.”

With a large field of riders and a set schedule for start times, it was crucial for ITTs to be well-organized, Dulworth said.

“There are about ninety riders and almost every team has a rider representing them at the individual time trials,” he said. “Today’s competition is all about trying to beat the rest of the riders. They go as fast as they can one at a time.”

The riders were out in full force, wearing their allegiances across their chests on their racing uniforms.  

The environment was nothing but supportive as the riders cheered each other on in the race against the clock.

The weekend is full of other cycling events in the fall cycling series. Cyclocross, which is a biking obstacle course competition, takes place at 5 p.m. Friday at the IU tailgate fields. The duathlon, which resembles a triathlon without the swimming portion, is scheduled for 5 p.m. Saturday at Bill Armstrong Stadium. Street sprints will be on North Jordan Avenue at 1 p.m. Sunday.