Riders fight through pain for glory

When sophomore Jackie Moeller takes the track at Bill Armstrong Stadium for the Little 500 Individual Time Trials this evening, she’s going to be telling herself the same thing over and over. \n“It’s only four laps,” said Moeller, who rides for women’s pole-sitter Teter. “That’s it. After four laps, it’s over.”\nThe four-lap, one-mile time trial, which starts at 4 p.m. this afternoon, is a chance for competitors to size up the fastest sprinters in the race. \nIt’s also a chance for cyclists to wear themselves out. \n“It’s so painful; it’s one of the most painful days of the spring,” Cycledelics senior Kim Loebig said about ITTs. “That’s what’s so hard about a mile time trial is that it’s too short to really pace yourself. You kind of have to go all out and then just drag yourself home.”\nGoing beyond that pain might be key to hoisting a trophy at April’s race. In last year’s race, ITT-champion Jess Sapp led her team, Kappa Kappa Gamma, to the victory stage. \nBut Sapp and four other top-10 ITT finishers graduated last May, and the fastest ITT time could be anyone’s for the taking. \nLast year’s third-place finisher Lindsey Manck of Kappa Delta, fourth-place finisher Trevy Ramos of Alpha Phi and sixth-place finisher Kirstin Olson of Alpha Gamma Delta will look to improve on their positions from 2006. \nIn the fall series, Teter’s Sarah Rieke and teammate Moeller took the first and second spots, respectively, at Individual Time Trials and should compete for some of the top spots today. \nUltimately though, most teams are looking to break up the monotony of practice with some competitive rides. \n“It’s not as important as the race, but it is a good way to start seeing where you stand against other teams and other riders,” Loebig said. “You can get excited about the race and the whole spring series.”\nIt also helps some riders justify months and months of training for the race. \n“With the race being just one thing, the series events are nice because they give you the chance to compete,” said Julie Panzica, a sophomore for Kappa Delta. \n– Staff writer Chris Engel contributed to this report.