Discussion Room

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.

 

 

3,629 thoughts on “Discussion Room”

  2. Can somebody start a GoFundMe to get the Phi Delts some bike socks? Funny how the geeds are more frat than the frats.

    Dave Blaze identity reveal if a frat podiums! @Phi Psi @Sig Ep @FIJI @Pi Lam

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  3. Tisdale and Strobel are heads and shoulders above every other sprinter as seen in Miss and Out. These teams want a sprint so figure out how to use that to your advantage. 5 days to go.

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  4. @The petition circulating around, why the hell would you ask for fans to be attendance and not just parents and teammates. I’m tired of seeing Instagram stories where riders demand to have their parents or teammates there to attend, even though the change.org petition wants to allow fans as well. I get your argument in the hypocrisy of other sports hosting fans and bars being open, frankly I even agree. But writing a petition that calls for different change than which you advertise looks bad and makes the motives seem questionable. I think Monroe county and IU would be more responsive if the petition was more reasonable and only asked for parents and teammates to be able to attend. After all, they are far more important than any other fans.

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  5. Show me one petition or change.org campaign involving Little 500 that has been successful.
    Well written or not. None of us are in a position to pushback on these decisions. We’re too afraid to even push back on Andrea. All of these options should have been presented back in March before everything was set in stone. IUSF/IUF is not selling the riders out now, they sold all of us out last March.

    McRobbie is not making any changes this late. (And it is HIS call) He faces no consequences for holding the line. His last day as President is June 30th. He is judgement proof. To him and many others, the tradition of Little 500 that is woven into the fabric of I.U., is not the bike race, it is the parties. Consider the Greek teams that are not riding in 2021 because of transgressions made by their membership. For some administrators it is a clear sign that to the students the bike race is a distant second to their right to party.

    Our dedication to the Little 500 race stands head and shoulders above virtually every other student and organization on campus. And that includes IUSF and IUF, who already know that you will not be a donor to IU. Which makes you a non-person their eyes.

    Focus on the tasks at hand and forget about the things you cannot change. Go out on Wednesday and ride your hearts out. Make sure that the hardest ride on Wednesday, is your ride home, because you left everything on the track. Because by doing so, you pay your respect to the tradition, a tradition that deserves at least that.

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  6. Gone are the days when this board could be full of Little 5 nonsense, race predictions, and criticism towards IUSF (some warranted, some just stupid).

    Now we have to worry about real problems. Growing the race, poor and dangerous track conditions, fans in the stands, the future of the race, etc.

    As Andy Bernard said: “I wish there was a way to know you’re in the good old days before you’ve actually left them.”

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  9. Given the weather predictions for Wednesday, it may be a long day for both men and women riders. Particularly troubling will be if the Women’s race is moved to the evening. This, however, would not be the first time the women have run under the lights. In 2012 for the 25th Women’s race, the race,which started and 8:00pm) was both under the lights and in the rain.

    The difference for 2021 will be in the preparation for running in the evening. That difference is that in 2012 IUSF paid $5000.00 to have the lights re-aimed to provide a safer environment. (The lights are aimed for Soccer, with the brightest area being the middle of the soccer field,) The NCAA has guidelines for ensuring safety for the athletes and enjoyment for the spectators for outdoor sports held at night. Prior to adjusting the lights, these standards were not met. In fact, the lighting in turns 1, 3 & 4, varied from unsafe to dangerous.

    So be careful 0ut there.

