We’ve noticed everyone has taken a liking to talking about the race. So we’re giving you a place to do that, and just that.
Feel free to use this area to discuss anything and everything about the Little 500 — Qualifications, Spring Series, the race itself.
Please, no character attacks. Trash-talking is great, but slandering people isn’t. Let’s keep it clean. Or your post will be deleted.
33to1 
ZBT ftw
Quals Picks
Men:
Row 1: SAE, Cutters, Sigma Chi
Row 2: Beta, BKB, Sigma Chi
Women:
Row 1: Teter, DG, AXO
Row 2: Theta, Cru, Ski
Edit:
Quals Picks
Men:
Row 1: SAE, Cutters, Sigma Chi
Row 2: Beta, BKB, Bears
Women:
Row 1: Teter, DG, AXO
Row 2: Theta, Cru, Ski
Third is pretty high for Sig Chi having almost no time on the track. Maybe they can pull it off?
But we have Hotkamp. The most amazing rider in the race. So athletic he doesn’t need time on the track.
Quals Weather? What is the history of delaying or rescheduling Quals due to weather? Currently 100% precipitation forecasted with highs only reaching the med 30s.
Welcome to Indiana spring. Looks like we’re in for a wild ride for 2018!
In 2015, the track flash thawed after about a quarter of teams had attempted qualifying. It was so unrideable that veterans were going down in the turns just trying to get around the track. We ended up delaying all attempts and finished well after 9pm.
No track records this quals with the anticipated weather. 2.25 for the men, and 2.40 for women will take the poll.
Who was the last team to win with 3 rookies on the team? Asking for a friend.
Delts 2016
Miserable day for quals, but the teams pretty much qualified in order. No big surprises. Faster times earlier in the day. Congrats to Cutters and DG. Let’s see how the rest of spring plays out. Weather for ITT’s will be in the 50’s with rain in the late afternoon, evening. Theta and DG will have most of the top 10. Will Hannon take the top spot though. On the mens side the first three way tie between Krahulik, Martinez, and Figg.
Yeah, great analysis. Riley is for sure going to make up ten seconds on Eggsavier to take the top spot at ITT’s this year.
I heard Craig Aithede was going to win ITT’s this year and the hearts of all of the sorority teams. If you need a K201 tutor, hit him up.
Mr. Newton,
I don’t see that happening, unless Xavier has a cast on his leg.
Whatever happened to Charlie Hicks as a favorite? Could also see Noble mixing it up with Riley and Xavier.
Power hour is martinez, Krahulik, Mangel, and Guyon. Who comes out on top? Any chance of sub 2:20 with the forecasted rain?
Looks like rain Tues thru Wed morning, cloudy for rest of wednesday with 5mph winds, high of 58. If I’d have to make a guess, the track may be able to dry a good amount by the 4pm starts. Earliest starts may still have a very soft, damp track. Late starts should have the best track surface and lines assuming the earlier runs didn’t create bad ruts while the track was softer.
I heard the men’s field already conceded the white jersey to BKB.
Is Hannon the obvious choice to win ITT’s. Will the inclement weather affect her. Who Else could be up there?
I don’t think it’s that obvious. Rachel Brown is going to give her a challenge. Probably a more entertaining showdown than the men’s side because they were so close in all the fall events
Yes, Brown will be competitive. What about the DG’s. Are they flying under the radar? The mens will be very close. Dont see a favorite there. It will be a very intersting night of racing.
Don’t think the DG’s are going to be contesting for the win. Theta will take the most top 10 spots and the winner, DG’s 4 will fall somewhere between 8th and 15th
Is Hannon strong/smart enough to put the team on her back ftw?
Little 500 Short Bois All-Star Squad???
Yes, Brown will be competitive. What about the DG’s. Are they flying under the radar? The mens will be very close. Dont see a favorite there. It will be a very intersting night of racing.
Happy National Joe Day @Joe Hunt!
Women’s ITT winner will unveil a NEW threat.
