Women's qualifications for 2012 Little 500 highlight young field

The wait is just about done.

After months of preparation, the women’s cycling teams are set to take the track Saturday for the 2012 Little 500 Qualifications, in which the fastest 33 teams to complete four laps will advance to the Little 500 on Friday, April 20.

“The Student Foundation is thrilled to host the 2012 Little 500 Qualifications on Saturday,” IUSF Assistant Director and Little 500 Race Coordinator Jordan Bailey said. “Up until this point, the Little 500 Cycling Committee has been very diligent in taking care of all the small details that go into putting on the event. On Saturday, it will be about putting those plans and preparation into action.”

Heading into this year’s qualifications, track conditions could potentially have a major effect on how teams perform. Throughout the week, weather conditions have been hot and dry, meaning that the track could run loose and be hard to ride.

However on Saturday, the forecast is due to be 65 degrees with a 40 percent chance of rain, indicating that conditions could be perfect for fast racing.

For Army Women rider senior Aileen Ottenweller, she and her team are prepared for whatever track conditions there might be when her team runs its qualification heat at 12:45 p.m. Saturday afternoon.

“We are used to practicing and racing in all types of weather conditions,” Ottenweller said. “Quals is about fast lap times and fast exchanges, and that will always be our strategy.”

During this past year’s race, the Army Women’s squad finished fourth overall with a time of 1:12:32, far behind last year’s champion Teter. However, this Army Women team returns Ottenweller, who finished in fifth in last year’s Individual Time Trials. For Army Women, and for any team, finishing well in qualifications is pivotal.

“For us, performing well again this year means having an easier time staying toward the front of the pack,” Ottenweller said. “Everyone on the track is capable of going fast for a lap, so it will come down to fluid and fast exchanges and being able to exert as much power as humanly possible per lap.”

In a year in which many teams will be trying to deal with the loss of a major rider, including Pi Beta Phi’s Caroline Brown and Delta Gamma’s Kelsey Kent, two-time defending champion Teter will attempt to cope with the loss of the defending Individual Time Trials and Miss-N-Out Champion Caitlin Van Kooten.

Trying to fill Van Kooten’s shoes will be sophomore Emma Caughlin, who last year finished ninth in Individual Time Trials, the second-fastest on the Teter squad.

Because so many teams lost top talent, this year’s Little 500 has no clear favorite as of yet. It will also be the fourth time ever in the 25-year history of the women’s event that a full field of 33 teams will be competing. Saturday’s results could set the tone for what will be a very exciting month to come.

“Exceptionally good riders come and go. When two or three leave, inevitably, there are other riders that improve their fitness from year to year to fill that void,” Bailey said. “I think that this year, both the men and women’s fields will be balanced and competitive, leading to exciting races to watch for all of our fans.”