Date: April 22, 2006 Saturday
Place: Bill Armstrong Stadium
Event: 2006 Men's Little 500 Race
Distance: 200-laps
Climate: Sunny, clear, beautiful. Mid-70s and moderate W winds.
Time: 2:00pm
Winner: Alpha Tau Omega-ATO (2:08.11)
ATO starting position: 7th (Inside 3rd row)
ATO finishing position: 1st (2:08.11)
Pit Position: Third pit in front of start/finish line.
Jersey Color: Baby Blue
Team: Hans Arnesen, Brian Laiderman, Briggs Patterson, Steve Ziemba. There was no alternate rider.
Mechanics: Michael Kehrberg (cycling pro & ATO training coach) and Michael Glasgow (mountain bike expert & expert
mechanic).
Pit Timers/lap counters: Lauren Ziemba, Lindsey Manck, & Alyssa Schlatter (KD bike team members)
Coach: Norm Houze
Redemption!! ATO is looking for redemption. Will it happen today? Will this be the year for ATO? We've had some very
dominant teams in the past 3-years. They've also been hard luck teams. This year's group is probably the least balanced
consisting of a senior, junior, sophomore, and freshman. We're strong at the top and inexperienced at the bottom. We'll see how
this plays out during the race today.
The team stayed overnight at Norm & Cricket's residence and woke up to a beautiful day. Since their arrival, the only thing
discussed was race strategy. There are unlimited scenarios involving burn-outs, burn-ins, yellow flags, penalties, and many other
things. It is impossible to cover everything, so we just hope the riders can inherently sense what to do out there on the track
today. Earlier in the week, Hans Arnesen made a clear point of stating the team would ride an aggressive race. In other words, no
senseless laps and sucking wheel all day. When the moment spontaneously arises, ATO would jump on it. That set the tone for
everything. Hans looked rested. He is ready and in the flow. Briggs Patterson and Steve Ziemba are rookies. Rookies are
always unpredictable. They had that look on their faces. Brian Laidermanlooked a little tired. He is in the midst of an
unbelievable weekend in being a women's team mechanic, riding the men's race, and taking the MCATs the next day following the
race. We'll see how he gets through this.
The sendoff from the ATO house was unbelievable. That got the team super-pumped. They really have the support of the house
this year and it shows. Once at the track, the team started their warmup and the mechanics Michael Glasgow and Michael
Kehrbergtweaked the bikes and discussed communications and yellow flag issues. Broadcasters, journalists, and photographers
were all over Hans during the pre-race festivities. He again is the rider to watch in this race. He has dominated this track for the
past 4-years and knows his team can win this year. Hans decided to just go out there and have fun no matter what the outcome.
This was his last Little 500 and he was determined to make it his race and no one else's. And Steve, Briggs, and Brian are going
to help him. The BIG question was how much could these guys support Hans in ATO's quest for a Little 500 championship. The
following is a racap of each set according to my best recollection:
Hans (40-laps, 1-40)
34 34 35 36 37 36 36 37 37 37 40 39 32 (served 2-sec penalty) 40 35 32 (37 45 54 53 yellow flag) 34 34 35 36 (33 46 54 yellow
flag) 32 34 35 36 37 34 36 36 36 34 33 37 37
This was Hans' 4th race and the second time starting on the inside row.....this time on Row 3. Everyone remembers what
happened last year. No one remembers more than Hans. ATO had the potential to be a front row team, but DQ'd on the first
attempt in quals 4-weeks ago. As a result, the riders had to bump down their aggressiveness somewhat and ended up qualifying
in the 7th position. We're not that concerned though......Hans will find a way out of the box on the inside. And that he did. As the
green flag signaled the start of the race, Hans zoomed through Turn 1-2 and was up with the leaders by Turn 4 on the first lap.
Moving up front that quickly was the foreboding signature of this race. Man, that was a cool move on the backstretch. Hans knows
how to plug and play.
From Lap 3-12, Hans dropped back a few spots in the pack to conserve energy and wait for the right moment to serve ATO's
pre-race penalty. We were looking to serve the 2-second penalty sometime between Lap 10-15 unless there was a yellow flag.
There was a crash in Turn 3 on Lap 7 involving Briscoe and Phi Psi, but there was no yellow flag. Suddenly on Lap 13, Hans
made his move on the backstretch with Cutters and Dodds close behind. Both teams jumped on Hans' burnout but I don't think
they understood what Hans was doing. It's awfully hard to stay up with a 32-second lap. Hans did a great job of barreling into the
penalty box, dismounting, transferring to the re-mount side, and accelerating out of the box after 2-seconds. It only took him 3/4
lap to catch up to the back of the lead pack.
Then on Lap 16, all hell broke loose. Alex Bishop did a 2-bike exchange for the Cutters and while stopping his bike and turning
toward his pit, a Forest rider plowed into him going through the pit lines. Fiji pitted on the same lap and the rider going out slipped
off the pedals and crashed. The Cutters were assessed an impeding foul. I don't agree. Why was Forest flying through the
Cutters pit line? None of these mishaps resulted in a yellow flag and Hans got on his horse and peeled off another 32-second lap
together with Dodds. That hot lap was a big dagger in the back for the Cutters and Fiji. Then on the next lap coming around,
another big crash involving AEPi and some other teams caused the Cutters to slow as they were coming into the pits (for what
reason I don't know). The yellow flag finally came out and Hans and Dodds found themselves surprisingly 8-10 seconds ahead of
everyone else. All the teams were scrambling to find out where the leaders were on the track. This brought back our own
memories of ATO's crash miseries in 2005.