Men:
1. Martinez
2. Krahulik
3. Mangel
4. Schwedland
Women:
1. Brown
2. Hannon
3. Kamplain
4. Garrity
Very silly of you to not consider Hanna Coppens as a contender for the ITT Crown. She threw down a low 42 second lap on Saturday. None of the other women who anchored were even close to that. Her split was faster than many of the men’s teams as well and those men who she didn’t outright beat she was within spitting distance of.
There is no doubt about it, Hanna is FAAAAST!!! If I were to bet, my money would be on Hanna for tonight
Schwedland will be about 2:15.77 ahead of Krahulik
You should look over the ITT heat list.
Predictions:
Men:
-Krahulik
-Guyon
-Martinez
Women:
-Hannon
-Coppins
-Brown
Joe K with the biggest swinging dick in Monroe County. When he’s on, nobody can touch him. Nobody. It’s Joe. Then it’s everyone else.
Hope SAE doesn’t crash for the 4th year in a row…
*3rd
Next, MNO predictions! I think joe continues his stream resembling his 2016 self to beat out noble and figg in the final.
I think Brooke may not be race savvy enough to win this event so I’ll give it to a theta who has knapp in their corner
Martinez and Krahulik are head and shoulders better than the rest of the field. It will be interesting to see how they clash in MNO and team pursuit.
Sig Ep is good this year…but do they have the strength to hold a breakaway or attempt? Their chances aren’t awesome in a sprint. Cutters didn’t show up last night…surprising?
Looks like it’s going to be a three team battle between SAE, BKB, and Sig Ep.
Cutters underperformed, but remember when they tanked their ITTs last year? I have a hard time believing the team that took the pole would go that slow in ITTs. Their ceiling was and still is competing as contenders. 3ph, Sigma Chi, and Bears look like they could be in the mix on the final lap, but are on a different tier than those 3 teams and Cutters.
Cutters have regressed to mediocrity.
It’s the Eric Young Curse. The last four years have led to a renaissance of independent teams. The BKB’s have easily taken over as the sheriff in town, but there are plenty others nipping at their heals: 3PH, Bears, Gray Goat, Forest. Cutters don’t know how to win in this new era because they have failed to adapt to the current competitive landscape.
Plenty of good fraternities and independent teams that I would worry about before Cutters on race day.
Quals is 1 lap, itt is 4. Winning quals does not translate to a great itt automatically. I agree they underperformed but I don’t think they purposefully threw it
Last time Cutters was a legitimate contender, I was your starting point guard.
Cutters are superior road cyclists but that does not translate to the track. Joe K can’t hang with them in a crit but he smokes the hell out of them on the track. He races on the velodrome also which none of the Cutters do. Are the Cutters contenders? Yes. But are they a top 3 favorite? No. Let’s see what their finisher Guyon does on Saturday. My pick is figg or joe.
Joe beat those guys in crits a couple times over the summer. Maybe he gets popped in a long road race, but a crit race isn’t that different from a race on a track
MNO 2017 and 2016 Mens MNO Final and Semifinal Returnees:
2017
Figg – 2nd
Krahulik – 3rd
Ottenweller – 4th
Martinez – 5th
Thompson – Semifinalist
Mangel – Semifinalist
2016
Krahulik – 1st
Figg – 4th
Ottenweller – Semifinalist
Will Bishop have Kamplain race for Jetblach this year?
He certainly should try!
Just wait to see how she performs next season
White Jersey competition so far of teams that landed someone in the top 10. Top 3 riders scored:
Sig Ep 17
BKB 25
SAE 37
Sig Chi 43
3PH 47
Bears 54
Gray Goat 60
Cutters 65
Sig Ep # 4 was a distant 91st, Cutters were without Trevor so if he’s healthy they might get 4 guys in the top 30, Gray Goat had highest placing 4th rider at 32
How is the White Jersey competition scored? Thanks.
