The Little 500

"For nearly fifty years the spring air in Bloomington, Indiana, has been filled with the sounds of bicycles and the anticipation of one of America's great college events - the Little 500. In 1951 Howdy Wilcox and a group of Indiana University students founded the event, a bicycle race patterned after the Indianapolis 500, in an effort to raise scholarship money for working students. The first installment was a smashing success, and the race continues to this day." "John Schwarb gives us the never-before-published story of the Little 500 and its trials and tribulations as Indiana University's biggest campus event. From its simple beginnings in the 1950s, the Little 500, run by the IU Student Foundation, evolved into an entire weekend of activities, including everything from a tricycle race to headliner shows featuring renowned stars such as Bob Hope. The bicycle race has always been the main act, including some of the campus's best athletes, some of whom have gone on to national prominence as cyclists."--Jacket.