OK, ATO is in great shape and Hans gets a chance to recover during the yellow flag after 20-laps. I knew Hans could go at least
another 10-hot laps after the green flag is signaled. So I told the next rider Steve to just standby. But I also highly respected the
Dodds team. They were 4-strong and very balanced. Could we keep pace with after Hans gets off the bike? We all decided not
to worry about them. Our main color to pursue after the yellow flag would be WHITE! If we could lap the Cutters, ATO would be in
the driver's seat. So on Turn 4 of Lap 20, Hans wisely anticipated the green flag and jumped on it just as the flagman started his
signal. Wow, the timing of that was perfect and I'm sure Hans got a big jump on every other team. Hans blistered off two
34-second laps in a row in pursuit of the white-jerseyed Cutters. I know what he was thinking.......REDEMPTION! This was Hans'
chance to demoralize the team that illegitimately wears his 2004 championship ring. But the Cutters were in chase also and Hans
was using a lot of juice. Hans showed a tint of weakening dropping his head slightly and straightening his arms. But surprisingly,
the Dodds rider couldn't stay on his wheel and had to make a pit exchange. This was the real moment of truth on Lap 25. We
informed Hans that he was +20 seconds on the Cutters and pulling away from Dodds House. That resulted in a 33-second blitz
that was unbelievable. That lap was more heart and soul rather than muscle and sweat. Hans could see the white jersey up
ahead, but couldn't gain ground. He needed a fresher, faster wheel to help him move up. Then a big break. Another yellow flag
from a Cinzano crash on Lap 26-27. Oooh this was big........a crucial recovery for Hans. OK, the question now was how much was
in Hans' tank? Could he gobble up about 12-14 seconds to lap the field this early in the race? It will take everything he has.
Steve needed to be ready to take the bike if Hans has a sudden collapse. Again, Hans anticipated the green flag and he was
ready to peel off the most amazing 10-laps ever pedaled on the Little 500 track. We witnessed the unthinkable. The green came
out on Lap 28 and Hans smoked another 32-second lap and I wrote +30 on the pit board. That time was a bit inflated, but I knew
that Hans would put that determined look on his face. I've seen that face many times before. By Lap 30, Hans was eating white
food. The Cutters were lapped and basically out of the race......sooner than any race in their storied history. The Cutter's pit crew
broke out the Prozac. They were done.
In the ATO pit, this became the moment of transition.....from anxiety and disbelief to determination and confidence. The crowd was
going nuts. It was at this point we all thought, "Was this really happening to us?" Nothing was going wrong and we were
witnessing one rider singlehandedly destroying the entire field with three fresh riders waiting in the pits. Could Hans catch Dodds?
The consensus now was ABSOLUTELY! Dodds was panicking. They had to do sprint laps and bike exchanges just to keep from
getting lapped. Those efforts were futile. From Lap 31-38, Hans did a gut wrenching time trial that was history in the making.
There was nothing in his legs or lungs. It was all desire. It was all spirit. Closer and closer with each lap. Is lapping the field this
early in the race by one person really possible? Yes, and at the end of Lap 38, Hans squeezed up beside Dodds. Their yellow
shirted faces turned a sickly green. The always powerful defending champions Dodds House were roadkill. Unbelievable!! The
entire stadium was amazed and in shock. For the teams on the track, it was mass paralysis. The race was only 38-laps old and
for them, was basically over. The leading team has 3-guys with fresh legs and a baby blue gladiator who just conquered the world
in less than 30-minutes. The next two signals by Hans was throwing a kiss to the crowd on Lap 39 and a final signal to come in the
pits on lap 40. Mission accomplished!
Steve (20-laps, 41-61)
37 37 34 37 37 37 38 37 38 36 38 40 38 37 38 37 38 39 39 37 36
Now what? No team has ever been a lap ahead of the field with 160-laps remaining in the race. The bike exchange to Steve was
steady and perfect. The roar of the crowd was deafening. In the pits, the smile on Hans' face was the size of Bill Armstrong
Stadium. The Gladiator in real life. Hey, cut the celebration.......our freshman rookie just went out there. Oh yea, and we still have
160-laps to go. You never know what a rookie is going to do. So everybody's eyes peeled on Steve Ziemba. It took no time for
Steve to take his place in front the the lapped leaders. I think everyone was guessing that the top teams would try to grind the
rookie up and turn him into Cinderfella. Uh.....that didn't happen. The entire stadium got to see what our baby blue rookie was all
about. Steve smoked them. He darted out in front by a few seconds on his 2nd lap and even more on his 3rd and 4th lap. When
he flew by the pits, he was a good 60-yards ahead with a bewildered look on his face. No one was around him. Here he is on the
track for his first Little 500 set, and he is one lap and 60-yards ahead. He probably thought he was dreaming the night before the
race. I really didn't give him any new instructions. I just wanted to see what he could do. After about 6-laps, Andy Cvengros of
Acacia busted out of the pack to close the gap. He came up and pushed Steve with his hand to go faster on the front
straightaway. They both rode together on the deCycles 2005 trip from Bloomington to Portland, ME. Steve wasn't intimidated by
any trash talking.
Steve continued a torrid pace and finally relaxed back into the pack. He'd get sucked to the inside sometimes and we had to
remind him to stay on the outside and out of trouble. The big hammerheads on the Black Keys, Cutters, Betas, and Dodds all
tried to pull away from Steve. He just hung on their wheel like a magnet. It was awesome to see this rookie kid do his thing. Just
this initial 20-lap set alone will earn him Rookie of the Year honors. OK, things are going pretty good and Steve could have gone
longer, but we wanted him to stay near the 20-lap mark. Steve's long set was crucial in giving Hans a long rest in the pits. Next up
was 3rd year rider Brian Laiderman.
