A month before Little 5, the route for the annual bike race has finally been finalized — and as hoped, it will be back on the road for the first time since 2005.
Although the student steering committee always intended to hold the race on the street rather than the track this year, they had to wait for the township to approve it. The race committee met with the Greencastle City Council, Greencastle Mayor Sue Murray, Greencastle police and DePauw's Public Safety twice to decide which route would be best.
"Greencastle was really accommodating," said senior Ellie Weed, who spearheads the event as one of two student chairs for Little 5. "They really want this to happen, and they really liked the idea of having it on the road so that the [Greencastle] community can see what's really about."
The race course will be on roads circling Julian Science and Mathematics Center and the Lilly Center: riders will start and going north on College Avenue, turn west on Hannah Street, south on Indiana Street and then east on Olive Street, completing the four-turn loop.
"There are some spots we are going to need to patch up, but I think it will be pretty doable in terms of roads," Weed said.
The steering committee has also been organizing a gathering place on the track to try and attract the main crowd of students. Bowman Park currently is their favorite choice, but Weed thinks that the parking lot behind Julian Mathematics and Science Center would also be a good place for the main crowd to watch.
"That's the last logistical thing we need to figure out," Weed said. "Which side of the route we want to capitalize on in terms of space."
The patio and stairs in front of Julian and Lilly, as well as the corner of College and Hannah Streets, will also probably attract watchers Weed said.
The steering committee has put much thought into where the crowd might be, because security and crowd control will be much more difficult in a non-enclosed environment.
As the details of the race continue to be planned, the students who will be riding in the race are practicing — and learning how to race.
Kent Menzel, the faculty advisor for Little 5, is helping the inexperienced riders learn the strategies of competitive riding. The first session he held on Tuesday taught the riders how to stay safe while riding in a large pack, which can be dangerous if not executed correctly.
Menzel said that there are four golden rules: to never "overlap," or bring your front wheel next to the back wheel of the rider in front of you, in case they change the course; to hold your line and be predictable in your course changes; to look over your shoulder before changing your line; and to use the breaks only as much as needed, never stopping quickly.
"We really emphasize all this to the new riders," said Menzel, who will be participating in his 19th Little 5 at DePauw. "We're expecting a safe ride this year."
Menzel, as he has in the past, will announce the race to keep what is happening in the race understandable to spectators new to the sport. He'll also help coordinate the race when it actually happens.
"There is so much lapping and chaos that goes on with the track," said Menzel. "What the crowd is going to see is going to be a lot more clear, and I think it will make for a much more exciting race."
The race was moved to the track in Blackstock Stadium in 2006 when there was construction on what is now Julian. Before that, the race was always on the road.
On April 9, the roads will be closed from 12:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. the day of the race, for the alumni race at 1 p.m., the women's race at 2:30 p.m. and the men's race at 4 p.m. Like at the track, there will be marked and controlled spots for spectators to cross.
"It's official," said Weed. "Which is a really good feeling."