Each spring, more than 25,000 people arrive in Bloomington for what is known as “The World’s Greatest College Weekend” –– the Little 500, the largest collegiate bike race in the United States.
But the 2026 Little 500 carries added significance. This year’s men’s race, scheduled for 2 p.m. April 25 at Bill Armstrong Stadium, will be the 75th rendition of the event.
Results from Qualifications on March 28 narrowed the men’s field to 33 teams. But only one will be crowned the champion after 200 laps.
Here’s what to know ahead of the 2026 Little 500 men’s race.
Black Key Bulls
Black Key Bulls enter the 2026 Little 500 as the team to beat after securing back-to-back titles –– the first team to repeat since CUTTERS in 2018 and 2019. In 2023, BKB failed to qualify for the race. But BKB engineered a dramatic turnaround, winning the event in 2024 and 2025.
Most of the 2025 championship roster will return after the team graduated just one rider. This year’s roster features eight riders, including three seniors, four juniors and a sophomore. However, only four will compete in the Little 500.
Despite returning much of its core, BKB struggled in “Spring Series” events. The back-to-back champions finished fifth at qualifications and failed to advance to the finals of the Team Pursuit by 2.19 seconds on April 11.
BKB’s top challengers
Will BKB’s title run come to an end this year? Perhaps its two biggest challengers are CUTTERS and Sigma Alpha Epsilon.
CUTTERS owns 15 Little 500 titles –– the most in event history. Inspired by the 1979 film “Breaking Away,” CUTTERS last won the event in 2023.
While BKB has posted back-to-back first place finishes, CUTTERS have dominated the pre-race events. CUTTERS struggled at the 2025 qualifications, coming in at 12th before finishing the race in third place. This year, the team blazed to a 02:25.711 time at qualifications –– the fastest mark of the pack –– and more than 2.5 seconds faster than BKB.
CUTTERS carried that momentum into the Team Pursuit. The team took first place with a 9:00:12 finish in the championship race.
Close behind CUTTERS during the “Spring Series,” was SAE –– last year’s runner-up. In 2025, it was a close contest between SAE and BKB through most of the race. Around Lap 170, SAE stopped for an exchange, allowing BKB to claim a four-second lead that continued to grow.
But throughout this year’s “Spring Series,” SAE has shown it is set on reclaiming a top finish in the race. The team competed against CUTTERS in the Team Pursuit championship race, ultimately finishing second with a 9:12.69 time. SAE also placed second at qualifications, posting a 02:27.216 mark.
Riders to watch
The 2026 Little 500 Individual Time Trials on March 31 showcased some of the top riders in this year’s race. Three CUTTERS riders finished in the top five of the Individual Time Trials. Seniors Judah Thompson and Jake Zarov secured the first and second spots in the Individual time trials, respectively.
Thompson has been a consistent force for CUTTERS throughout his career. The senior finished second in the Individual Time Trials in 2024 and 2025, before reaching the top spot with a 2:22.27 time in his final year. Thompson also won the 2026 Miss N Out on April 10. Zarov posted a second-place time of 2:23.66 in the event. Meanwhile, freshman Leo Nelson claimed the fourth spot with a 2:24.87 time.
Despite Black Key Bulls’ disappointing qualifications, senior Paul Lee stopped CUTTERS from a 1-2-3 finish at the Individual Time Trials. Lee placed third with a 2:24.40 time, while teammate and junior Wiley Close took eighth with a 2:25.42 finish.
Junior Matthew Naas led the way for SAE in the Individual Time Trials, securing a 2:25:02 mark and fifth place at the event. Nass also notched fifth at the Miss N Out.
Two Sigma Phi Epsilon riders also stood out among the rest. Sophomore Drew Poplarski and senior Gus Kowalevsky tied for sixth with a 2:25:07 time in the Individual Time Trials –– just five seconds behind Nass. Poplarski also claimed third in the Miss N Out, finishing one spot behind Sigma Phi Epsilon teammate and senior Alex Hamilton.
This story was originally published in the Indiana Daily Student's spring 2026 Little 500 Guide.
