Little 500 Week: In 49 Other States, It's Just Bike Racing.
Wasn't this supposed to be a college football blog?
Hello! It's Little Five Week, which, in addition to CFB Week Zero and the Round 64/32 weekend of March Madness, marks the High Holy Day calendar here at OTR. Why should this intramural bike race in Bloomington, Indiana be so elevated?
Because it's a lasting remnant of the best parts of college sports. Because it's kids racing for honor, for glory, for teammates and friends and roommates and because it's fun as hell to go full send on a rapidly disintegrating cinder track made of kitty litter in front of 50,000 drunk and screaming Hoosier fans. Because it's the most relatable thing ever. Because it's at the core of our Midwestern upbringing: It's nice outside. Let's play bikes with our friends.
This is our third year covering Little Five (as much as one can truly cover a bike race in Indiana from one's couch in Northern Virginia) and I'm more excited than ever. Before the women's race on Friday and the men's race on Saturday, we'll cover the history of the event (the 75th running this year!), the tactics and strategy of the race, and why you should give the best collegiate weekend, bar none, your time and attention. And we'll get some interviews with the riders on OTR's favorite team, Novus Cycling!
Mark your calendars, clear your schedule. The women's race is at 4:00 pm ET/3:00 GTZ on Friday and the men's race is at 2:00 ET/1:00 GTZ on Saturday. In 49 others states, it's just bike racing.
But this is Indiana.
