Billed as “The World’s Greatest College Weekend,” the Indiana University Little 500 is the largest collegiate bike race in the United States.
The first Women’s Little 500 race was held in 1988, after four members of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority completed a successful qualifications race in the 1987 men’s event. This was Kappa Alpha Theta’s third attempt to join the Little 500 race.
Since 1988, Kappa Alpha Theta has won 32 titles. This includes eight first place titles – the most any women’s team has won.
Anna Young, IU senior and co-captain of Theta Cycling, has been on the Theta bike team since her freshman year at IU.
“It’s been quite a different year in terms of trying to resume our normal training,” Young said. “We’ve had to flex a lot in terms of scheduling and how we ride together because of the pandemic. The Little 500 community is a lot different, as well. We’re not able to be together as much, but Riders Council and Steering Committee have done a great job in terms of being able to put on events in which we can still live on the tradition.”
Young said the team bikes six days a week and has continued training and business as usual.
Anna Young, IU senior and Theta Cycling co-captain, shares her teams training schedule and dives deeper into what Little 500 truly means to not only the Theta organization – but to her.
The 2021 race dates are currently scheduled for April 23 and 24 but are considered tentative due to the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Indiana University Student Foundation students plan and execute the Little 500 bicycle race every year with the help of advisors and campus officials. IUSF was founded in 1950 when former IU Foundation President Howdy Wilcox observed an informal bicycle race on campus and pitched the idea to the foundation as a way to help raise scholarship money for working students and to build lifelong support for IU.
Rachel Widenhofer, IU senior and Steering Committee member, said Bill Armstrong stadium reopened to bikers early last month with new restrictions and implementing COVID-19 guidelines.
“Each team can come [to the track] and it has to be one team at a time practicing with masks,” Widenhofer said. “and all the volunteers have to wear masks, as well.”
Widenhofer said she is hopeful the race will happen at the end of April and is proud of the efforts IUSF has made to host virtual events and social-distanced activities for the bikers.
Emma Thompson, IU sophomore and Theta Cycling rookie, has not just learned to bike race through training – but something far more valuable.
For one IU sophomore, Little 500 seems like a distant dream.
Emma Thompson, IU sophomore and Theta Cycling rookie, joined Theta Cycling her freshman year after being encouraged by her mother and has stuck with it ever since.
“Training has been really awesome,” Thompson said. “It’s had its ups and downs, just like anything. But it’s definitely made me stronger both physically and mentally – and I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
Thompson said the ability to be outside every day has been important to her throughout this training season and is lucky things have worked out so well for the team, thus far.
After IU’s holiday breaks, Little 500 teams will begin to ramp up their training in preparation for the big race in April.
The road to this day may still be unclear, but the strength and drive of the Little 500 bikers is apparent.
