Fall cycling series begins with Cyclocross

The Little 500 Fall Cycling Series will kick-off this Saturday, Sept. 28, at the Bill Armstrong Stadium, with the Cyclocross event. This is the first of three events coordinated by the IU Student Foundation which are aimed at building interest in the Little 500. \nCyclocross is an obstacle course which, in addition to riding, forces participants to carry their bikes, jump over hay bales and run up and down stadium stairs. Those who aren't afraid of the possibility of getting injured say it's a fun way to start getting excited about Little 5.\n"The series wasn't always competitive," said Alex Ihnen, assistant director of the IUSF and Little 500 coordinator. "Many riders don't compete because they don't want to show their competition how good they are. It's more exciting to keep (their talent) contained."\nThe winners of the individual events, which are the Cyclocross, the Biatholon, and the Individual Time Trials, will receive medals. The first place male and female winners of the entire Fall Cycling Series will receive a $250 scholarship from Bicycle Garage Inc. and second place male and female winners receive IU Cycling Club jerseys. Two men's or women's Little 500 bikes go to the overall male and female teams.\nTo get far in Cyclocross, riders need to be quick at dismounting and mounting their bikes, due to the number of times they'll have to jump over hay bales and climb the stadium stairs. Riders compete in two-person teams in the 12-lap race, alternating laps with their partner.\n"There's very little strategy involved," Ihnen said. "Teams who weren't considered great at riding did real well."\nInjuries have played a major part in this event in past years. \n"We were worried because three years before, it got pretty ugly," Ihnen said. "We hesitated to bring it back. But last year's event was really safe." \nSeniors Analisa Dziedziejko and Jane Terfler of Phi Mu, who won the female division of Cyclocross last year, weren't afraid of falling and hurting themselves. They finished last year with a time of 36:32, narrowly defeating the second place winners, Ilia Smith and Mavourneen Ryan of Athena, who had a time of 36:34.\n"I've fallen numerous times, it's something you have to experience when riding," Dziedziejko said. She added that Cyclocross is a good experience for riders interested in Little 500. \n"We were all nervous (last year before racing), but it's part of the race," she said. "You learn to work as a team."\nThis year, more teams are expected to participate; Only four women's teams competed last year, far less than the men's 18-team turnout.\n"There was mainly friendly competition last year, and I hope there will be more team participation this year," Dziedziejko said. \nSenior Jenn Wangerin will participate in IU's Cyclocross for the first time this year. Although Wangerin has been involved in the Little 500 race since her freshman year, she is anxious to participate in Cyclocross this year. \n"Last year....this wasn't a high priority," Wangerin said. "Now that it's the off-season, it sounds fun." She added that the scholarship was a "big incentive."\nThe next events in the Fall Cycling Series are the Biatholon, on Oct. 9 at the IU Fieldhouse next to Assembly Hall, and the Individual Time Trials, on Oct. 13 at Monroe State Forest.\nPeople can register for Cyclocross until 5:50 on Sat. Sept. 28, the day of the event. The entry fee is $10 for one event or $20 for all three events. Bikes will be provided free of charge to those who need them.