The Black Key Bulls rode alone.
15 laps later, they were nearly the last ones left at the track when they gathered together for a team picture.
The Black Key Bulls were the men’s Team Pursuit champion and when it was announced over the loudspeaker, they grabbed hands and raised them in the air.
“It was pretty sweet,” Black Key Bulls captain Nicholas Hartman said. “I felt terrible today. That’s the awesome thing about our team that we can have someone drop and it’s not a problem.”
The Black Key Bulls depth was the key for them getting the Team Pursuit victory and in the process, the Spring Series crown.
Coming into Team Pursuit, the Black Key Bulls had a large lead in the Spring Series’ standings and it would have taken a huge problem from the Bulls for any team to climb back and win the white jersey.
“We wanted to win the Spring Series,” Hartman said. “This is really our event, so we really wanted to win this.”
Hartman added their team is almost specifically designed to do well in Team Pursuit as they have won the last three Team Pursuits.
“The way we target our training helps us,” Hartman said. “We do a lot of intervals that match the effort of Team Pursuit. We don’t do a lot of ITT efforts. This is our event that we are good at.”
Their Team Pursuit victory was no contest as the other team, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, declined to race in the final heat.
Sigma Alpha Epsilon had the second fastest Team Pursuit of the day at 9:32.65, but they scratched from the final race because of the tough conditions.
“I get where they are coming from,” Hartman said. “It was a really crappy day. It would have been nice to have them out here, but I get it. They still had a strong second time. It’s pretty clear that we both are really strong.”
Going into the race next weekend, both the Black Key Bulls and SAE are primed for success. The Black Key Bulls are wearing the white jersey, but SAE also had a strong spring. Joe Krahulik won the ITT’s and along with his brother, Andy, finished one-two in Miss N Outs.
With under a week before the Little 500, the Black Key Bulls said they are ready to race.
“It’s rushed and we usually have an extra week before the race,” Hartman said. “It is nice to come out here and verify that we are fit ready for this. We had a strong showing in Spring Series and it is time to double down and get ready for the race.”