Brian (9-laps, 62-70)
36 39 38 37 34 39 37 36 39
Steve's handoff to Brian was very pretty. Brian's bike exchanges are the best on the track. As he started his chase to the pack,
the crowd's focus was still on Steve in the pits. Steve became the new hero for the ATO fans and suddenly represents ATO's
future. Wow, what a feeling! But wait a minute. Don't get too cocky. There's still a lot of racing left and I mentioned to the riders
that we should continue racing as if ATO were on the same lap as our competitors. There's so many ways to choke this thing and
we've been no stranger to bad luck and bad calls in the past. So we went through a mini re-focus pep talk. Brian was out there
and following the same lead as Steve. No one could drop him. Brian led a few laps and stayed to the outside and out of trouble.
What a great set for a guy who is doing the impossible this weekend......mechanic for women's team, racing today, and the MCATs
tomorrow. Geez! Brian pushed for 9-laps and did what he had to do. He could have gone a couple of laps longer, but wanted his
exchange to be strong and steady. Hans was ready to go for a second time.
Hans (33-laps, 71-103)
35 36 37 37 35 (47 60 yellow flag) 36 35 36 37 40 40 39 41 37 38 42 39 38 39 40 33 40 36 37 40 34 35 36 38 39 35
We decided to skip to Hans in the rotation just to get us to the halfway point. The bike exchange to Hans was careful and steady.
Baby blue was the color out front so far all day. The very presence of Hans on the track was intimidating to all the other teams.
Any attempts to breakaway from him would be futile. He pushed 5-beautiful laps until the yellow flag came out on Lap 76. A
spectacular crash by one rider into the hay bales at the Turn 1 lamp post was too close for comfort. That happened right in front
of Hans. He reacted instinctively and steered clear of the crash, but it was a blatant reminder of what could happen. After the
green flag was signaled on Lap 78, Hans took a more secure line around the track maintaining his 1-lap lead. By now the crowd
had quieted down except for the ATO cheering block. All the top riders on the track looked like a bunch of thumbsucking grade
school boys recently punished by the school principal. There was no life left in the top teams. They were racing for second place
and hoping for a big blunder by ATO. It was our resolve not to let that happen.
The big thing that suddenly popped into everybody's head was the number of bike exchanges. Geez, that's a great problem to be
experiencing. ATO has gone over half the race with only 3-bike exchanges. The minimum number is 10 exchanges for each team.
Last year we had 19-exchanges and ten of those were before Lap 55. In 2004, ATO had 16-exchanges. I wanted to put Steve in
one more time before worrying about our bike exhange strategy. So Hans did a super burnout and brought the bike in beautifully
to Steve.
Steve (14-laps, 104-117)
38 37 39 37 38 36 37 34 38 37 39 37 37 37
Steve went out and no one could drop him. One by one, the Cutters, BKB, Dodds, and DU all tried to squeeze up on ATO.
Occasionally Steve would venture to the inside of the track. I had to write OUTSIDE several times on the pit board. Each time
Steve would acknowledge that and moved to the outside. Steve whipped off 14-laps and gained even deeper respect as a rookie
rider. This kid's for real. Not one lap was iffy. He was in command the entire time out there. He brought the bike into Brian with a
sweet and smooth exchange. Incredible.
Brian (3-laps, 118-120)
38 36 37
OK, it was time to do some short sets to tally up more bike exchanges. So we sent Brian out to do a few hot laps. He could have
done more, but we wanted to make sure we get at least 2-3 bike exchanges before Lap 140. Brian stayed out of trouble and no
one was able to drop him either. Finally it was time to introduce another ATO rider to the track. The bike exchange to Briggs was
flawless.
Briggs (5-laps, 121-125)
39 38 37 37 38
3-months ago, Briggs never in his wildest dreams thought he would be riding in the Little 500 much less with a 1-lap lead on his
first time out on the bike. That immediately put a lot of responsibility on his shoulders. I don't know what he was thinking, but I'm
sure it had something to do with......"Don't choke now, don't choke now! Hans will kill me if I choke!" Briggsy was beautiful! He
took the bike with confidence and accelerated out of the pits. He put the baby blue jersey out front again and stayed there. By
now, the competition is thinking that ATO had hidden the best kept secrets on campus for the past 4-months. I kept thinking if I
were the coach of Dodds or Fijis, I'd be wanting to start a breakaway sprint no later than now. And that's what happened. The
pace picked up and even though Briggs was hanging in there and could have done more laps, we decided to get Hans back in
there to quiet this uprising. Briggs quickly pulled out of the pack and brought the bike in smoothly to Hans. Briggs became ATO
hero #4. Way to go Briggs. No choke, no joke!
Hans (13-laps, 126-138)
36 34 41 45 38 38 35 40 40 36 40 40 36
Hans didn't let the field slip away. He pushed a 34 on his second lap to lead out the front of the pack. That super demoralized
everyone. The looks on their faces was as flat as the track. They all knew their chances were slipping with every lap on the track.
They're all racing for second place. But ATO needs to maintain focus. By now, I think we could have lapped the field again, but
ATO was just trying to stay out of trouble and stay put. We had many different opportunities to win this race. All we need is one.
By now we had 7-bike exchanges and were double checking with the pit judge, the chief steward, and the pressbox lap counters. I
also checked with someone I really trust......former ATO rider Chris Bence. He is always on it. We wanted to make damn sure we
had the same number counted up in the pressbox. Hans was out there for a shorter set this time. No one dared to attack while
Hans was in there. His bike exchange to Steve was flawless again.
Steve (20-laps, 139-158)
37 35 37 38 42 38 39 40 42 44 40 33 38 34 35 36 38 38 38 37
Here we go again. The freshman rookie is back at it again. Steve just went out and proved no one can lose him. On Lap 151,
Dodds tried to attack, but Steve sucked their wheel so hard that they gave up after a half lap. Lap after lap, Steve would take the
lead in a mild mannered way. He didn't look mean or menacing. Just a sweet-lookin' guy minding his own business and smokin'
the field. His ATO brothers are gonna love him. This 20-lap set was a big star in Steve's crown and was a crucial sequence in
setting up Hans for a monster set to finish out the race. This is definitely Rookie of the Year stuff. Steve stayed out of trouble and
was done for the day. He brought the bike in to Brian for a perfect bike exchange.
Brian (4-laps, 159-162)
38 36 37 38
Brian slithered on the bike like butter for 4-hot laps around the track. All he had to do was ride safely and he'd have it in the bag.
We wanted Brian to get to Lap 165, but things got going pretty fast out there and Brian decided to make ATO's 10th and last bike
exchange. He came in for a perfect handoff to Hans and was done for the day. What a solid performance! Brian has dreamed
of this ever since he came to Indiana University. 39-laps to HOME.
Hans (39-laps, 163-200)
37 37 35 38 42 50 36 34 37 38 37 34 37 37 38 40 38 38 38 38 38 38 41 34 41 35 43 41 37 35 37 37 37 36 37 37 42 45
The handoff to Hans was perfect again. There's not been one ATO screwup on bike exchanges in the past 4-races. Increbible! A
lot of that can be attributable to Hans and Brian who have made bike exchanges a fine art. And for this race, ATO has now met
the minimum bike exchange requirement with 39-laps laps left. There are also three guys in the pits with lots of reserve energy.
They stayed on their windtrainers ready to go anytime. They each could do another strong set. But the person who belonged on
the track was Hans. This was to be his final set of his Little 500 career. In the past 4-races, ATO has been 13th, 7th, 1st, and 5th.
And we all know the 1st place finish in 2004 was taken away by an unprecendented and controversial call by the chief steward.
So Hans wanted to be out there to make a statement. No one's going to take this one away! Baby blue was so intimidating out
there and no one dared attack. First place was too late for 32-teams. They were all racing for breadcrumbs.
On Lap 167 there was a crash and yellow flag for a couple laps. Also, the Cutters finally got caught riding the inside gutter. They
had been doing it all day. They served a 2-second penalty and couldn't catch up to the other teams in the next 30-laps. It was
definitely a bad day for the highly rated Cutter team that enjoys recruiting advantages year after year. They are strong riders but
just couldn't put it together this year. At this time, Fiji, Dodds, and DU were all challenging for 2nd and 3rd place. Hans just sat on
their wheels on the outside. Then he would lead a few laps. In the ATO pits, we were relaxed but attentive. It was pure joy
watching the baby blue jersey go around lap after lap. At 180-laps, the pit board announced "20-laps to HOME." Usually at that
point in the race, pit boards depict messages of anxiety like......."burn 1-lap!" or "chase!" or "falling back!" We were also using
the pit board for other arrogant messages pointed to the crowd announcing "Sweet" and "Norm is Hans' coach" and "Here are
Hans' parents". At 190-laps, Hans was following every burnout by every team. That was fun to watch. The pit board then
announced "10-laps to HOME!" And finally on Lap 195, the sweetest message of all was "Bring it HOME!" That brought a huge
grin on Hans' face. Brian, Steve, and Briggs were still ready to go if necessary, but our collective joy was watching the greatest
Little 500 rider of all time do his final 5-laps with a tremendous lead.
The last two laps were probably the slowest final laps ever recorded on the Little 5 track. Lap 199 was 42-seconds. Hans wanted
this moment to be slow motion. And on the final lap, Hans saluted the ATO fraternity and waved to the crowd. He turned a blazing
45-second lap riding mostly with no hands and enjoying every microsecond of this accomplishment. For the second time in his
four Little 5 races, Hans crossed the finish line in first place. That doesn't happen very often. With his victory lap, celebration lap,
3-pre-race parade laps, and 125-brilliantly executed laps, Hans spent more time on the track than anyone else. The celebration
began after the race was over. Trophies, high-fives, milkshakes, handshakes, and hugs were all over the place. The team
mounted their bikes and rode their victory lap with their fans and the song blaring out "We Are The Champions". I never did like
that song, but today it was my favorite.
I always wondered what I would do in anticipating the victorious ritual of the Gatorade cooler. Actually, I really wanted to be
drenched. If I would have known when it was coming, I would have turned around, opened my arms, and yelled "Drown me!"
We'll, Hans and company did the drenching. I loved every bit of the wetness. Thanks to training coach Michael Kerhberg for
grabbing my camcorder just before the big flood. Coaching these guys has been a great joy. We've pedaled a lot of miles
together. Former ATO riders Roger, Karl, Wes, Chris, Tom, & Jeremy were all here watching this incredible victory. One by one
they've moved on, but came back to support the team and the ATO fraternity. And now as Hans Arnesen contemplates his future
as a graduating senior, we remember his 367-laps in four races around the Little 500 track (88, 61, 93, 125). He finally got the big
one today and no one, not even the chief steward, can take it away.
Total Laps Per Rider
Hans 40+33+13+39 = 125-laps (started & finished)
Steve 20+14+20 = 54-laps
Brian 9+3+4 = 16-laps
Briggs 5-laps
Total Bike Exchanges: 10 (Nine less than in 2005 and six less than in 2004)
Total Penalites: 1 (2-seconds for pre-race penalty)
Crashes: 0
Norm Houze
1980-1989, 1999-2006 ATO Bike Team Coach
Place: Bill Armstrong Stadium
Event: 2006 Men's Little 500 Race
Distance: 200-laps
Climate: Sunny, clear, beautiful. Mid-70s and moderate W winds.
