What’s known as “The World’s Greatest College Weekend” is scheduled to return this year after COVID-19 caused the first cancellation of the Little 500 in its history in 2020.
However, it will look different than in year’s past. There will be no spectators— not even family members of any of the competing teams— meaning the bleachers will remain empty outside of any volunteers or workers around Bill Armstrong Stadium moving around.
“We’ve all seen sporting events without fans this year. We know how it is— it’s not the same. I’m not going to lie to you and say it is going to be the same because the fans add an enormous piece of the atmosphere to the race,” Little 500 Race Director Hank Duncan said. “But, there are sacrifices that every sporting event this year has had to make, and this is the one we have to make as well.”
Traditionally, the women’s race would be run on a Friday, while the men’s race would be run on a Saturday. This year, in an effort to reduce any risk of transmission of COVID-19, race officials decided to have both races run on the same day— May 26. The women’s race will begin at noon, while the men’s race is slated for a 4 PM start time.
There won’t be any skydivers prior to the races this year, and Straight No Chaser will perform a pre-recorded version of Back Home Again in Indiana.
All personnel, riders, and crew members associated with the men’s race will not be permitted to enter the stadium until everyone with the women’s race exits the facility. Everyone entering the stadium for both races will undergo a rapid COVID-19 test to ensure that they are healthy to enter the area.
In this video, Duncan explains the impact of the Little 500 and why it is essential to have this race after last year’s cancellation of the event.
Charlie Moffitt, the junior captain for Forest Cycling, has already gone through the frustrations of COVID-19 impacting his team’s preparations for the Little 500. Moffitt contracted coronavirus just a day before time trials in the fall. Because of this, all other riders for Forest were contact-traced out of competing in this event.
“It’s better to get tested and take all the precautions in May to get the race, than cancel the race altogether,” Moffitt said. “We’ve all learned to live with uncertainty over the past year or so, and so it’s another uncertain part of life, but for now, we’re still able to race, so we’re here for it.”
As for the legacy of the race, many organizers and riders around the Little 500 believe the event could not afford to miss another year of no competition. The number of teams in the men’s race is down to 25, while the women’s race has decreased to 17 teams in the field.
“If there weren’t a race this year, these numbers would shrink even more for next year because there’s no experience behind the riders and there’s no passion behind it. They don’t know why they’re riding,” Duncan said. “So the fact we have a race this year, it gets the students back involved, it gives them something to train for, and keeps that tradition and Little 500 experience and knowledge going towards the next cohort of students.”
Because the race is in late-May this year, many riders had to work around a non-pandemic problem for once: being able to be in Bloomington on May 26.
Moffitt, an Indianapolis native, says he plans on leaving Bloomington following the end of the semester, and will commute back and forth to practice with his team at the track when needed, but will be doing much of his training on his own leading up to race day. Fortunately, his summer internship doesn’t start until a few weeks after the Little 500— but the same thing cannot be said for others.
“I have a lot of friends who had to put Little 5 on hold, had to really do a lot of leg work with their employers and summer plans to make sure they can get down here for Little 5,” Moffitt said. “Our team’s been very fortunate where that hasn’t bitten us too much, but it is something I was worried about when I heard they were moving the race.”
In this video, Moffitt explains how many riders have had to adjust their schedule to be able to ride in this year’s Little 500. The races were originally scheduled for April 23 and 24, but have been moved to May 26.
Since there were no Quals this year, starting positions will be based on results from Team Pursuit. Alpha Xi Delta will lead the women’s field at the start of the first race, while JETBLACH will be up front in the men’s field. The full listing of starting positions for both races can be found here.
The top ten positions for both races look like this:
33rd running of the Women’s Little 500
- Alpha Xi Delta
- Theta Phi Alpha
- Delta Gamma
- Teter
- Melanzana
- Alpha Delta Pi
- RideOn Cycling
- Phi Mu
- Alpha Omicron Pi
- Alpha Chi Omega
70th running of the Men’s Little 500
- JETBLACH
- Cutters
- Chi Alpha
- Sigma Phi Epsilon
- Phi Kappa Psi
- Gray Goat
- Bears
- Acacia
- CSF
- Phi Gamma Delta
On the women’s side, Teter will look to defend their 2019 crown after narrowly defeating Delta Gamma two years ago. On the other side, Cutters will look to make it three victories in a row after defeating Bears, the runner-up two years ago.
Both races will be broadcasted on broadcast.iu.edu.
Many things will look different this year, but one thing is certain— there will be a Little 500 winner crowned in both races, and the spirit of the event will live on— even with no fans making noise in the final lap down the stretch.
“My goal right now is to create the smoothest race possible for 2021 and once that checkered flag flies in the men’s race after 4 o’clock, that wave of relief over me will just envelop me,” Duncan said. “We need to keep this tradition alive and having this race occur in 2021 is crucial to the long-term success of this race.”
