The Little 500

The Little 500 includes both a 200 lap men's and 100 lap women's race on a quarter mile cinder track. Entrants are given one-speed Schwinn bicycles which have to meet rigid specifications in order to be used. Teams are made up of as many as four riders. The riders treat the race much like a running relay; when one rider is tired, s/he exchanges the bicycle with a teammate.

The Little 500 is much more than a bike race. It is the biggest intramural event on campus and the largest collegiate bike race in the United States. Going into its 57th year, the Little 500 also boasts a tradition like few other college events. More than 20,000 people attend the men's and women's races every year, with the proceeds used for working student scholarships at Indiana University. The 2007 races will allow IUSF to give away over $35,000 in scholarships to working IU students.

Any Indiana University-Bloomington full-time undergraduate can ride in the Little 500. The majority of participants have never competed in a cycling race before the Little 500, making the Little 500 a true grassroots cycling event. Since 1951, more than 6,500 male and 1,000 female students have ridden in the race (the women's race started in 1988).

Qualifications:
"Quals day" is the most important pre-race event, as only the fastest 33 times are accepted in the Little 500. Teams must complete four laps around the track, each rider doing one lap. Smooth bike exchanges and quick single lap speed are essential for a good qualification. The record time for men's qualifications was set by Phi Gamma Delta in 1990 (2:14.37) and the women's record was set by Kappa Kappa Gamma in 2005 with a time of 2:36.14 . The single lap record belongs to Bill Naas of Sigma Alpha Epsilon (1995) with a 31.3 second lap.

Individual Time Trials:
This is the first event of the Little 500 Series, a set of three races designed to test the strength of the riders and prepare them for the Little 500. The Individual Time Trials (or ITT) consists of four riders on the track at the same time, each in one corner, racing four laps against the clock. The fastest time wins. Recordholders: men's is Hans Arnesen of Alpha Tau Omega (2005) at 2:15.78 ; women's is Liz Milne of Kappa Alpha Theta (2005) at 2:35.29.

Miss-N-Out:
Another event in the Little 500 Series, Miss-N-Out is an exercise in pack riding and a test in tactics. Riders are arranged in heats of six to eight and go from preliminaries to quarterfinals to semifinals to the final. Each lap, the last rider across the start/finish line is eliminated from the competition until two or three advance. Sometimes described as "musical chairs on a bike," Miss-N-Out is the most popular spectator series event.

Team Pursuit:
As the final event in the series, team pursuit tests team strength and unity. Two teams line up on opposite sides of the track and ride against each other for 15 laps (12 for the women). The lowest two times of the preliminary heats square off against each other in the final, which determines the event champions. Recordholders: men's -- Cutters (1989) with a 8:43.22; women's -- Teter (2004) with a 8:03.86.

Abbreviated Rules

The race
The women's race is 100 laps which is equivalent to 25 miles, while the men's race is 200 laps, or 50 miles. Both races are held on the quarter-mile cinder track in Bill Armstrong Stadium.

Entrants
The entrants shall be the 33 fastest teams in each division which post the fastest official times at qualifications. Each team of four riders and two alternates will be assigned the number that corresponds to its pole position.

Pits
Each team will be assigned a pit along the outside of the track according to the qualification position. These pits are approximately sixteen feet wide and six feet deep. All exchanges and bicycle repairs must be made within these boundaries. Exception: When adjacent teams are exchanging simultaneously, one team may step beyond the restraining line to complete its exchange. Each team is allowed to have a pit crew not exceeding two persons, one in the pit and one on the infield with the bicycle.

The Line-Up
The order of the starting line-up will be determined by the qualification times. The teams will be grouped into rows of three, starting with the #1 pole position team on the inside of the track. All #1 riders will be mounted and ready five minutes before the pace lap, after which time no crew member will be allowed on the inside of the track.

Pace Lap
One or two photographer's laps will immediately precede the actual start of the race. Teams will follow the pace car around the track in the order of their starting positions. As the pace car speeds up, so will the riders, maintaining starting positions. As the first row of riders crosses the starting line the official starter waves the green flag, signaling the start of the race.

Flags
The race will be controlled by the use of flags. They are: Green-Starting, clear course; Red-Stop, race is halted; Yellow-Ride with caution and maintain position; Blue with orange stripe-Bicycle attempting to pass; White-Starting last lap; Black & White Checkered-Race is completed.

Penalties
Teams guilty of violating these rules shall be penalized no more than 20 seconds. This time will be spent in the penalty box located near the starting line. A black flag given to the team shall indicate that a penalty has been imposed. Penalties include:
  • Impeding another team, including the team riders and pit crew: 10-20 seconds
  • Failing to observe flags: 2 seconds
  • Illegal exchange from bicycle A to bicycle B: 2 seconds
  • Using more than three pits for an exchange: 2 seconds
  • Unsportsmanlike conduct, depending on severity: 5-20 seconds


Changing riders
Teams will be allowed to change riders as often as they wish, but they must change a minimum of ten times in the men's race, five times in the women's race. Each exchange of the bike must begin in front of the pit of the team concerned, and it must be completed by the time the rider taking over has reached the far limits of the next pit on the right. Should the incoming rider fail to start the exchange in front of the correct pit, he or she must continue around for one more lap. If the rider backs up, the team will be subject to penalty. The outgoing rider may use the preceding pit to run and gain momentum for the exchange, but the actual exchange of the bike must take place in the correct pit area.

Termination of the race
The chief steward shall have the authority to delay the start of the race or stop it temporarily once it is in progress if safety requires such action. He or she shall further have the authority to terminate the race before its scheduled finish if the situation demands it.
Little 500 is a service mark owned and licensed by the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Corporation.