Time: 2:00pm
Winner: Alpha Tau Omega-ATO (2:08.11)
ATO starting position: 7th (Inside 3rd row)
ATO finishing position: 1st (2:08.11)
Pit Position: Third pit in front of start/finish line.
Jersey Color: Baby Blue
Team: Hans Arnesen, Brian Laiderman, Briggs Patterson, Steve Ziemba. There was no alternate rider.
Mechanics: Michael Kehrberg (cycling pro & ATO training coach) and Michael Glasgow (mountain bike expert & expert
mechanic).
Pit Timers/lap counters: Lauren Ziemba, Lindsey Manck, & Alyssa Schlatter (KD bike team members)
Coach: Norm Houze
Redemption!! ATO is looking for redemption. Will it happen today? Will this be the year for ATO? We've had some very
dominant teams in the past 3-years. They've also been hard luck teams. This year's group is probably the least balanced
consisting of a senior, junior, sophomore, and freshman. We're strong at the top and inexperienced at the bottom. We'll see how
this plays out during the race today.
The team stayed overnight at Norm & Cricket's residence and woke up to a beautiful day. Since their arrival, the only thing
discussed was race strategy. There are unlimited scenarios involving burn-outs, burn-ins, yellow flags, penalties, and many other
things. It is impossible to cover everything, so we just hope the riders can inherently sense what to do out there on the track
today. Earlier in the week, Hans Arnesen made a clear point of stating the team would ride an aggressive race. In other words, no
senseless laps and sucking wheel all day. When the moment spontaneously arises, ATO would jump on it. That set the tone for
everything. Hans looked rested. He is ready and in the flow. Briggs Patterson and Steve Ziemba are rookies. Rookies are
always unpredictable. They had that look on their faces. Brian Laidermanlooked a little tired. He is in the midst of an
unbelievable weekend in being a women's team mechanic, riding the men's race, and taking the MCATs the next day following the
race. We'll see how he gets through this.
The sendoff from the ATO house was unbelievable. That got the team super-pumped. They really have the support of the house
this year and it shows. Once at the track, the team started their warmup and the mechanics Michael Glasgow and Michael
Kehrbergtweaked the bikes and discussed communications and yellow flag issues. Broadcasters, journalists, and photographers
were all over Hans during the pre-race festivities. He again is the rider to watch in this race. He has dominated this track for the
past 4-years and knows his team can win this year. Hans decided to just go out there and have fun no matter what the outcome.
This was his last Little 500 and he was determined to make it his race and no one else's. And Steve, Briggs, and Brian are going
to help him. The BIG question was how much could these guys support Hans in ATO's quest for a Little 500 championship. The
following is a racap of each set according to my best recollection:
Hans (40-laps, 1-40)
34 34 35 36 37 36 36 37 37 37 40 39 32 (served 2-sec penalty) 40 35 32 (37 45 54 53 yellow flag) 34 34 35 36 (33 46 54 yellow
flag) 32 34 35 36 37 34 36 36 36 34 33 37 37
This was Hans' 4th race and the second time starting on the inside row.....this time on Row 3. Everyone remembers what
happened last year. No one remembers more than Hans. ATO had the potential to be a front row team, but DQ'd on the first
attempt in quals 4-weeks ago. As a result, the riders had to bump down their aggressiveness somewhat and ended up qualifying
in the 7th position. We're not that concerned though......Hans will find a way out of the box on the inside. And that he did. As the
green flag signaled the start of the race, Hans zoomed through Turn 1-2 and was up with the leaders by Turn 4 on the first lap.
Moving up front that quickly was the foreboding signature of this race. Man, that was a cool move on the backstretch. Hans knows
how to plug and play.
From Lap 3-12, Hans dropped back a few spots in the pack to conserve energy and wait for the right moment to serve ATO's
pre-race penalty. We were looking to serve the 2-second penalty sometime between Lap 10-15 unless there was a yellow flag.
There was a crash in Turn 3 on Lap 7 involving Briscoe and Phi Psi, but there was no yellow flag. Suddenly on Lap 13, Hans
made his move on the backstretch with Cutters and Dodds close behind. Both teams jumped on Hans' burnout but I don't think
they understood what Hans was doing. It's awfully hard to stay up with a 32-second lap. Hans did a great job of barreling into the
penalty box, dismounting, transferring to the re-mount side, and accelerating out of the box after 2-seconds. It only took him 3/4
lap to catch up to the back of the lead pack.
Then on Lap 16, all hell broke loose. Alex Bishop did a 2-bike exchange for the Cutters and while stopping his bike and turning
toward his pit, a Forest rider plowed into him going through the pit lines. Fiji pitted on the same lap and the rider going out slipped
off the pedals and crashed. The Cutters were assessed an impeding foul. I don't agree. Why was Forest flying through the
Cutters pit line? None of these mishaps resulted in a yellow flag and Hans got on his horse and peeled off another 32-second lap
together with Dodds. That hot lap was a big dagger in the back for the Cutters and Fiji. Then on the next lap coming around,
another big crash involving AEPi and some other teams caused the Cutters to slow as they were coming into the pits (for what
reason I don't know). The yellow flag finally came out and Hans and Dodds found themselves surprisingly 8-10 seconds ahead of
everyone else. All the teams were scrambling to find out where the leaders were on the track. This brought back our own
memories of ATO's crash miseries in 2005.
