Yes everyone…it’s that time again…IU’s Little 500 is this weekend! An event that sparked a hollywood movie and a legacy for Dave Blase…the most famous IU Little 500 rider who almost didn’t race! Click here to read the Indy Star article about his story.
From the Indiana University Student Foundation page:
The Little 500 is the largest collegiate bike race in the United States. Modeled after the Indianapolis 500, riders compete in four-person teams around a quarter-mile cinder track at Bill Armstrong Stadium. The men’s race is 200 laps — 50 miles — and the women’s race is 100.
More than 25,000 fans flock to the campus in Bloomington, Indiana, each April to be a part of IU’s storied tradition. And who can blame them? The excitement, the competition, the pageantry — Little 500 is an experience like no other.
The race began in 1951 as a way to raise scholarship money for students working their way through college. Since that first race, IUSF has given away over $1 million to deserving undergrads.
Now about that Hollywood movie…do you remember it? Dennis Christopher played Dave and Dennis Quaid, Jackie Earl Haley and Daniel Stern rounded out the 4 man team. The synopsis is quite simple, Dave, nineteen, has just graduated high school, with his 3 friends, the comical Cyril, the warm hearted but short-tempered Moocher, and the athletic, spiteful but good-hearted Mike. Now, Dave enjoys racing bikes and hopes to race the Italians one day, and even takes up the Italian culture, much to his friends and parents annoyance. Meanwhile, the 4 friends try to break away from their townie, Indiana reputation while fighting with nearby college snobs.
I just love movies set in Indiana and about Indiana events…how about you?
