IUSF losing credibility; rules should apply to all riders

Michael Kehrberg is very familiar with the hills of Bloomington. He has pedaled up most of the mountainous inclines including one that leads from the house he grew up in. Kehrberg belongs on a bike.\nBut for the third consecutive year Kehrberg will be one of 17,000 spectators watching Little 500 from the stands. And it's not because he doesn't want to ride. It's because, for the past two years, he's abided by an IUSF rule -- the same rule that was recently bent for Joshua Weir of Team Major Taylor.\nEvery rider received a copy of the 2002 Rider's Manual. And every rider had to sign documentation saying he reviewed and understood the rules. Kehrberg wanted to train last year, but after reading the manual he discovered a rule under section II of the handbook. The rule stated that if he achieved a Category I or II license by the United States Cycling Federation he was ineligible to ride. Before he began training, he appealed the rule.\n"The rule set a precedent that needs to be followed," Kehrberg said. \nIUSF board of appeals said he was ineligible and Kehrberg accepted the ruling. He could not participate in the 2001 Little 500. Kehrberg was a Category II rider. This year, a similar situation occurred with Joshua Weir. Evidence shows that he competed as Category I cyclist.\nIt is evident Weir is obviously a skilled and developed rider. Obtaining a Category I status is an amazing accomplishment. But according to the IUSF Rider's Manual, his accomplishments deem him ineligible. The same rule has been in effect since the '60s. And because of that rule, many other riders have sacrificed their opportunity to compete in the Little 500. \nIUSF is losing credibility because an exception was made. The decision was out of the organization's hands. What if Kirk Haston, a past IU basketball superstar, decided he wasn't getting enough playing time for the Charlotte Hornets? Would he be allowed to come back and step up to the free throw line for the Indiana Hoosiers? Would the university make an exception?\nThe reason the regulation exists is to create a fair level of competition among the riders. Weir competed in the U.S. Olympic trials held in 2000. Weir once beat a national champion who received a bronze medal in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. \nI am training for the Little 500 this year and I'll be the first to say I wouldn't want to compete against a professional cyclist. It doesn't seem fair that while I'm working hard to improve and strategize, I would soon be competing against another rider who already tried out for the Olympics.\nBut if Weir is allowed to participate, who's to say every other Category I or II rider can't ride to give him better competition? Who's to say that Kehrberg cannot participate? \nIf IUSF allowed him to participate in the race, Kehrberg said, "I would be out there in a second. I'd be on the track tomorrow."\nA rule is a rule. If Weir is pedaling his 2002 Mongoose on a cinder track this Saturday, Kehrberg should be one of his fiercest competitors.