Little 500
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| Date | Third weekend of April |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | Little Five |
| Discipline | Track cycling |
| First edition | 1951 |
| Editions | 67 |
| First winner | South Hall Buccaneers |
| Most wins | Cutters (12 wins) |
| Most recent | Black Key Bulls (2nd win) |
The Little 500 (also known popularly as the "Little Five"), is a bicycle race held annually during the third weekend of April at Bill Armstrong Stadium on the campus of Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. It is attended by more than 25,000 fans each April. The race was founded in 1951 by Howdy Wilcox Jr., Executive Director of the Indiana University Student Foundation, who modeled the race after the Indianapolis 500, which his father had won in 1919. Racers compete in teams of four, racing relay-style for 200 laps (50 miles) along a quarter-mile (440 yards) cinder track. Thirty-three teams are selected in qualifications trials to compete in the main race. Money raised by the event goes towards a scholarship fund for working IU students.
Billed as "The World's Greatest College Weekend," the race has expanded into a whole week of activities since its original founding; the Women's Little 500 (100 laps, or 25 miles) was first held in 1988 and continues to be run each year, and other events such as the Little Fifty Running Relay Race and Alumni Races add to the festivities. During his run for presidency the then senator Barack Obama made an unannounced visit to the Little 500 woman's race in 2008. The race has raised more than $1 million in scholarship money over the years.
Special rules for the Little 500 race include:
Little 500 bikes are identical, single-speed (46x18), coaster brake racing bicycles with 700c wheels, 32mm tires and flat rubber pedals. The unusual specification originated with the famous AMF Roadmaster bicycles of the 1960s and 1970s, once the sole bicycle type used in the event. There are two different versions of the bike for men and women, with the only difference being frame size. Every year a new version of the specified bicycle type is purchased, with two given to each team. A deposit of $400 must be placed for both bikes. At the end of the season, teams are given the option to keep their race bikes or to return them back to IUSF in exchange for their deposit. Returned former race bikes are kept at the track and rented out to those teams that lack bicycles meeting Little 500 specifications.
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