Arnesen follows in footsteps of hall-of-fame brother

Three years ago, Hans Arnesen lapped the entire Little 500 field 39 laps into the race. His Alpha Tau Omega team cruised to victory in a historically dominating performance.
And while his feat might be difficult to exceed, his sister, Sonja Arnesen, will try to extend the family’s legacy.

Sonja Arnesen, a sophomore Gamma Phi Beta rider, seemed destined to participate in the Little 500 since she was young. Her father has been an avid cyclist since college, and her older brother, Hans, dominated the event during his career.

However, as a high school volleyball player in Minnesota, Sonja Arnesen did not get the cycling itch until after graduation. In the summer before she came to IU, Sonja Arnesen decided she, too, wanted to race in the Little 500 and got a bike to start riding.

“I never even touched a bike until the summer going into freshman year,” Sonja Arnesen said.

Within two years, the tall, slender sophomore has quickly become one of the top female riders. Sonja Arnesen finished third in the April 1 Individual Time Trials with a four-lap time of 2:39.86. Only the two riders ahead of her also posted times less than 2:40.

One week later, Sonja Arnesen earned a spot in the finals of the Miss ’N Out competition and finished sixth. At Qualifications, Sonja Arnesen helped her team to a 12th-place position in the field.

Despite her success, she is still in pursuit of the many honors her brother possesses.
Hans, a member of the Riders’ Hall of Fame, still holds the men’s Individual Time Trial record, won the ITT title twice and Miss ’N Out once and was named an All-Star rider each year from 2004 to 2006.

Sonja Arnesen does not mind that her times do not match Hans’ efforts.

“One can only hope,” Sonja Arnesen said. “He had such great accomplishments that not many people can do that ever. It’d be great to do as well as him, but it takes a lot of skill, so I don’t know. I hope just to do the best that I can do.”

Hans Arnesen became the coach for the Gamma Phi Beta team when Sonja Arnesen joined last year, and she appreciates the brother role Hans plays, she said.

“As a coach, he’s obviously a huge influence on me,” Sonja Arnesen said. “He helps me to be the best that I can be, and he just inspires me to do better every day.”

Hans Arnesen said he tries to instill in Sonja Arnesen and her teammates the motivation and energy he had for the race. And as for coaching his sister, he does not let her have it easy.

“I try not to give her any benefits,” Hans Arnesen said. “I probably make her work harder. I think I can push her harder than the rest of the team, since I know her as a brother.”

Judging by her spring series results, the Hans Arnesen coaching strategy appears to be working. Sonja Arnesen dropped her 2008 ITT time by more than eight seconds.

Hans and Sonja Arnesen cited a three-week, 1,200-mile summer cycling trip in the Southwest as a major reason for her improvement this year. Since the trip, Hans Arnesen noted his sister has become more comfortable riding in a pack and holding her line in the race.

Gamma Phi Beta sophomore Kelley Douglas said she has become their team’s anchor.

“She’s definitely our strongest rider,” Douglas said. “Sonja demonstrates how hard work and a lot of effort really does pay off. She’s made amazing improvements this year that are really inspiring for the whole team.”

With glimpses of success in the spring series, Hans Arnesen hopes her training shows up on race day.

“Seeing how well she’s done so far,” he said, “I can only be very excited for the race.”