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  11. All Star Riders

    Women
    Evie – Zana
    Katherine Free – DG
    Jess – AXiD
    Anna Young – Theta
    Corrine – Teter
    Nat – TPA

    Men
    Krahulik – JB
    Buck – BKB
    Logan Tisdale – GG
    La Valle – PhiPsi
    Rhys Ivory-Ganja – SigEp
    Chase Madsen – XA

    Rookies of the Year

    Women
    Olivia Hubbart – Theta
    Audrey La Valle – Theta
    Kensington Knowling – DG
    Stephanie Portolese – Zana

    Men
    Logan Brown – BKB
    Torin – Cutters
    Braden Clements – JB
    Jake Richards – GG

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  12. Wow, what a crazy, crash filled race. Unlucky crash to have at lap 197 to take out the fields top sprinters, Logan Tisdale and Robert Strobel. With all the work Strobel put in to catch on, you have to think that was Tisdale’s race to lose right there. Credit to JB and Cutters for picking up the pieces and sealing up the podium. BKB and GG will surely be back next year, but damn, did we want to see that Strobel Tisdale face off one last time. Kudos to both 4 year riders, who surely have to be in the conversation for all star rider, regardless of their finish.

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    • Bullshit!

      BKB and GG were NOT in the right spot when it mattered most. The track was a mess and pack position over the last 5 laps was paramount. It was INEVITABLE that there would be a crash before the white flag.

      @DAMM is your real name Charlie Hammon? “BKB’s Strobel is nearing the finish, merely seconds behind those other riders who placed ahead of him, its unfortunate this is not a 201 lap race….”

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      • What are your referring to? Just watched the race tape and that was never said by either commentator.

    • Neither of them were beating Rob yesterday and especially not under those conditions. Weve never seen him pop like that and I dont think he will ever do it again.

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      • The last lap was only 32.3 seconds. It would have been nice to see how Tisdale would have fared there. But hats off to the winners and Krahulik. Fun race to watch.

    • Strobel and Tisdale for being experienced racers did not have track position when it mattered. What was not talked about at all in the broadcast was the save by Sig Ep to battle back to 3rd.

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  15. Phi Psi laps the field after a monster ride from LaValle, Ep on the podium after surviving the crash, FIJI gives everyone a very sweaty race, and Phi Delt chasing back and sitting in prime sprint position on Lap 198 before the crash…

    Next year might be for the Greeks!

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  17. Last team on the lead lap when the crash on 198 happened. Blown off the back when Phi Psi was lapping and only made contact again because of the crash at 150. Nobody benefitted more than XA from crashes!

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    • Phi Psi and JB are at the top. I would give Phi Psi a slight edge over JB based on who is returning. However, I don’t think either team is suited for a top 3 (top 5 if you’re phi psi) finish if there is a field sprint.

      Logan Brown might be the fastest person on the track now. Toran and Chase both overachieved based on the crash but Cutters and XA will improve their teams to support them better. Expect them to be there.

      I wish I knew more about Phi Delta Theta but I think Murray can be a race winner if everything goes smoothly for them.

      Unless anyone significantly improves their sprint, the 2022 field lacks someone as quick as second tier sprinters from 2021 like Ganja. All the top returners (Goode, Toran, Andrew, Hohenstreiter, and Brown to an extent) are known for their endurance rather than their speed.

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      • XA and Phi Delta Theta could be scary next year. XA didn’t have Briggs and Madsen still proved he is absolutely that guy, and Phi Delt could have been on the podium after riding the most underrated race of any team this year.

        Still have to worry about JB, Phi Psi, and Cutters, but many capable teams returning next year.

  20. JB, Cutters, XA, BKB, and Phi Psi are the only teams that have a legitimate shot winning the 2022 race. Other notable teams (Bears, Goats, Ep, Phi Delt) lack a true star, while each of the top 5 will have an elite 1-2 punch that makes them serious contenders. Trent-Josh vs. Toran-Peyton vs. Jazz-Chase vs. Logan-Gavin vs. Andrew-Carson will make for a very exciting finish

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  26. Who finishes the race for Phi Psi? Andrew is their best rider but has two years of disappearing acts on the last lap. Do they switch it up for Etnyre who has the faster top gear or do they go with the experienced captain?

