Exchanges key to success
The cinder track at Bill Armstrong Stadium is not forgiving -- not to the riders who crash on it and not to the teams who lose time as a result. So it comes as no surprise that many teams put a high premium on smooth bike exchanges from one teammate to another in hopes of avoiding such misfortune. So much was evident Saturday at the women's Little 500 qualifications, where none of the 30 teams risked missing the 33-team cut but all teams had to finish the four-lap time trial without any fouls from faulty exchanges. By the time the event ended, many teams needed multiple attempts to accomplish the task, including women's pole setter Kappa Kappa Gamma, which took first on its third attempt. Kappa Kappa Gamma was first called for stepping in the gutter and then for touching the bike before it crossed the line. By the time the team raced its third attempt in the afternoon, it knew it had to get exchanges down.