Goats had the narrowest margin between their 1st and fourth rider at 25 spots. Could make for an interesting Team Pursuit. Other margins include:
SAE – 64
BKB – 50
SigEP – 88
3PH – 44
SigChi – 41
Cutters – 105
Bears – 74
Beta – 53
FIJI – 58
Not really sure about MNO and TP, but at least for ITTs it’s the sum of each teams 3 highest placing riders. MNO is scored by each teams 3 highest finishers. I think a flat amount of points is given to people eliminated in round 1 and 2 and for the semis and finals the score is just the place they finish. TP might score might be finishing place*4, but I’m not positive on that one. Lowest total wins white jersey
I think everyone is sleeping in PiLam. They’ve put in work this off-season…expect a big day out on the track from them. They will show up!
PiLam has the Michelin man on a bike. Dude go home no one gives a shit about PiLam, they’re horrible .
The more pathetic the comments the worse the rider. 10/10 this guy above is in the latter half of the field for skill.
Pilam got some big ole boys on their squad
Think it’s going to be an interesting spring for sure. Joe and Xavier look like the strongest 2 in the field right now. SigEp is the strongest team 1-3, with Gray Goat not too far back. Cutters look like a knockoff version of BKB or SAE, with 1 rider head and shoulders above the rest, but their “star” isn’t as bright. I think BKB goes down in TP this year to Ep. Ep taking the white jersey as well. The only thing BKB has an edge over anybody this year is Knapp. Very difficult to repeat, especially without someone to eat their laps this year.
My Predictions (for the rest of Spring)
MNO
1. Krahulik
2. Martinez
3. Guyon
4. Figg
5. Thompson
6. Ottenweller
TP
1. SigEp
2. BKB
3. Gray Goat
4. Cutters
5. Bears
RACE
1. SigEp
2. BKB
3. SAE
4. Cutters
5. Bears
Looks like Joe/Xavier could turn into a Tabitha/Liz situation
Has anyone ever held the girls record for less time than Brown did?
Yes. Like most, she never held the record.
Team Pursuit evaluation following ITTs based on the times of 3rd rider and 4th rider:
Sig Ep — 2:24 // 2:36
BKB — 2:25 // 2:28*
GG — 2:27 // 2:28
SAE — 2:27 // 2:32
Bears — 2:27 // 2:36
3PH — 2:28 // 2:30
Cutters — 2:29 // 2:40*
*This list only examines a rider’s 2018 ITT time and does not account for the use of riders that did not race ITTs in 2018,
BKB, Gray Goat and are stronger than Sig Ep using this approach.
This is a good idea, but remember that TP is scored by the time the third rider crosses the line. So a 4th rider probably won’t be expected to finish/pull much. Another thing to consider for teams built like SAE is that Krahulik will likely pull 10+ laps and his 3rd/4th guy might never even see the front
Jetblach 2:29 // 2:30
3RD RIDER’S ITT time (NOT 4th rider’s) predicts Mens’s TP results:
1 Sig Ep – 9:10 (2:24)
2 BKB – 9:16 (2:25)
3 SAE – 9:24 (2:27)
4 Bears – 9:31 (2:27)
5. Beta – 9:33 (2:27)
6. 3PH – 9:39 (2:28)
7. GG – 9:46 (2:28)
Jetblach 30 to 1?
The EP train is going and not stopping
MissNOut ade fools ot of most. Although neither win was a total surprise they both prove the point that it’s a toss up. Krahulik going down in his semi was a shame. He was sitting by the emergency tent almost the entire time between semi and final. Although Hicks did ride a clever race and showed some savvy. Hannon did show a lack of skill and made a hug mistake going first. Her lead out was too slow drawn out and too early and Brown and Coppens easily passed her. Cppens was the stronger rider but left it too late to make her move. Brown deserved the win but race day DG will be in with a chance. Team pusuit will be fun to watch. RACE PREDICTIONS; sig ep, bkb, SAE, and Theta,DG, AGD.
Method for examining team depth – Number of riders advancing through Miss N Out rounds:
Round 2: BKB 7, GG 5, SAE 4, PhiPsi 3, Bears 3, Forest 3, SigEp 3, JetB 3, Beta 3, 3PH 2, Cutters 1…
Round 3: SigEp 3, BKB 3, SAE 3, GG 3, Bears 2, Cutters 1, 3PH 1
Finals: SigEp 2, Cutters 1, GG 1, SAE 1, BKB 1
5 teams advance multiple riders to the top 16. Only Sig Ep advance more than 1 rider to the top 6.
