Men’s riders seek pole position, green jersey

Growing up in Indianapolis, freshman Ryan Weisberger wanted to participate in the Little 500. The Phi Gamma Delta rookie will get his first taste of the competition this Saturday at qualifications.\n“When I joined FIJI, I came in knowing the expectations I would have to live up to if I was going to ride,” Weisberger said. “And I was excited about that, getting involved in a team with such a great history.”\nWeisberger and FIJI will be one of 41 teams jockeying to get into the 33-team field and win the green jersey for the 57th annual Little 500.\nFor qualifications, each of the four team members races one lap. The winning team will be the one with the best combination of strong riders and clean exchanges, said senior Pi Kappa Phi rider Kansei Umeno.\n“For the quals, you want a good time for race position,” Umeno said. “It’s important to have clean exchanges so you can one, qualify for the race and two, have a good position for the race.”\nUmeno said he expected seven-time race champion and defending pole winner Cutters to take the top spot again this year because of their speed.\nDodds House, Black Key Bulls, Phi Kappa Psi and Beta Theta Pi are expected to challenge Cutters for the pole position.\nJunior rider Daniel Houchens said his team, Dodds House, wants to win the pole, but with so many good teams in the field, the goal is to get into the first three rows.\n“We definitely feel good going into qualifications,” he said. “We would like to get the pole, but it’s not a must for us as long as we get in the first two or three rows.”\nHouchens said it is important to qualify toward the beginning of the field because crashes are more likely toward the back, where the teams are more packed at the start of the race.\n“It matters where you start, but in the general sense, qualifications is a pass-fail – you either make the race or you don’t,” Houchens said. “After the first lap, it doesn’t matter where you start as long as you are safe.”\nForecasts by the National Weather Service call for scattered thunderstorms Saturday, creating less than ideal conditions for the teams.\n“A wet track will obviously make your time slower, but it will for everyone else too,” Houchens said. “It will be a factor if the track dries out later in the day or it’s dry in the morning and raining in the afternoon.”\nRain or shine, each of the 41 teams will be nervous until they solidify their spot in this year’s version of the annual intramural cycling race.\n“I think a little nervousness is really important for qualifications,” Umeno said. “You need to be really pumped up to go all out for one lap, so I think being a little nervous helps with that.”