A brand new women’s team is taking to the track this spring in the Little 500. The Mezcla women’s team last competed in 2014 and are thrilled to be back this year after a long hiatus.
The team first competed in 1997, when they had the distinction of being the first women’s Latino team. “Mezcla” is a Spanish word meaning mix and the team is associated with La Casa Latino Cultural Center. They consider themselves to be “Latino-based but not Latino-exclusive,” explained Laura Duro, a senior member of the team.
The Mezcla men’s team resurfaced in 2023 and from early on, knew they wanted to re-establish a women’s team as well. The men competed in the 2024 Little 500, placing 26th with a time of 2:12:56.
After the race was over, it was time to look to the future of Mezcla and get to work establishing the women’s team. Michael Sears, coach for the Mezcla men, agreed to coach the women as well. In addition to sharing a coach, the two teams are close.
“We’re all like a very close friend group, it’s really nice,” Duro said.
Duro was one of the first women to join the new team.
“My interest first started when I watched the race my sophomore year and I was just watching and I was like, ‘I really want to do that,’” she said.
She joined a group chat with some other women interested in starting the team, purchased a bike and began training over the summer. When Duro returned to campus in the fall, she took part in Rookie Week, a series of workshops and bike rides where first-time riders learn the ropes.
Interview with Laura Duro.
Duro was Alondra Cortez’s RA her freshman year. When Cortez heard about Mezcla, she reached out to Duro, joining the team in late October.
“I really just wanted a new hobby and I’m open to trying a lot of new things,” she said.
With a team made up of entirely rookies, the women had no veteran team members to rely on. But over time, they met riders from other teams who were willing to lend their expertise to Mezcla and offer advice.
“I feel like now we have more guidance, but initially it was really hard not having that mentorship,” Duro said.
Now, the team has six members. In addition to Duro and Cortez, the team includes senior Val Juarez, junior Parnasi Bandyophadhyay, junior Mia Salazar and freshman Jocelyn Lopez-Gomez.
Interview with Alondra Cortez.
March 29, 2025 was Mezcla’s first big test: qualifications. In a field of 36 women’s teams, they needed to place in the top 33 to qualify for race day.
They soared, placing 18th after a successful first attempt.
“I was so happy, I was so proud of us. It was such a great feeling,” Cortez said.
Although it has been over a decade since Mezcla women raced, they had a large group of supporters and alumni cheering them on for qualifications.
Now, they are looking forward to that big day in April. Their goal for the race?
“Winning is nice and stuff but we are a newer team so I just want to see how far we can get,” Cortez said.
The 37th running of the women’s Little 500 is April 25 at 4 p.m. Tickets are available on the IU Student Foundation website.