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  28. 1. Phi Psi- Their race to lose as Carson might have surpassed La Valle as their top rider making them even more dangerous with La Valle still being a top rider in the field.
    2. BKB- Logan and Gavin’s fitness will be tough to beat but will they add exchanges into their training this year?
    3. Cutters- Everyone returning and it’s Cutters.
    4. Phi Delt- Murray and Kulik seemed to train most of the summer and are looking to put Phi Delt back on the podium with 4 returning riders.
    5. GG- Richards coming back for a 5th year with some experienced guys but it’s GG.

    Honorable Mention:
    SigEp- Overachieved last year and will be back to barely breaking top 10
    JB- Courtney is gone and Herbst seems to be taking over as Trent is still celebrating Krahulik’s win.
    XA- aka Chase Madsen one man team

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    • Let’s not forget Andrew LaValle has won 0 bike races and Carson hasn’t raced either. Winning L5 clearly isn’t about speed as we saw last year.

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    • 1. BKB
      Good team. No holes. Best fitness. April 2022 is ruined

      2. Phi Psi/JB
      Andrew and Carson are great but Phi Psi are finished if the pack is together. I think you are giving no credit to Herbst who was already faster than Murray, Jake, Chase, and Logan as a freshman.

      4. Cutters
      Like Phi Psi, a talented but extremely limited team as far as speed goes.

      5. Chase already proved he could do it by himself. Chi Alpha will not be marked and should have an easy race.

      BKB, XA, JB, and PhiDelt all have a better shot at the podium if the race ends in a sprint… Torin and Andrew made Rob K look like he could sprint

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      • What is Herbst being faster than all of those guys being based off, ITTs that happened almost 2 months before the race rendering them meaningless?

        BKB’s hole is that they have no pop, and race too conservatively. They also downgraded after losing a top 2 rider, nobody on their team is going to be as good as Strobel was. Still a top 5 team though…they just need guts (read: Race like FIJI did)

        JetBlach is in the same boat, not much pop and lost their best rider but obviously a talented team and reigning champs. Shoe in for the top 5 but they have to figure out who can win it.

        Phi Psi has lost themselves the past two editions and are returning their best riders, they are 100% the favorites after lapping the field. It will take a monster effort because I’m convinced nobody is going to let them get a gap again. They will have to earn it.

        Cutters always has a chance to podium because of their track record, but I don’t see them dominating this race off the front. They will be hanging around for the sprint as is fashion in recent years. Torin might be the best sprinter in the field this year.

        Phi Delt seems like a better pick than Chi Alpha, who benefitted massively from the two main crashes that happened in the race. Murray and team aren’t break-worthy or pure sprinters, but they are well-rounded and their race this year proved it.

        Not to take anything away from Chase, but don’t forget that it was Phi Delt sitting on Torin’s wheel at lap 198 while BKB, Goats, Ep, and XA were all bike lengths behind. Race wit is just as important as fitness.

      • What has Herbst done that is noteworthy other than place well in ITT’s? I think too much credit has been given for doing one thing well. His numbers aren’t impressive and his race results over the summer were few and lackluster. Speaking of racing, what did he even do last year? If I remember correctly, he sat in. IMO, top 15 rider at best. Definitely has potential, but lack of motivation seems to be JB’s #1 concern right now.

      • You think TORIN is the best sprinter in the whole field??? This has to be a joke. Rewatch miss n out or the race.

      • Torin got 3rd in miss n out behind Tisdale and strobel…both those guys graduated. Come out from under your rock.

  31. First thanks for the quick reply.

    Can RC or Hank, explain how this is going to work on grass? The weather between now and Sunday is shown to be cooler and no rain. Is the track in such poor condition that it cannot be properly prepared in 4 days? The last email that I got on 9/13, says the track is not race worthy, is it not “skills clinic ready” either. If the track “requires heavy equipment from our third-party contractor”, Shouldn’t steps have been taken much earlier. Is as “soon as possible” 13 days? Certainly, you can do better, these rookies are the next generation of Little 500. They certainly deserve it.

