The return of the Collins Biking Team

After more than a decade off the track, the Collins Living Learning Center is making its return to the Little 500. Built from the ground up by a group of determined students.

The last time Collins fielded a women’s team was more than 12 years ago. That long absence made this comeback even more meaningful for senior Layla Ferguson, who quickly signed on when she learned the team was being revived.

“I was walking through Collins one day, I was like, ‘Oh, a Little Five team,’” Ferguson said. “I’ve always loved biking. I used to bike to school in high school and stuff like that. And it’s my senior year. So I was like, ‘You know what? It’s now or never.’”

The team’s revival was led by Sophomore’s Alyssa Lukritz and Kate Weaver, who began organizing riders, training schedules, and preparing everything early in the year. Even converting a small storage closet in Collins into an indoor training space.

Despite their determination, building a team wasn’t easy. The group initially hoped to form both men’s and women’s teams but couldn’t recruit enough riders for the men’s side. Weaver said even filling the four-woman roster took time.

“It took, like, a semester to actually get going, because we just started our team in February,” she said. “Basically, we started riding. So it was definitely a process. And we managed to get four people.”