75
LITTLE 500
Where?
Bill Armstrong Stadium at Indiana University.
When?
Every Spring, but the dates vary year-to-year.
Significance:
The Little 500—a.k.a. the “Little Five” or the “World’s Greatest College Weekend”—is the nation’s premier intramural collegiate cycling event with teams of four riding 200 laps relay-style around a quarter-mile cinder track. Teams include the famed Cutters team and collections of students from dormitories, current fraternities, and exiled frat houses.
After witnessing an impromptu bicycle race in a dormitory, Howard “Howdy” Wilcox, Executive Director of the Indiana University Foundation, established the annual event in 1950. A single race known only to the local community became a nationwide sensation after the release of the Oscar-winning motion picture Breaking Away. Frequent attendees of Bill Armstrong Stadium include David Letterman, John Mellencamp, and Lance Armstrong. Bragging rights and a combined $1 million in scholarship money is at stake, but don’t bring your own customized bike to win. Official Little 500 bikes are provided to all teams. They are single gear, coaster brake racing bicycles with new versions made every year.
Who attends?
Indiana University students and hometown celebrities look forward to attending this event each and every year. Breaking Away raised the profile of the event and attracts racing enthusiasts from around the world.
Tickets:
For primary ticket access information, consider:
www.iusf.org.
For secondary ticket access, consider:
GoTickets, Inc.
2345 Waukegan Road, Suite 140
Bannockburn, IL 60015-1552
Toll-Free: 1-800-775-1617
Fax: (919) 481-9101
E-mail: sales@gotickets.com
www.gotickets.comAccommodations:Indiana Memorial Union/Biddle Hotel and Conference Center
Note: Elegant hotel in the heart of the campus for families and business people. Luxurious suites and individual rooms are available. Amenities include free on-campus parking, wireless Internet, and local phone calls.
Fourwinds Resort Marina
9301 South Fairfax Road
Bloomington, IN 47401-8962
Phone: 812-824-BOAT
Fax: 812-824-9816
Toll-Free: 1-800-824-BOAT
www.fourwindsresort.comNote: Fifteen minutes from the campus with beautiful guest rooms and suites, most overlooking Lake Monroe. Many family-oriented resort activities.
Courtyard Bloomington
310 South College Avenue
Bloomington, IN 47403
Phone: (812) 335-8000
Fax: (812) 336-9997
Toll-Free: 1-800-321-3211
www.marriott.comNote: Newly renovated rooms have ergonomic workspaces, complimentary weekday paper, and in-room coffee. Onsite lounge, indoor pool, and exercise room.
Hilton Garden Inn
245 North College Avenue
Bloomington, IN 47404
Phone: (812) 331-1335
Fax: (812) 331-1060
Toll-Free: 1-877-STAY-HGI
www.stayhgi.comNote: Minutes from Indiana University, Lake Monroe, and Brown County State Park. An onsite business center is open to guests twenty-four hours a day.
On-Site Hospitality and Events:
Multiple screenings of Breaking Away are shown around Indiana University during the week leading up to the race. Information on those screenings and Little 500 related events can be found on the college website’s Little 500 page and bulletins located throughout the campus.
Travel Packages:
If you are going to travel to this event, I would recommend using a reliable company to work with you on making the necessary arrangements. The suppliers listed in this book have solid references and are by far the most trusted in the business. Below are some of the organizations to try for this Top 100 Must See Sporting Event.
Premiere Corporate Events
14 Penn Plaza, Suite 925
New York, NY 10122
Phone: (212) 695-9480
Fax: (212) 564-8098
Toll-Free: 1-877-621-5243
E-mail: requests@tseworld.com
www.tseworld.comwww.pcevents.comPremiere Sports Travel
201 Shannon Oaks Circle, Suite 205
Cary, NC 27511
Phone: (919) 481-9511
Fax: (919) 481-1337
Toll-Free: 1-800-924-9993
E-mail: sales@sportstravel.com
www.sportstravel.com
Dining:
Nick’s English Hut
Note: A Bloomington tradition for over eighty years. World-famous pizza, Stromboli, and burgers.
The Bluebird
Note: Touting over thirty years of rock and roll, it is the place close to campus for great live music and cocktails.
Bear’s Place
Note: Home of good food, good music, and a good time.
Hinkle’s Hamburgers
206 South Adams Street
Bloomington, IN 47404
Phone: (812) 339-3335
Note: A particular favorite of the alums and considered by many to have the best hamburger in America.
Village Deli
Note: Widely considered to have the best omelets around.
Airports:
Monroe County Airport
Indianapolis International Airport (fifty-two miles to Bloomington)
Sports Travel Insider’s Edge:
Best way to watch the action:
With the oval track, surrounding grand-stands, and a lawn to sit on, there is not a bad seat to watch the event. Keep an eye out for the actual Cutters team competing against the frats, dorms, and Greeks. They have remained quite competitive since Shaun Cassidy played a Cutter on the small screen. Action abounds all week as the celebration leads up to the main event with plenty of hoopla and drinking.
Best place to get up close:
Breaking Away is the story of the actual Cutters (yes, they are real) and the Little 500. Leading up to the actual Little 500, the famed movie is shown on big screens throughout campus. Catch the movie once or multiple times at the public showings. The Indiana University website will provide more information on their Little 500 page.
Best travel tip:
Preparation in advance and patience when you get there. Hotels are full and there will be a certain amount of walking. Restaurants are crowded and the alcohol flows freely.
Notable Quotes:
“I’ve attended Super Bowls, World Series, and the Monaco Grand Prix, but the coolest event I ever attended was the Little 500.”—LANCE ARMSTRONG, Tour de France champion
“There is no event like the Little 500.
You can’t find an event quite like this at any other school. It makes everyone proud to feel like we go to a really unique university.”—BILL COLBERT, Delta Upsilon team
Relevant Websites: