The Black Key Bulls ran unopposed in the Team Pursuit final after Sigma Alpha Epsilon scratched before the final.
On another day where teams had to battle the elements, the Black Key Bulls outlasted their competition and ran away with the Spring Series crown.
“It is nice to come out here and verify that we are fit and ready for this,” Black Key Bulls Captain Nicholas Hartman said. “We had a strong showing in Spring Series, and it is time to double down and get ready for the race.”
The Black Key Bulls won Team Pursuit because of their impressive depth, and also had strong depth from the ITT showing.
The Black Key Bulls also had three riders inside the top-eight ITT times and eight riders within the top-40 times.
While the Black Key Bulls might have taken the white jersey by a significant margin, Sigma Alpha Epsilon emerged this spring as another major contender.
SAE qualified eighth for the Little 500, but finished second in the Spring Series on the back of the Krahulik brothers.
Sophomore Joe Krahulik won ITT’s with the second fastest time ever. He followed that up at Miss N Out and won his second event of the season.
His older brother, Andy Krahulik, wasn’t more than a wheel-length behind him in Miss N Outs as Andy finished second, giving SAE the one-two finish. SAE would put up the second fastest Team Pursuit time, but because of the wet conditions at the track, they declined to compete in the final heat between the Black Key Bulls.
With their second place Spring Series finish, the pressure is on for SAE to back it up in the race.
“We were the dark horses last year,” Krahulik said. “That makes it a much easier race for us. This year, it’s going to be different. There’s a lot more focus on us as a team. It’s going to be a new race for us.”
The pole-sitting Cutters team also had a strong Spring Series in team and individual competition.
Cutters finished third in the final standings and had strong individual performances from their riders as well.
In ITT’s Nick Thiery had a strong showing, finishing third overall, and Erik “Trevor” Schwedland finished tenth. Thiery advanced to the final heat of Miss N Out as well.
Defending champions Sigma Phi Epsilon had a precarious start to the spring, as they faulted on their first two qualification attempts. Sig Ep would recover and made the field of 33 at number 22.
The rest of their spring wouldn’t be as tenuous because they finished fourth behind the Cutters, even with their poor starting spot.
With such a strong field, there are many teams who have the potential to win the Little 500.