Not only that, but Sig Ep just had three riders start. 100% into the semis and 67% into the finals. Same three guys were all top-10 in ITTs. The SigEp boys are hungry. They are most certainly on a good trajectory to claim their 4th title.
On the other hand, they have no fourth rider. 200 laps is better split between 4 than 3.
Nothing against Ep, great riders and great guys but if you compare their paths through the bracket none of them had to clash with another major rider until the semis when most of the other “assumed” main players did. I still believe they’ll be a threat on race day. They’re now the team to beat
That’s what happens when your three riders all finish in the top-10 of ITTs. 4th rider is hardly ever a factor in Little 500 as they’re only expected to ride minimal laps when the race is slow. We’ll know for sure after team pursuit, but I guess they will likely win it or at worst finish third. Regardless, the team in white will be the one to beat on race day.
Ep won the 2015 race with a weak fourth. Delts won 2016 on the back of Tormoehlen. Only need a four man team if you’re gonna try to blow up the field
Sig EP rider, I rode with Luke Tormoehlen. I knew Luke Tormoehlen. Luke Tormoehlen was a friend of mine. Sig EP rider, you’re no Luke Tormoehlen!
Sig Ep’s fourth rider did participate in MNO. He was in the same round 1 heat as Charlie Hicks
Trust me. Sig Eps are the best. The very, very best. To make it fair they should only use 2 riders.
Worlds is obviously the biggest race day indicator
If worlds were the biggest indicator then it would be Knapp and the cutters because they fucked everyone in worlds lol
Top 5 Best Looking Bike Teams:
1. Chi Alpha
2. Young Pioneers
3. SigEP
4. Beta
5. Bearz
I hope you’re kidding. If not, yikes………
Why the hell aren’t you guys talking about me?! I won the ITT record and got cheated on MnO, I am the sole reason why Melanzana is worth a damn this year. I took a whole 5th year to be out here and you guys aren’t even talking about me? This is pathetic, Joe didn’t break the ITT record, I did.
No I’m Brooke Hannon.
No I’M Brooke Hannon.
^^very poor troll job Fake Brooke Hannon….sad
How can Miss n Out be scored accurately if the chip is placed on the back fork, but the back tire determines whether someone is eliminated? Often times an elimination is called by inches or less. If a rider does a bike throw, his chip may cross first but quickly loses momentum and if the other rider has more momentum and does not throw the bike his back tire can cross first but still be eliminated.
Are chips calibrated to score the rider where the front or back tire crosses or are they just tracking where the fork is?
Also, are the impeding rules not in place for Miss n out? One man pushed another man to elimination all the way across the track. Blatant impeding yet he moved on with to the next round easily without penalty.
IUSF Miss N Out Rules Re Elimination: “…the last rider to have his/her front tire cross the start/finish line
will be eliminated from competition and asked to leave the track without interfering with remaining
riders.”
TY. When did they change the rules? I googled Miss n out Little 500 and the first result that came up from 2014 said “This race will be run in heats of six to ten riders. Once the competition begins, the last rider to have his or her rear tire cross the start/finish line will be eliminated from competition.”
That still doesn’t answer the question regarding the chip being placed on the front fork (not back fork sorry) as a good bike throw will now potentially cause the rider that crossed first to be eliminated as his momentum drops after the throw while someone flying around turn 4 carrying a ton of speed and no bike throw can be ahead due to the chip being a full foot away from the front tire.
The timing loop is offset to the start/finish line by the same length as the chip placement on the fork to the front of the tire. Page 5:
Click to access MyLaps_ProChip_Manual_Dec2010.pdf
MYLAPS is accurate down to 0.001 of a second–much better than the human eye or a bunch of drunk Pi Phi’s judging the event.
Go watch the end of the 2015 men’s race. The differential for 1st through 6th was 0.380 seconds. Every one of the teams was accurately captured.