OK, ATO is in great shape and Hans gets a chance to recover during the yellow flag after 20-laps. I knew Hans could go at least
another 10-hot laps after the green flag is signaled. So I told the next rider Steve to just standby. But I also highly respected the
Dodds team. They were 4-strong and very balanced. Could we keep pace with after Hans gets off the bike? We all decided not
to worry about them. Our main color to pursue after the yellow flag would be WHITE! If we could lap the Cutters, ATO would be in
the driver's seat. So on Turn 4 of Lap 20, Hans wisely anticipated the green flag and jumped on it just as the flagman started his
signal. Wow, the timing of that was perfect and I'm sure Hans got a big jump on every other team. Hans blistered off two
34-second laps in a row in pursuit of the white-jerseyed Cutters. I know what he was thinking.......REDEMPTION! This was Hans'
chance to demoralize the team that illegitimately wears his 2004 championship ring. But the Cutters were in chase also and Hans
was using a lot of juice. Hans showed a tint of weakening dropping his head slightly and straightening his arms. But surprisingly,
the Dodds rider couldn't stay on his wheel and had to make a pit exchange. This was the real moment of truth on Lap 25. We
informed Hans that he was +20 seconds on the Cutters and pulling away from Dodds House. That resulted in a 33-second blitz
that was unbelievable. That lap was more heart and soul rather than muscle and sweat. Hans could see the white jersey up
ahead, but couldn't gain ground. He needed a fresher, faster wheel to help him move up. Then a big break. Another yellow flag
from a Cinzano crash on Lap 26-27. Oooh this was big........a crucial recovery for Hans. OK, the question now was how much was
in Hans' tank? Could he gobble up about 12-14 seconds to lap the field this early in the race? It will take everything he has.
Steve needed to be ready to take the bike if Hans has a sudden collapse. Again, Hans anticipated the green flag and he was
ready to peel off the most amazing 10-laps ever pedaled on the Little 500 track. We witnessed the unthinkable. The green came
out on Lap 28 and Hans smoked another 32-second lap and I wrote +30 on the pit board. That time was a bit inflated, but I knew
that Hans would put that determined look on his face. I've seen that face many times before. By Lap 30, Hans was eating white
food. The Cutters were lapped and basically out of the race......sooner than any race in their storied history. The Cutter's pit crew
broke out the Prozac. They were done.
In the ATO pit, this became the moment of transition.....from anxiety and disbelief to determination and confidence. The crowd was
going nuts. It was at this point we all thought, "Was this really happening to us?" Nothing was going wrong and we were
witnessing one rider singlehandedly destroying the entire field with three fresh riders waiting in the pits. Could Hans catch Dodds?
The consensus now was ABSOLUTELY! Dodds was panicking. They had to do sprint laps and bike exchanges just to keep from
getting lapped. Those efforts were futile. From Lap 31-38, Hans did a gut wrenching time trial that was history in the making.
There was nothing in his legs or lungs. It was all desire. It was all spirit. Closer and closer with each lap. Is lapping the field this
early in the race by one person really possible? Yes, and at the end of Lap 38, Hans squeezed up beside Dodds. Their yellow
shirted faces turned a sickly green. The always powerful defending champions Dodds House were roadkill. Unbelievable!! The
entire stadium was amazed and in shock. For the teams on the track, it was mass paralysis. The race was only 38-laps old and
for them, was basically over. The leading team has 3-guys with fresh legs and a baby blue gladiator who just conquered the world
in less than 30-minutes. The next two signals by Hans was throwing a kiss to the crowd on Lap 39 and a final signal to come in the
pits on lap 40. Mission accomplished!
Steve (20-laps, 41-61)
37 37 34 37 37 37 38 37 38 36 38 40 38 37 38 37 38 39 39 37 36
Now what? No team has ever been a lap ahead of the field with 160-laps remaining in the race. The bike exchange to Steve was
steady and perfect. The roar of the crowd was deafening. In the pits, the smile on Hans' face was the size of Bill Armstrong
Stadium. The Gladiator in real life. Hey, cut the celebration.......our freshman rookie just went out there. Oh yea, and we still have
160-laps to go. You never know what a rookie is going to do. So everybody's eyes peeled on Steve Ziemba. It took no time for
Steve to take his place in front the the lapped leaders. I think everyone was guessing that the top teams would try to grind the
rookie up and turn him into Cinderfella. Uh.....that didn't happen. The entire stadium got to see what our baby blue rookie was all
about. Steve smoked them. He darted out in front by a few seconds on his 2nd lap and even more on his 3rd and 4th lap. When
he flew by the pits, he was a good 60-yards ahead with a bewildered look on his face. No one was around him. Here he is on the
track for his first Little 500 set, and he is one lap and 60-yards ahead. He probably thought he was dreaming the night before the
race. I really didn't give him any new instructions. I just wanted to see what he could do. After about 6-laps, Andy Cvengros of
Acacia busted out of the pack to close the gap. He came up and pushed Steve with his hand to go faster on the front
straightaway. They both rode together on the deCycles 2005 trip from Bloomington to Portland, ME. Steve wasn't intimidated by
any trash talking.
Steve continued a torrid pace and finally relaxed back into the pack. He'd get sucked to the inside sometimes and we had to
remind him to stay on the outside and out of trouble. The big hammerheads on the Black Keys, Cutters, Betas, and Dodds all
tried to pull away from Steve. He just hung on their wheel like a magnet. It was awesome to see this rookie kid do his thing. Just
this initial 20-lap set alone will earn him Rookie of the Year honors. OK, things are going pretty good and Steve could have gone
longer, but we wanted him to stay near the 20-lap mark. Steve's long set was crucial in giving Hans a long rest in the pits. Next up
was 3rd year rider Brian Laiderman.