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    • they claim they’ve done skills clinics in the grass and it’s worked before. that’s some serious BS. the track is a lost cause with four inch divots that had RC members crashing at a ROOKIE skills clinic. not sure how much heavy equipment can fix. and praying for rain every week is not a solution. not sure why they cross their fingers really hard every year and feign shock when the track is worse off than when they left it. they need a new surface and they need to do better.

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      • Is “they” Hank or RC? “They claim”, can “they” say exactly when this happened?
        Rookie exchange practice on grass, only thing more dangerous is bump drills.

        “that’s some serious BS” You got that right. Institutional knowledge is a consistent problem for IUSF. So claiming is unlikely to be valid. And be careful for what you ask for, They were looking to resurface the track several years ago, with clay. And clay is slippery when wet.

  34. nope. new rd is doing the same amount as the old one (nothing) to fix the biggest issue facing L5: a shitty track. but thank goodness the rookies had practice in the tailgating fields! really gonna help them when (if) there’s a race on the same track surface it is right now.

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  35. could we please have more transparency regarding the status of the track? “we continue to work with partners to recondition the track as soon as possible” really doesn’t cut it considering there was an entire summer to take care of this. I understand that IUSF isn’t gracious with money but keeping us queued in a little more would mean a lot

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  36. It has been 127 days since the race, and in Hank’s Trophy Dash podcast on May 14, he promised a perfect track for the race. We all know how that turned out for the men’s race. There are 38 days until the last Fall Series event (Cyclo Cross), you just need math not transparency. If you are looking for transparency, it will come in the form of bleachers being constructed at the tailgate fields. Of course, perhaps the mock CX race was an effort for rookies to learn skills on a terrible surface in prep for race day. This is not just a Hank failure, there is enough to go around the whole IUSF Staff. Almost forgot, and RC too.

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  37. c’mon guys, cut him some slack. He’s busy doing instagram photo shoots and hanging out with other former riders, it’s hard to fit responsibilities in around that kind of schedule!

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      • Hank’s current work life balance = no track any time soon, and at this rate not even by April.

        Hank isn’t paying attention to anyone complaining because anyone who does openly, gets booted like Tom did. This silence is not consent, it ‘s fear. Anyway who needs the track when you have the tailgate fields.

      • Work like balance requires some work. And other than emails canceling events or chewing out RC members the people haven’t seen any evidence of said work. Hoping I can get proved wrong before December, let alone April.

    • Heard from an RC member that the track is getting better in some areas, but that could mean anything given how bad its been

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      • I sure hope that doesn’t mean “measurable progress” is the track fixing itself by drying out. Is there any sense of urgency anywhere in this whole mess? It’s frustrating listening to predictions that end up being excuses. The really scary part is the lack of comments regarding this. Apparently people have given up on this?

      • I know that there hasn’t always been fall track events and practices but in the last 70 years I’ve never seen such extended periods of poor track conditions. I’m not blaming anyone but just curious.

        What is the main difference now from all other years?

        Lack of watering the track?
        Lack of scientific expertise grooming the track?
        Lack of cinders?
        Lack of money?
        Lack of rain?
        Lack of workers?
        All of the above?

        What was the verdict on how crushed granite might fare in a bike race? I’m guessing poor drainage.

    • When RC asks Hank about the track he always comments that they’re ‘working on it.’ Frustrating to hear as RC would also like to see some change.

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      • First, realize that when Hank was hired, Andrea only gave him responsibility and certainly not any authority. That should be clear after 5 years of Andrea “leadership” (talk to any former RC member(s).).
        I think most of us would like to know exactly what: “working on it” means.
        RC should consider “becoming the change” they want to see.
        In the meantime all I see moving is the second hand, ticking away precious time.

  39. if Logan Brown could get is drinking problem under control, BKB would have a real chance of winning the title next April.

    I have heard from multiple sources that Logan can hardly make it through a team ride without his fix. Sources report he gets incredibly agitated and starts shaking until he has an alcoholic beverage. One source says that while they were on a ride Logan shoved him over after he suggested that Logan should slow down on his drinking. Logan then proceeded to ride home alone to have a beverage.

