HEAD OF THE PACK

If the first two series events are any indication of what is to come on Little 500 race day, fans could be in for quite a ride come April 16.\nAlpha Tau Omega rider junior Hans Arnesen picked up where he left off from his record-setting day in the Individual Time Trials as he won Saturday's Miss-N-Out competition. Arnesen held off Dodds House rider senior Craig Luekens and Briscoe rider senior Michael Carey.\nArnesen seems to be set apart from the rest of the field, as he even stopped pedaling about 75-yards before the finish line at the conclusion of the quarterfinal heat. Arnesen was the only rider from ATO to advance past the quarterfinals of Miss-N-Out.\n"It felt great," Arnesen said. "Especially knowing there was such great competition in the race. It'll boost confidence come race day and it lets me know what I can do out on the track against those guys."\nThe Miss-N-Out competition sets riders up in heats with seven to nine riders in each heat. The cyclists start riding, and the last rider of each lap is eliminated from the heat until two riders remain. Those two riders then move onto the next round in a bracket format.\nMiss-N-Out provides cyclists with the first opportunity to taste pack riding in a competitive format.\n"For experienced riders, it's not much different," said Phi Gamma Delta senior Matt Davis. "For guys that haven't done it before, it really helps them to get used to going fast and moving around within a pack and with a bunch of guys around them."\nPhi Gamma Delta and Dodds House each had two riders in the final heat of Saturday's competition. Sophomore Christopher Chartier from Dodds House finished behind Luekens in sixth, while Fiji's Davis and senior Stephen Spencer took fourth and fifth.\nIn ITTs, Davis took second and Spencer third, while Chartier finished 28th.\n"I think our team is real strong this year," Luekens said. "We're definitely confident going in (to Team Pursuit) and we're all riding great."\nMany riders had long delays between their heats and, with the cold weather, needed to keep their muscles warm. Arnesen said Saturday's cold and wind actually made for great riding conditions.\n"I just put on some warm clothes and hop on the rollers to keep my legs warm (between heats)," Arnesen said.\nThe next Little 500 series event -- Team Pursuit -- takes place April 7.\n"We're looking forward to Team Pursuit," Davis said. "We think have four pretty strong guys and we should be able to do very well on Thursday."\n-- Contact Staff Writer Steve Slivka at smslivka@indiana.edu.