This is the true post of Little 500 riders picked to have their lives surrounding America's Greatest College Weekend posted to the web. To find out what happens when the IDS stops just reporting and starts getting real...check here for The Real Ride - Little 500 style.
When asked to blog a little about my experience with the Little 500 and what it means to me to be a "Cutters rider," I realized it's hard to really pinpoint a specific example. This organization really is a full-time commitment. But once you really accept it and buy into the program, it becomes so much more than that resembling a very close-knit family. Since this is going to be a weekly thing, I figured I'd start from the beginning and work forward in regards to this year.
First off I'd like to dispel the rumor that our team recruits because there isn't a single person on our team who has rode a bike competitively before college. When we form our team every year we don't approach anyone and ask if they want to ride. Most often someone will spark up a conversation on a group ride or see the team mingling at one of our favorite restaurants here in town, The Bakehouse. (The owner Lyle F. graciously donates a lot of time and money to the cycling community here in Bloomington so whenever you are feeling hungry hit the bakehouse for some healthy options or Scholar's Inn if you're looking for something a little fancier! Both places are great in terms of food and quality service and it's local; what more could you ask for?)
Back to business...
After grouping together a few new prospective riders we hit the final Forest Time Trial on a hot and humid day in August. From the get go Eric and I, the two seniors, knew we had the makings of something special, which is promising considering it was only August.
The car accident was definitely a setback for us. You start questioning your fitness and mentally. You just don't know if this whole cycling thing is the right thing to do after sustaining a serious injury. Since then, we've had the same team, which is cool because you have all year to bond and really get to know each other, even though sometimes it's not always what you want to hear. You can only talk about so many things on three to four hour rides before it starts to get juicy, but we'll save that for another day.
The team this year runs the whole spectrum consisting of two freshmen, a sophomore, two juniors and two seniors. This is what we've had from the beginning and it's been an incredible year thus far. Hopefully we can keep the wheels turning through April!
Sam Stanford, better known as "Doug," is a freshmen from Indianapolis, Ind. with a running background. He's been known to dabble in the video-gaming world and also enjoys French toast.
Eric Brodell, or "Skeeter," is also a freshman from West Lafayette, Ind. who played tennis throughout high school. He has had quite the season due to his very serious leg injury he sustained in the fall. Finally recovered, he is looking to rebuild his fitness and have a great finish to the year and carry it over into the summer racing scene.
Sam Harbison, "Boobie," is a sophomore from New Albany, Ind. and is in his second year with the team. He's easily the most hipster kid on the team and takes a lot of joy in wearing extremely weird t-shirts.
Thomas Walsh is a junior from Bloomington, Ind. who is in his first year with the team. Being from Bloomington he's a natural Cutter and showing some real promise for just starting to ride!
Kevin Depasse is also a junior from Terre Haute, Ind. in his first year with the team. A triathlon and running background make him a strong rider and his happy-go-lucky attitude always keeps the team in good spirits.
Eric "Hazel" Young is a senior from Geneva, Ill. entering his final year here at IU and his fourth with the team. When not on the bike, he enjoys spending time with his lovely girlfriend, Kristen, and eating granola while stretching and watching YouTube videos of Chris Hoy.
Last by not least, I'm Zachary Lusk, or "Hank," and I'll be updating this blog from time to time. I'm a senior from New Carlisle, Ind. and this is my third year with the team. I'm just living it up this last few months here at IU and cherishing my youth as it is coming to a close a lot sooner than one would like...
That's just a little bit about the team. Nothing fancy, but I will go into a little more detail once things start to pick up a bit on the track. If you ever want to hear about anything specific, let me know by leaving a comment below and I'll try my best to answer without giving away too many secrets! Hope everyone is getting excited for spring and the upcoming Little 500 festivities.
Zach Lusk is a senior majoring in Exercise Science. He is in his third year riding for Cutters. Cutters finished first in the 2010 race.
