Cyclist brings home jerseys

When junior Jenn Wangerin first arrived at IU, she had no idea what the Little 500 was. She used a rented bike, didn't know much about competitive cycling and was only in it for the recreation. \nLess than a year later, she was celebrating a Little 500 championship with her team, the Roadrunners. \nWangerin now has her own bike and a name recognized in the cycling world. She recently brought home four national championship jerseys from the Collegiate Track Finals at the Major Taylor Velodome in Indianapolis.\nInitially, Wangerin was intimidated by cycling. She lacked knowledge of the sport and was unsure of the expenses. Wangerin put $1,200-$1,500 toward her first bike. She now owns five bikes, including a road, track, two cross country and commuting bikes. Additional costs include tournament fees, hotel and travel expenses and other necessary pieces of equipment. \nWangerin said people are interested in cycling, but like her a year ago, they don't know where to begin.\n"(IU Student Foundation) is great at helping people out -- they really get you headed in the right direction," Wangerin said.\nWangerin joined the IU cycling club last fall and was approached by Leslie Gilmore, a former Roadrunner and alumnae, about joining the Roadrunners and training for the Little 500. She began the intense training, which ranged from 10 to 30 hours a week, and earned the nickname "Rockstar Rookie."\nThis year, Wangerin is the only remaining rider from last year's Little 500 championship team, leaving her with an important leadership role.\n"This year will be just as much a learning experience for me, as it will be for the new riders," she said. \nThe role as team leader is taken with ease by Wangerin; she said she feels that the sport of cycling is "just like one big happy family."\nWangerin recently joined the cycling family when she decided to compete in Collegiate Cycling.\n"I love traveling with my teammates and meeting fellow cyclists." she said. \nHer recent appearance in the Collegiate Track Nationals would give anyone the right to brag. Wangerin swept the women's 500m time trial (39.664), the individual pursuit (2:41.629), and the points race (41 pts.). Indiana's women's team also finished second in the Olympic Sprint with a time of 1:25.991. Despite her success at the event, Wangerin remains modest.\n"It was just very cool to be there." she said.\nCompeting at the national level has allowed her to gain connections with national level athletes and has contributed to improving her cycling strategy. Teammate Ellen Hall said it is great to see how far Wangerin has progressed and adds that Wangerin's natural athletic ability has allowed her to be such a great competitor. \n"She has a tremendous amount of enthusiasm for the sport," Hall said.\nWangerin's coach Jay Polsgrove said her performance at the track finals was amazing, though he can't figure out where her talent comes from. \n"We started working together in mid June," Polsgrove said. "I set her up with a bike and everything just clicked for her"