Riders break away from typical vacation

The spring break of Little 500 teams is anything but traditional: no partying, no drinking, no lounging on the beach. Nothing but riding.\nMost teams travel to warmer weather elsewhere in the United States, often riding 400 to 700 miles during the week.\nSara Coffman, a senior and captain of the defending champions Kappa Alpha Theta, said her team put in about 400 miles last spring break on the roads of San Diego. Their schedule is similar to what the top riders put themselves through during spring break.\n"Our break was not fun," Coffman said. "We'd wake up at 7 a.m. and ride all day, sometimes 80 miles. We'd finally stop around 5 or 6 p.m., eat dinner, then go to bed."\nDespite the hard training, Coffman said the weather and her teammates' attitudes made the experience enjoyable. \nLast year's men's champion, the Cutters, chose an atypical spring break location.\n"We've been going to Texas since the mid '80s. We find a location in the middle of nowhere and all we focus on is riding," coach Jim Kirkham said.\nIt takes physical, emotional and financial commitment to train during break. It is not uncommon for a rider to spend $500 to $1,000 for the training. But last year's vacation cost sophomore John Arbuckle much more. \nHe had already spent about $1,000 when he got into a wreck. Along with a good part of his skin, Arbuckle lost his $900 bike, which broke in two. He went to a store the next day and bought a $1,500 bike and was back on the road.\n"It turned into a very expensive trip for me," Arbuckle said. He ended up spending about $2,500 for spring break.\nBut even with the wreck, Arbuckle managed to train well.\n"My team and I did 450 miles. We practiced exchanges, sprints and all sorts of other aspects of the race," Arbuckle said.\nDespite the hours of hard riding, the cost, and the fact that their spring breaks were completely different from the typical student, none of the riders expressed any regret.\nKappa Kappa Gamma's captain, senior Lindsey Nell, summed up what the Little 500 spring break means to riders. \n"After the week is over you feel like you accomplished something special and rewarding. It's a bonding experience for teams," she said.