Thank you. That is helpful. I figured they had the capability but sometimes cheaper systems are not so advanced. I agree, without replay trusting the eyes of the judges is a lost cause.
So who will win team pursuit? How do they qualify the teams to decide which heat they go in. Is it based on the accumulated points from the previous two events. In that case I think Sig Ep and BKB in the fastest heat for men and Theta and DG for women. Could be any of 4 or 5 teams in final for men, but I think the same final as last year for the women. Last years womens race was extremely close. Again a fun day of racing.
1. BKB
2. SigEp
3. Sigma Chi
4. Gray Goat
5. SAE
6. Beta
7. Cutters
8. Bears
Thoughts on Cutters this year? Will they contend? Decent Team? Finisher?
Top 5 team
what they look like:
1 or 2. Eric S. – Good rider on the road, hasn’t done much in little 5, didn’t participate in itts this year, lost in 1st round of MnO
1 or 2. Guyon- Good sprinter on the road, got 2nd in MnO this year and 8th in itts, i assume he is the finisher, maybe on the same level as Depasse? Lost to Hicks and hicks isn’t a true finisher so it will be interesting if he or Eric are the finisher
3. Coulter- another good road rider, 29th in itts, rode as a freshman in 2017, decent in little 5? Don’t know a lot about him, no MnO appearance this year, nothing that stands out
4. William H- 28th in itts, looks like a fit kid, haven’t seen him on the road and no MnO appearance either.
5. Stevens- 2:40 it, a freshman, doubt he is their top 4
In summary, probably top 5, podium at best or with luck, no true finisher. BKB with X and SAE with Joe and Sigep are the teams to beat.
What is the reasoninf not to xompete in ITT oe MissNout? Unless its not to expose your strengths or weaknesses.
We can guess but we will never know. Cutters apparently aren’t even signed up to do Team Pursuit, I do not understand what Fowler has up his sleeve
After 30 years of success, they’ve resigned themselves to mediocrity. 2018 will mark the 7th year in a row without a title for Cutters. They are irrelevant and on their way to extinction.
They won quals! More independent teams spread the recruiting around but they are still a good team.
‘Zana 20 second pre-race penalty????? Confirm???
We rise by lifting others and crashing them out.
If Cutters are really racing Erik, they have more problems than we can even begin to grasp. I know it’s his senior year and last little 500, but if a guy with a torn meniscus is really a better team option than their next man up, the “dynasty” is up. Boner-esque, entitled personalities since EY who want their races handwrapped and delivered with next day delivery have ruined what was once a great team. I’m not saying they have bad riders. But ONE podium finish in 5 years, despite having 2 ITT champs (one year of which they went 1-2 in ITTs). This is in the same time frame that multiple other independent teams have had lots of success. BKB has 2 wins. Gray Goat and Bears/Wright have 3 top-10 finishes. 3PH has 3 in 3 years! With Cutters’ historic success, they should be able to pick and choose from the independent rider field every single year. Why aren’t they? Because of the toxic environment they foster and arrogance they show, despite doing nothing to warrant it.
There does seem to have been a shift in the Independent Landscape since the EY era. Cutter’s success led to a reputation of arrogance, making it harder to attract Little 500 talent. BKB steps in and begins seeing real success, leading to more arrogance and less talent with their newer riders. Gray Goat, 3PH, and Bears step in….
Even Gray Goat thought Gray Goat was folding after the 2013 race. Now they have a deep multi-year team that is a perennial contender
I don’t know if I believe that the 2018 Cutters are arrogant. That tag was inherited from past riders over the last 5 years.
Arrogant winners are generally tolerated. “To the winner goes the spoils!” Arrogance without winning is like a sailboat without wind. Eventually you will slowly be pushed out to sea as the birds peck away at your sunburned lonely face.
Agreed
Mr. Darkside,
It’s hard for us to speak on cutter arrogance without us being out there on the track interacting with them. From what is being said by other riders about them, it seems they put themselves on that sailboat with no wind and on April 21st the birds will be pecking.
Who are the darkhorses in the men’s and women’s fields this year?