Brian (9-laps, 62-70)
36 39 38 37 34 39 37 36 39
Steve's handoff to Brian was very pretty. Brian's bike exchanges are the best on the track. As he started his chase to the pack,
the crowd's focus was still on Steve in the pits. Steve became the new hero for the ATO fans and suddenly represents ATO's
future. Wow, what a feeling! But wait a minute. Don't get too cocky. There's still a lot of racing left and I mentioned to the riders
that we should continue racing as if ATO were on the same lap as our competitors. There's so many ways to choke this thing and
we've been no stranger to bad luck and bad calls in the past. So we went through a mini re-focus pep talk. Brian was out there
and following the same lead as Steve. No one could drop him. Brian led a few laps and stayed to the outside and out of trouble.
What a great set for a guy who is doing the impossible this weekend......mechanic for women's team, racing today, and the MCATs
tomorrow. Geez! Brian pushed for 9-laps and did what he had to do. He could have gone a couple of laps longer, but wanted his
exchange to be strong and steady. Hans was ready to go for a second time.
Hans (33-laps, 71-103)
35 36 37 37 35 (47 60 yellow flag) 36 35 36 37 40 40 39 41 37 38 42 39 38 39 40 33 40 36 37 40 34 35 36 38 39 35
We decided to skip to Hans in the rotation just to get us to the halfway point. The bike exchange to Hans was careful and steady.
Baby blue was the color out front so far all day. The very presence of Hans on the track was intimidating to all the other teams.
Any attempts to breakaway from him would be futile. He pushed 5-beautiful laps until the yellow flag came out on Lap 76. A
spectacular crash by one rider into the hay bales at the Turn 1 lamp post was too close for comfort. That happened right in front
of Hans. He reacted instinctively and steered clear of the crash, but it was a blatant reminder of what could happen. After the
green flag was signaled on Lap 78, Hans took a more secure line around the track maintaining his 1-lap lead. By now the crowd
had quieted down except for the ATO cheering block. All the top riders on the track looked like a bunch of thumbsucking grade
school boys recently punished by the school principal. There was no life left in the top teams. They were racing for second place
and hoping for a big blunder by ATO. It was our resolve not to let that happen.
The big thing that suddenly popped into everybody's head was the number of bike exchanges. Geez, that's a great problem to be
experiencing. ATO has gone over half the race with only 3-bike exchanges. The minimum number is 10 exchanges for each team.
Last year we had 19-exchanges and ten of those were before Lap 55. In 2004, ATO had 16-exchanges. I wanted to put Steve in
one more time before worrying about our bike exhange strategy. So Hans did a super burnout and brought the bike in beautifully
to Steve.
Steve (14-laps, 104-117)
38 37 39 37 38 36 37 34 38 37 39 37 37 37
Steve went out and no one could drop him. One by one, the Cutters, BKB, Dodds, and DU all tried to squeeze up on ATO.
Occasionally Steve would venture to the inside of the track. I had to write OUTSIDE several times on the pit board. Each time
Steve would acknowledge that and moved to the outside. Steve whipped off 14-laps and gained even deeper respect as a rookie
rider. This kid's for real. Not one lap was iffy. He was in command the entire time out there. He brought the bike into Brian with a
sweet and smooth exchange. Incredible.
Brian (3-laps, 118-120)
38 36 37
OK, it was time to do some short sets to tally up more bike exchanges. So we sent Brian out to do a few hot laps. He could have
done more, but we wanted to make sure we get at least 2-3 bike exchanges before Lap 140. Brian stayed out of trouble and no
one was able to drop him either. Finally it was time to introduce another ATO rider to the track. The bike exchange to Briggs was
flawless.
Briggs (5-laps, 121-125)
39 38 37 37 38
3-months ago, Briggs never in his wildest dreams thought he would be riding in the Little 500 much less with a 1-lap lead on his
first time out on the bike. That immediately put a lot of responsibility on his shoulders. I don't know what he was thinking, but I'm
sure it had something to do with......"Don't choke now, don't choke now! Hans will kill me if I choke!" Briggsy was beautiful! He
took the bike with confidence and accelerated out of the pits. He put the baby blue jersey out front again and stayed there. By
now, the competition is thinking that ATO had hidden the best kept secrets on campus for the past 4-months. I kept thinking if I
were the coach of Dodds or Fijis, I'd be wanting to start a breakaway sprint no later than now. And that's what happened. The
pace picked up and even though Briggs was hanging in there and could have done more laps, we decided to get Hans back in
there to quiet this uprising. Briggs quickly pulled out of the pack and brought the bike in smoothly to Hans. Briggs became ATO
hero #4. Way to go Briggs. No choke, no joke!
Hans (13-laps, 126-138)
36 34 41 45 38 38 35 40 40 36 40 40 36
Hans didn't let the field slip away. He pushed a 34 on his second lap to lead out the front of the pack. That super demoralized
everyone. The looks on their faces was as flat as the track. They all knew their chances were slipping with every lap on the track.
They're all racing for second place. But ATO needs to maintain focus. By now, I think we could have lapped the field again, but
ATO was just trying to stay out of trouble and stay put. We had many different opportunities to win this race. All we need is one.
By now we had 7-bike exchanges and were double checking with the pit judge, the chief steward, and the pressbox lap counters. I
also checked with someone I really trust......former ATO rider Chris Bence. He is always on it. We wanted to make damn sure we
had the same number counted up in the pressbox. Hans was out there for a shorter set this time. No one dared to attack while
Hans was in there. His bike exchange to Steve was flawless again.
