Little 500 riders gear up for Individual Time Trials

The pressure of qualifying for the 2003 Little 500 is gone, and now it's time for riders to have some fun.\nToday marks the first event of a three-part Little 500 series open to all qualified Little 500 riders. The event, Individual Time Trials, is a chance for riders to show their individual talent and speed at Bill Armstrong Stadium.\nITTs consist of 70 heats of four riders, who begin four lap sprints at a corner of the track. Each rider starts from a stationary position and races to gain the fastest time. The top three riders from both the men's and women's brackets are awarded a plaque.\nITTs gives riders a chance to prove individual skills and to gain confidence on the track without their team. \n"Little 500 is a team event, but teams really have to rely on individuals," said IU Student Foundation assistant director and Little 500 coordinator Alex Ihnen. "It's important to see the individual efforts going on. This gives riders a chance to get a few laps by themselves and know what it's like to be in front of the pack."\nThe event also counts points that are accumulated throughout the three series events. Little 500 points are in reverse order, with the winner receiving one point, second place earning two, and so on. The team with the lowest score at the end of the series is the winner. \nLast year's men's competition was won by Corleone rider senior Luke Isenbarger. Phi Delta Theta rider Matt Marketti took second place and sophomore Craig Luekens finished third for Dodds House. Isenbarger and Luekens, who were both rookie riders last year, are back this year and both in competitive heats. Sophomore Steve Ballinger of Team Major Taylor, senior Kevin Vanes of Acacia and senior John Grant of Gafombi will compete against Isenbarger in his heat while Luekens will race against senior Michael Rubin of Gafombi, senior Daniel Burns of the Corleones and sophomore Kenneth Burgess of Team Major Taylor.\n"Getting third last year doesn't mean I was the third best rider in the race," Luekens said. "There's a greater incentive with great guys in my heat to try to stay with them."\nThe men will also see competition in senior Sigma Pi rider Jason Mount, who raced an impressive 33.395 lap at qualifications. Other riders to watch are sophomores Drew Moore of Phi Gamma Delta and Simeon Commissiong of Team Major Taylor. \nCompetition won't just be seen on the men's side. Five of last year's top 10 women's finishers are back, which should make for a very competitive evening.\nFour days after qualifying for the field of 31, the women are back in action. With the top two individual cyclists from last year graduated, junior Corey Bitzer of Alpha Gamma Delta, senior Analisa Dziediejko of pole sitter Phi Mu, and senior Meg Haney of Kappa Kappa Gamma are the returning top three to watch.\n"There is a lot of tough competition this year," said senior Kim Gerber of Kappa Delta. "I'm hoping to do pretty well as a fourth-year rider." \nGerber is the fourth-fastest returning ITTs rider this year. Kappa Delta qualified eighth last year.\nAmong the favorites for tomorrow's event will be three riders from Phi Mu, all of whom clocked their fastest time on their respective laps during quals. Joining Dziediejko are juniors Amanda Litvan and Annika Hosni.\n"ITTs doesn't tell you how good a race rider you are," Gerber said. "It just shows how well you can ride four laps"