Stearley leads Sigma Pi in team’s return to Little 500

In the summer of 2009, Eric Stearley found himself alone among a house
of brothers.

His fraternity, Sigma Pi, had been kicked off campus, and his Little 500 bike team went with it.

The rookie rider knew how important a cycling team would be to the bonds of brotherhood when Sigma Pi was allowed back on campus in the fall of 2010, so he set out to rebuild a program.

The bikes Sigma Pi had were in disrepair and funds were dry, so Stearley turned to the only people he knew could help: his brothers.

He called alumni riders and brothers to ask for donations, raising close to $2,000 for team kits and other team gear. He lobbied Sigma Pi’s Executive Council to set aside social funds for the bike team. And his brothers backed him the whole way.

Now a junior, Stearley is on a team with three freshmen. All four riders have no Little 500 race experience.

Freshman rider Nick Donato said the bike team has been important to the rebirth of Sigma Pi, especially since they did not think they were good enough to qualify.

“Sigma Pi used to be pretty prestigious in cycling,” Donato said. “We got kicked off and lost some of our riders who would have been on the team. It’s like a new beginning since we’re all so young with three freshmen. It’s just another brick of building Sigma Pi back up to what it used to be.”

Donato attributed the rebuilding of Sigma Pi cycling to Stearley.

“I’ve never met a harder-working and committed guy than him,” Donato said. “He is juggling 17 credit hours and a job and the cycling team, but he found us sponsors. He’s a good leader and he’s good at pushing you. I hate him while I’m out there cycling, but that’s a good thing because he’s pushing me.”

This wasn’t the first time Stearley took the reins of something he badly wanted. In high school, he was the only swimmer for his high school. He and his athletic director worked together to allow Stearley to train with another team but race for
his school.

“The swimming kind of started and ended with me, sadly,” Stearley said. “Unfortunately I couldn’t really build that up like I’ve done with the cycling team.”

But what happened with his swim team, Stearly said, won’t happen with his cycling team.

“I’m training these freshmen to take it over when I get out of here,” he said. “I don’t want to seem like I’m the sole responsibility for it. Obviously there are seven other guys who I couldn’t do this without. There’s no such thing as a one-man Little 500 team. I see a long life with Sigma Pi Cycling.”

On March 26, the day of Qualifications, Sigma Pi members sat for close to an hour, holding their breaths and watching their time card move down the qualifications board. Their time of 2:40.23 was 15 seconds slower than the team at the top of the pole.

It would be good enough for 33rd place.

“It’s a very young team, for sure,” Stearley said. “There’s not a lot of experience, but it’s going well. We don’t expect huge things this year just because we’re rebuilding. We’re trying to get back up where we used to be as a top-10 team. It’s been a lot of work, but it’s definitely enjoyable.”