Steve (20-laps, 139-158)
37 35 37 38 42 38 39 40 42 44 40 33 38 34 35 36 38 38 38 37
Here we go again. The freshman rookie is back at it again. Steve just went out and proved no one can lose him. On Lap 151,
Dodds tried to attack, but Steve sucked their wheel so hard that they gave up after a half lap. Lap after lap, Steve would take the
lead in a mild mannered way. He didn't look mean or menacing. Just a sweet-lookin' guy minding his own business and smokin'
the field. His ATO brothers are gonna love him. This 20-lap set was a big star in Steve's crown and was a crucial sequence in
setting up Hans for a monster set to finish out the race. This is definitely Rookie of the Year stuff. Steve stayed out of trouble and
was done for the day. He brought the bike in to Brian for a perfect bike exchange.
Brian (4-laps, 159-162)
38 36 37 38
Brian slithered on the bike like butter for 4-hot laps around the track. All he had to do was ride safely and he'd have it in the bag.
We wanted Brian to get to Lap 165, but things got going pretty fast out there and Brian decided to make ATO's 10th and last bike
exchange. He came in for a perfect handoff to Hans and was done for the day. What a solid performance! Brian has dreamed
of this ever since he came to Indiana University. 39-laps to HOME.
Hans (39-laps, 163-200)
37 37 35 38 42 50 36 34 37 38 37 34 37 37 38 40 38 38 38 38 38 38 41 34 41 35 43 41 37 35 37 37 37 36 37 37 42 45
The handoff to Hans was perfect again. There's not been one ATO screwup on bike exchanges in the past 4-races. Increbible! A
lot of that can be attributable to Hans and Brian who have made bike exchanges a fine art. And for this race, ATO has now met
the minimum bike exchange requirement with 39-laps laps left. There are also three guys in the pits with lots of reserve energy.
They stayed on their windtrainers ready to go anytime. They each could do another strong set. But the person who belonged on
the track was Hans. This was to be his final set of his Little 500 career. In the past 4-races, ATO has been 13th, 7th, 1st, and 5th.
And we all know the 1st place finish in 2004 was taken away by an unprecendented and controversial call by the chief steward.
So Hans wanted to be out there to make a statement. No one's going to take this one away! Baby blue was so intimidating out
there and no one dared attack. First place was too late for 32-teams. They were all racing for breadcrumbs.
On Lap 167 there was a crash and yellow flag for a couple laps. Also, the Cutters finally got caught riding the inside gutter. They
had been doing it all day. They served a 2-second penalty and couldn't catch up to the other teams in the next 30-laps. It was
definitely a bad day for the highly rated Cutter team that enjoys recruiting advantages year after year. They are strong riders but
just couldn't put it together this year. At this time, Fiji, Dodds, and DU were all challenging for 2nd and 3rd place. Hans just sat on
their wheels on the outside. Then he would lead a few laps. In the ATO pits, we were relaxed but attentive. It was pure joy
watching the baby blue jersey go around lap after lap. At 180-laps, the pit board announced "20-laps to HOME." Usually at that
point in the race, pit boards depict messages of anxiety like......."burn 1-lap!" or "chase!" or "falling back!" We were also using
the pit board for other arrogant messages pointed to the crowd announcing "Sweet" and "Norm is Hans' coach" and "Here are
Hans' parents". At 190-laps, Hans was following every burnout by every team. That was fun to watch. The pit board then
announced "10-laps to HOME!" And finally on Lap 195, the sweetest message of all was "Bring it HOME!" That brought a huge
grin on Hans' face. Brian, Steve, and Briggs were still ready to go if necessary, but our collective joy was watching the greatest
Little 500 rider of all time do his final 5-laps with a tremendous lead.
The last two laps were probably the slowest final laps ever recorded on the Little 5 track. Lap 199 was 42-seconds. Hans wanted
this moment to be slow motion. And on the final lap, Hans saluted the ATO fraternity and waved to the crowd. He turned a blazing
45-second lap riding mostly with no hands and enjoying every microsecond of this accomplishment. For the second time in his
four Little 5 races, Hans crossed the finish line in first place. That doesn't happen very often. With his victory lap, celebration lap,
3-pre-race parade laps, and 125-brilliantly executed laps, Hans spent more time on the track than anyone else. The celebration
began after the race was over. Trophies, high-fives, milkshakes, handshakes, and hugs were all over the place. The team
mounted their bikes and rode their victory lap with their fans and the song blaring out "We Are The Champions". I never did like
that song, but today it was my favorite.
I always wondered what I would do in anticipating the victorious ritual of the Gatorade cooler. Actually, I really wanted to be
drenched. If I would have known when it was coming, I would have turned around, opened my arms, and yelled "Drown me!"
We'll, Hans and company did the drenching. I loved every bit of the wetness. Thanks to training coach Michael Kerhberg for
grabbing my camcorder just before the big flood. Coaching these guys has been a great joy. We've pedaled a lot of miles
together. Former ATO riders Roger, Karl, Wes, Chris, Tom, & Jeremy were all here watching this incredible victory. One by one
they've moved on, but came back to support the team and the ATO fraternity. And now as Hans Arnesen contemplates his future
as a graduating senior, we remember his 367-laps in four races around the Little 500 track (88, 61, 93, 125). He finally got the big
one today and no one, not even the chief steward, can take it away.
Total Laps Per Rider
Hans 40+33+13+39 = 125-laps (started & finished)
Steve 20+14+20 = 54-laps
Brian 9+3+4 = 16-laps
Briggs 5-laps
Total Bike Exchanges: 10 (Nine less than in 2005 and six less than in 2004)
Total Penalites: 1 (2-seconds for pre-race penalty)
Crashes: 0
Norm Houze
1980-1989, 1999-2006 ATO Bike Team Coach
Little 500 2006
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