    There have been many attempted interventions made by his teammates but they can’t seem to get through to him. Will they continue to try and intervene or will another top sprinter be born from this debacle?

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  41. I am curious how many teams believe the track will be available before the semester ends and what the impact will be on the race if it is not. In the rider/coach email Hank indicated they are still testing. I have to believe that replacing the track surface is a major undertaking that can’t be done in a weekend or even a week. And you cannot resurface a frozen track. Things look extremely bleak. And RC is as much in the dark as anyone. Anyone care to comment?

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  43. Seems like the track was decent and TNRS went off without a hitch. Is it possible the long-standing track issues have been vanquished? Or is this just an anomaly?

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  44. Fall Series ITT Predictions!
    1. Charlie Moffitt – Forest Cycling
    2. Zach Maudlin – Forest Cycling
    3. Ezekiel Robinson – Forest Cycling

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  47. BKB- Logan and Gavin have proven to be best duo in the field making them the favorites going into the spring.
    Phi Delt- Legitimate contenders with Kulik riding like this and Murray right behind
    JB- Josh looks as strong as anyone while Trent has put together an underwhelming fall. Will still be a threat in the spring just need to get heads on straight without Courtney.
    Phi Psi- Not much noise this fall but La Valle looking as strong as ever with Carson right there. La Valle has more depth behind him this year making them a bigger threat.
    Cutters- Nothing really to say other than never count them out regardless of performances on the track.
    SigEp, GG, Bears, XA- All looking for a top 10 finish

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      • Phi Delt -> Tier 1. Have proven to have a sprint in them making them deadly on the last lap.
        Phi Psi -> Tier 2. Could win but going to need to be done in a break which will be tough considering how highly marked they will be.
        Cutters -> Tier 2. If Torin can get them to the last lap last year they’ll be there again with possibly a fresher Torin.
        SigEp -> Tier 3. Group of solid riders but no real strengths. Top 10 finish for sure with 5th place ceiling.

    • Did Logan and Gavin really prove to be the best duo? Phi Delt won Fall Series without Murray at CX and they won the madison as well.

      Its still a toss up from this far out, but if anybody is right behind it’s definitely not the team that’s been winning.

      Would have been nice if Phi Psi showed up because they have firepower too. It’s shaping up to be a good race!

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    • “I decide who rides and who doesn’t ride Little 500” -Andrea Balzano (2019 meeting)

      “…according to IU’s disciplinary status definitions. An organization under cease and desist must suspend all activities, including social activities, recruitment events and philanthropy events. ” -IDS

      So much for a full field.

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      • They’ll just ride as an independent if they can’t participate as their Greek house 🤷🏼‍♂️ Those programs all have enough funding and resources to make it work even if they get kicked off campus.

      • Pee pee poo poo Did you guys hear the tea about Andrea? The track is is terrible condition! Fraternity kicked off campus and geeds need to wave. Cigarettes. How the hell are we expected to wear masks on the track!!!????? Gavin Goode poo poo hank wee wee what did you guys get fer chrisymsus this year? I got a new bicycle weeeeee haha! Fun! Who tryna be my CINDER-Ella this year?? Hahahahaget it cinders little 500 funny bikes silly be sure to like and subscribe to Trophy Dash wherever you get your pot cast “Cutters” what a JOKE

  50. Little 500 championship chances

    – phi psi : 15% , lavalle has only been putting in 8 hour weeks
    – sig ep : 8% , really strong in the madison
    – jetblach : 12% , overrated, weak rookies. Only win if they cause a crash
    – chi alpha : 0% , Christian
    – cutters : 10% , og team
    – bears : 10 % , strong returning riders
    – phi delt : 30% , really nice guys ; sick post up at the madison
    – bkb : 10 , GG has a 350 ftp and Logan has been chasing his dust

    Closing thoughts;
    Bishop = zaddy
    Kirk ham = followed me on strava

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