Little 500 fall series continues

The fall cycling series continued during the weekend with a variety of events that incorporated more than competitors simply riding on their bikes around the track at Bill Armstrong Stadium.

Friday’s competition was Cyclocross. The event was at the IU Tailgate Fields, where competitors were in teams of two and alternated racing around a course with various obstacles, such as hay bales and staircases.

Wing It Cycling’s team of Melissa Moeller and Laura Miller took first place in the women’s competition with a time of 26:12.66. Emily Palmer and Lyndi Hollis of Cru Cycling placed second with 27:46.74. There was a battle for third place, but Sarah Hugus and Kristin Coleman of Rainbow Cycling edged out Wing It Cycling’s Carly Dean and Alyssa Aungst by a mere 6 seconds, 28:13.10 to 28:19.55.

In the men’s competition, Beta Phi Psi won with a time of 34:24.87 thanks to the efforts of Miles Johnson and Tom Laser. Brice Brookshire and Steve Ferrah of Sigma Nu Cycling placed second at 36:14.55. Black Key Bulls riders Steven Gomez and Brant Powell finished third after completing eleven laps in 37:00.36.

The Duathlon was Saturday evening at Bill Armstrong Stadium.

“The riders start out by running one mile along Fee Lane, and then they bike two miles around the track,” IU Student Foundation Steering Committee member Matt Michel said. “By that point, they’re pretty exhausted, and then they have to run another mile and a half around the football stadium from the Little Five track, so it’s quite the endurance event.”

Michel said the order of events meant it was just as important to have mental endurance as it was to have physical endurance in the Duathlon.

“From what I’ve seen, after running one mile and then biking two miles, the competitors are pretty exhausted, and then there’s a huge run that’s awaiting them,” Michel said. “If you take a look at their faces after they get off of their bikes, they’re awful, and they’re not even near being done. It’s that realization that they have another mile and a half to run.”

Delta Tau Delta rider AJ Sood cited consistency, keeping a good pace and keeping up with the rest of the pack as important factors to succeeding in the Duathlon.

“I thought it was a good course,” Sood said. “There was a little confusion on the second running section, but hopefully it will all get worked out in the results.”

The finish came down to the wire in the men’s competition, with Laser edging out Dan Kinn of the Black Key Bulls 20:50.57 to 20:53.92. Grey Goat rider RJ Half placed third with a time of 21:06.69.

For the women’s Duathlon, Teter cyclist Meagan Bebchuk won with a time of 25:33.46. Second and third place went to Madeline Hanley of Collins Cycling and Cru Cycling’s Arianna Gutierrez, who crossed the finish line in 25:42.63 and 25:58.62, respectively.

The Fall Cycling Series wrapped up with Street Sprints on Sunday on North Jordan Avenue. Riders and spectators lined the street in front of the greek houses as the cyclists raced uphill.

The competition was broken into brackets for both the men and women.

Riders started out in heats of four or five competitors, and the top two finishers from each heat would continue to the next round. This process continued until there were only two riders remaining, who would race in the championship round to determine the winner.  

Kristopher Zee of Cru Cycling defeated Brookshire in the final. On the women’s side, Teter’s Lisa Hutcheson beat Moeller.

Team times were compiled for all Fall Cycling Series events.

Wing It Cycling won the women’s competition with an overall time of 1:28:31.71, and the Black Key Bulls took the title with an accumulative time of 1:31:44.78 for the men.

The final fall events of 2012 will be an exchange clinic and groups ride in mid-November before cycling picks up in the spring as the Little 500 approaches.