|
The
Little 500 - 2007
Zeta Chapter, Phi Gamma Delta
Indiana University
|
The Fiji's (made up of 7 riders)
Finish 7th in the Team Time Trial
Qualify 7th for the 2007th Little 500
Finish 7th in the Little 500 |
After spending over a decade with the role of being a marked team, four
tough-minded rookies took the track at Armstrong stadium this year as a bit of a
unknown. Sophomores Bill "Chief" Riggs, AD "Crest" King, Cliff "Spliff" Boeglin,
and freshman Ryan "Sanchez" Weisberger had former pro cyclist and FIJI Hall of
Famer Todd "Sy" Cornelius calling the shots from the pit.
From a spectators
point of view, there couldn't have been a better day for the race. It was 80's
and sunny, and the flag hung limp for the majority of the day. The purple haze
was out in full force, and I am still convinced, the loudest group of fans in
the stands. Our riders were outfitted in full brown kits (shorts, jersey,
gloves), compliments of the booster club.
Riggs got the team off to a great
start, putting in a great opening set against all the other teams heavy hitters.
The opening half of the race was fairly uneventful as there were no major
wrecks. Our FIJI boys raced very smart and all four riders put in several
successful sets. While team after team was shed out the back of the pack, our
four rookies remained in the lead pack with the Cutters, Dodds House, Black Key
Bulls, TMT (who had their first rider start the race with a monster 66 lap
set!), and Phi Psi.
A little after the halfway point of the race, we caught a
bit of a bad break. As we were doing an exchange, Cutters rider (and ITT's
champ) Sasha Land began a very strong pull. This put us in the tough spot of
chasing while the pack was turning its hottest laps of the day. We came very
close, but were never able to close this gap. Adding to this, the intense heat
began to take its toll and Riggs got severe leg cramps, and was unable to get
back in the race.
Down to three riders, and without the aid of the draft of the
main pack, our boys fought hard, but at the end of the day ended up two laps
down. They never gave up on the race, as we found ourselves amongst three other
teams (Beta, Achtung, and Delta Sigma Pi) on our lap, and the boys were
determined to beat them. The most memorable set of the day was put in by King as
he finished the race. After pushing the pace for about 13 laps, he left the
others in the dust in the sprint for a very respectable 7th place.
The race for
first was a very exciting one. The Cutters Alex Bishop proved to be the
strongest sprinter on the track as he lead out the entire last lap and won the
sprint by a bike length. Behind him four others were within inches on one
another. Phi Psi's Eric Styacich edged out a group of Black Key Bulls, Dodds
House and TMT. Delta Upsilon was one lap down by themselves and came in sixth.
While 7th was not the goal going into the day, the phi gams four young rookies
have a lot to be proud of. They rode strong, they rode hard, and they never gave
up. The future looks bright for FIJI cycling. After graduating 3 of the four
riders in each of the last two races, all four from this year will be back for
two more.
RWP Joe Keck
|
|
