Siblings finish in 1st, 2nd

After Lauren Ziemba crossed the finish line inches behind Kappa Kappa Gamma's Jess Sapp, Lauren couldn't help but smile. Even in defeat, she had never experienced a moment like the second-place finish she captured for Kappa Delta in the 2006 women's Little 500.\n"It's the happiest time I've ever had here at Indiana University," she said after the race Friday. "It was the perfect way to end my senior year."\nOne day later, her smile widened. Saturday she watched her brother, freshman Steve Ziemba, help Alpha Tau Omega win its third men's Little 500 title.\nFor the Ziembas, the Little 500 was a family affair.\n"My weekend was probably the best weekend of my life," said Lauren and Steve's father Joe Ziemba. "It couldn't have been any better than this, to watch my son and my daughter come one and two."\nHe quickly corrected himself.\n"It only could be better by this much," he said, using his hands to show the distance between his daughter's and Sapp's front tires. "Two No. 1s, what else could you ask for?"\nThe two helped put their teams in position to win the Little 500 championship. \n"It's in the genes," Steve said.\nThough this is the first and only year the pair were Little 500 riders together, Lauren and Steve have been riding together around Munster, Ind. -- their hometown -- for a few years.\nAfter her sophomore year -- the first year Lauren rode in the race -- she encouraged her brother to start riding. In the summers between school years, Lauren brought Steve on training rides and later helped him on the transition to competitive racing.\n"She helped me out with track riding," Steve said. "I didn't know anything about positioning and she helped me out, gave me tips."\nJoe has observed how Steve has grown as a rider since those summers in Munster. \n"Obviously, he's a man," Joe said. "He's much stronger and more powerful. And he's coming into his own. Steve's going to be a force to be reckoned with in the next four years."\nDuring the men's race, Lauren stood behind ATO's pit in support of her brother.\n"She was there every step of the way with me on my biking career," Steve said. "I just want to thank her for that."\nSteve said Lauren taught him everything he knows about cycling. Lauren disagreed.\n"I thought I taught my brother everything he knows, but apparently he needs to teach me something," she said. "He's crossed the line first, and I haven't done that."\nJoe doesn't expect Steve to remind his sister of that, either. There is no sibling rivalry among cyclists in the Ziemba family.\n"They love each other," Joe said. "They're brother and sister. It's one for all and all for one."\nSteve doesn't think he will rub it in to Lauren, either.\n"But I don't know," he said. "We'll see."\n-- Staff writer Chris Engel contributed to this story.