World's Greatest College Weekend

Most people who have heard of IU know it’s home to the Little 500, part of what is often referred to as the world’s greatest college weekend.
Few people know, however, that Howdy Wilcox originally dreamed up the race after his father won the Indianapolis 500 in 1919.

Wilcox got the idea while watching four young men race around a dorm quad on bicycles, said University Chancellor Ken Gros Louis.
As people leaned out the windows of the dormitory cheering on the competitors, Wilcox decided to hold the race on a much larger scale. So in 1951, the first Little 500 came to IU.

Since then, the race has grown and become vastly more popular. “Breaking Away,” a movie based on the race, told the story of a team of Bloomington locals who won the race. The film won an Oscar in 1980, and the race’s fame continued to grow.

“The Little 500 is amazing because it’s basically just an intramural event, but 20,000 people show up,” said Dean of Students Dick McKaig. “It’s one of those great college traditions that involve many of our campus organizations, and it becomes a major party weekend.”

Little 500 consists of both a women’s and men’s race. The women’s race lasts 100 laps and the men’s race lasts 200. There are usually about 45 teams that attempt to qualify for the men’s race, but only the fastest 33 teams are allowed to compete in each race, said Matt Ewing, race director for Little 500.

The IU Student Foundation puts on the race every year.

“This is the purest bicycle race there is,” Ewing said. “The majority of the competitors in the race have never raced before, and that’s the beauty of the event.”
IUSF uses the money it raises through the event to give scholarships to working students.

“There are only 33 teams able to ride, so only a handful of students actually ride in the race, representing most of the fraternities, sororities and residence halls,” Gros Louis said. “It becomes an event that bonds students to the organization. The event ties students together and to the Bloomington campus.”

This year the Cutters, the team made famous by the film “Breaking Away,” won the race. Although the team qualified 13th, it never lost hope in its abilities.
“I always thought we were the favorites to win,” said Clayton Feldman, a senior rider on the 2008 winning team.

Feldman encouraged students to get involved in Little 500.
“It’s a really good experience,” Feldman said. “It keeps you focused, it keeps you working out and it’s something I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”

The week leading up to the race is also part of the fun. Sophomore Jen Voges has been to the race twice, and said Little 500 week is her favorite week of the year.
“There are parties all week leading up to the race, and the race itself is a giant party,” Voges said. “You just have to experience it for yourself.”

But McKaig said the race is more than just parties.

“The Little 500 is clearly so much more than it is at its core: an intramural event,”
McKaig said. “It is a symbol of student life.”

He also said partying shouldn’t interfere with students’ work.

“Classes still meet, professors still give tests and homework is still assigned, so go to class,” he said.