In the womens field dark horses would be ADG and Theta Phi Alpha. both teams had some solid times this spring from some individuals. Having seen AOPi grow the past few years they may well crash and burn after their recent ascent. AXO may make a move and are a solid team although they don’t have any individuals to finish it off. Teter may well show up and do well, but It’s definintely the Greek teams that will dominate and DG will be up for a podium finish. Theta is the team to mark and beat this year. If other teams don’t key off them they’re only fooling themselves. They have a dynasty going.
On the men’s side there are too many contenders to allow a dark horse to enter the fray, although maybe sigma chi and phi delts might make a move. Neither are great but do have good but not great riders. Kappa Sig had a good quals but none of their riders stepped up in the individual events. I don’t see anyone with the depth to make the podium other than SAE, BKB, Sig Ep, Cutters, 3PH, Gray Goat.
Dad? Is that you?
Would greatly appreciate a link to today’s TP schedule. Any exciting match ups? Thanks in advance. CTO
DG and Theta had a pretty epic battle last year. Theta won the prelims but then DG won the finals by less than a second. Could we see a similar throw down?
BKB has won 4 of the last 4 team pursuits. Could this be the year their streak falls? Sig ep looks poised for a great turnout but can they do it with only three guys?
Brooke and Melanzana have answered their critics, of which I was one, as have Sig Ep. Congrats to both.
Looks like Theta and BKB will take the white jerseys. So the big picture doesn’t look too different from last year. Bring on the Race.
If my calculations are correct, I believe Sig Ep will actually be in white on race day. They’ve successfully broken the BKB streak. Let’s see if they can stop them on race day
It’s always good to see a little movement at the top.
Personally, I think both SigEp and BKB seems like great guys who genuinely deserve the win. Not a fan of excluding yourself from Spring Series. It should be a great battle to the end with a few other teams like SAE and Cutters that can take the taxi and have an exciting finish. It has been a few years since people have rivaled BKB’s depth making for a great race day. Just sure hope others can catch on when it blows up and gives the Little 500 the reputation it deserves, the best collegiate bike race.
Do BKB and Sig Ep win bromance 2018??
POWER RANKINGS 1-5
1. Sigma Phi Epsilon
Two riders in the top five and three in the top 10. Add on two MNO finalists and a Team Pursuit win and you have the overall favorite for the 68th running of the Little 500. The lack of a fourth rider may allow other teams a chance, but good luck stopping this train. My only real concern lies in the fact that SigEP hasn’t had the target on their backs like this. When NT took the checkered flag in 2015 he was able to sit in and let some of the stronger teams pull. We’ll see how EP handles the pressure soon enough.
2. Black Key Bulls
You have to put them here. Returning champions. 2nd in Team Pursuit. Two in the top ten and three in the top 25. Xavier Martinez, anybody. While BKB is having a less than ideal season this year, they are still a dominant force to reckon with and having Knapp in your pit sure helps. If BKB can shake its yellow jersey hangover, look for Xavier them to make a move about 20 laps out.
3. Sigma Alpha Epsilon
SAE finished 5th last year with three rookies and an ugly crash. This will be the final race for three Seniors including Joe and the first for new Krahulik on the block, Beto K. If they can manage not to crash out for a third straight year, expect Joe to see the front with ~5 laps to go. There is nobody that can match his mid-range attack.
4. Bears
A team I thought should be having a better season. They return a veteran crew including last year’s MNO runner-up, Riley Figg. They have a solid workhorse in Goodrum and a top pure-sprinter in Langley. I’ve bumped them down from my top favorites but with their experience, I think they can put things together for a strong race day.
5. 3PH
Similar to Bears, they’ve been around the block and know what is needed to win. With 5th-year riders Thompson and Cohen, this could be the final year for the team so expect them to go down swinging. Just try to keep race day favorite Joe Krahulik from going down with you.
@Power Rankings – Thank you for for the comprehensive posts. Almost entirely agree with your assessments of each team other than I rank Sig Ep, BKB and SAE as having equal chances to win.
I endorse all of the following predictions. Except for SAE. Joe Krahulik has spaghetti arms