Anticipation for the Little 500 continues to build as the teams completed another event in the Spring Cycling Series on Saturday with Miss N Out.
The winners of the event were Conor Furlong of Beta Sigma Psi on the men’s side and Audrey La Valle of Kappa Alpha Theta for the women. Other notable finishes included two placements in the final heat for Sigma Phi Epsilon from Max Martin and Will Pitts on the men’s side, along with two Teter finalists in Allison Edgar and Cecilia Ball for the women.
The event consisted of a group of six-to-12 riders in a short lap race, with the riders progressively getting whittled down. The top three riders advanced in the first heat and the top two advanced in the following rounds before a champion was crowned in the final heat.
Crashes were a consistent theme of the event, as the riders were heavily compacted due to the race’s length. Although wipeouts were plentiful throughout the event, injuries did not appear severe, as riders walked off the track. The riders discussed their strategy for avoiding a wipeout that would cost them a chance to advance.
“The track’s pretty dry today,” said senior Delta Tau Delta rider Sean Simpson. “Definitely want to stay towards the front and try not to box yourself in.”
Sophomore rider Ben Nordstrom, one of Simpson’s teammates at Delta Tau Delta, offered a more mechanical analysis.
“Running lower tire pressure can help with sliding out and staying controlled, calm, cool so you’re not having to sprint every time on the backstretch," Nordstrom said.
Riders see the Miss N Outs as useful practice for the upcoming race and believe race day principles can be taken from the event.
“It gives you a sense of riding with a pack,” said sophomore Black Key Bulls rider Leo Switzer. “It’s helpful with strategy and the final sprint.”
Miss N Out also presents teams with an opportunity to evaluate themselves and their opponents, helping identify strategic advantages as the Little 500 calendar progresses.
“It definitely shows who’s a good sprinter so you can mark the good riders on other teams, and shows who’s the good sprinter on your team,” Simpson said. “It’s a really good test to see who can have legs after long fast laps.”
The teams will look forward to a quick turnaround with Team Pursuit on Sunday, which marks the last event of the Spring Cycling Series before the races April 19-20. Riders were not concerned with fatigue due to the short nature of Miss N Out.
“Miss N Out shouldn’t have a massive toll because the races are so short, and it’s mostly sprinting,” Switzer said. “The legs should be fresh for tomorrow’s Team Pursuit.”
Team Pursuit will be held from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Sunday, at Bill Armstrong Stadium.
