Jan 18, 2011

Top 10 Male L5 riders 2003-present..

..according to me. As I wind my time down in Bloomington I'll throw a few 'best of' lists from the time that I have lived in town (from mid 2002). Next up are the Male Little 500 riders. There is no precise metric for this list but a mix of success, teamwork, influence etc (and definitely not giving the 2003 race the same weighting). Comment at your leisure.
Notable omissions- Erik Hamilton (Cutters), David Caughlin (Cutters), Jason Fowler (Gafombi/ Cutters), Luke Isenbarger (Corleones)

10- Issac Neff (BKB)

Not a race winner but clearly the fastest rider on the track in 2008 where he won ITTs by the second largest margin of the decade. Unlucky in the race as was taken out early on by a lapped team. 4th in 2007 where he was involved in the infamous ‘Chartier-bump’ on the final lap. Brought BKB to Little 500 where they remain as an annual contender.
Highlight- 2008 series events
Lowlight- 2008 race

9- Chris Vargo (Cutters)
Best rider on the track in 2004 who took the win after the most controversial finish in race history. Supremely confident and as a Bloomingtonite is a Cutter for life. Who knows what might have happened if he had been allowed to ride in 2003…
Highlight- The backstretch of lap 201 in 2004
Lowlight- 2003 Little 500


8- Matt Davis (Phi Gamma Delta)
Always the bridesmaid yet never the bride! Never won an individual event or the main race but had multiple second places as he anchored the FIJI team between 2003- 2005 (including 2nd in ITTs for 3 consecutive years). Beaten in the final sprint by Leukens in 2005 race and interestingly holds the second fastest ITT of all time.
Highlight- Looking good at all times and smashing the Cutters in 2005 Team Pursuit
Lowlight- Meeting an inspired Leukens in the 2005 finale


7- Alex Bishop (Cutters)

Another Cutter discipline who muscled his way to victory as he anchored the Cutters to the first of their current four-race winning streak. Singularly determined to win and once he took the inside line on the final lap of the 2007 race there was only going to be one winner. Swept the series events in 2007 where it often seemed to be a Man amongst boys. Winner of MnO in 2006 where he upset strong favorite Arnesen by using his raw power to get the jump and maintain his advantage to the line.
Highlight- The dominanting sprint win in 2007
Lowlight- The 2006 race


6- John Grant (Beta/Gafombi)

Swept the 2003 L5 season including leading out and winning a 13up sprint for the 2003 race. It was the culmination of a solid L5 career that progressed from Beta to the independent ‘Gafombi’ with whom he won the ITT and race. If this list was from 2002 then surely would have been higher….
Highlight- Winning the 2003 sprint
Lowlight- ?


5- Clayton Feldman (Cutters)

One of the most polarizing L5 riders of the past decade but one fact speaks for itself. Three rings. Anchored the team in 2009 and 2010 where his ability to ride long sets was key in both those victories. No significant individual results but stepped on race day where arguably his greatest moment came in dragging his team back from a half lap down in 2009. It will be a shame if outside factors stop him getting into the HoF. Oft criticized that ‘he would have never won the race without Young’ but is the opposite not also true?
4- Sasha Land (Cutters)
Two-time race winner who finished his 5 year career by anchoring the winning Cutter team in 2008 even after a spring of injury. 9th in ITTs as a freshman but didn’t get to ride in the race, he won ITTs in 2007 and with Alex Bishop made one of the strongest race tandems of the decade. A complete Cutter discipline who was the true bridge between Caughlin/ Bishop to Young/Feldman.
Highlight- Soloing to victory in 2008
Lowlight- Not making the race team in 2004 although if he had then the above highlight wouldn’t have been possible

3- Craig Leukens (Dodds House)
The leader of the Dodds team between 2003-2005 and finished off his HoF L5 career by winning the race by holding off Matt Davis in the eventful 2005 race. As a freshman was 3rd in ITT yet never improved on that performance (3rd another 2 times) and perhaps more notably was the number one nice guy off of the track.
Highlight- The victory salute in 2005
Lowlight- The poor performance in 2004

2- Eric Young (Cutters)
Many commentators feel he is the fastest rider that has even ridden the cinders. Two sprint wins and has yet to be fully tested in the race due to the buffer afforded by Feldman’s riding. He totally embodies the Cutter ethos and it would be a brave man to bet against him getting 3-rings this spring. 3rd in ITTs as a freshman yet was satisfied not miss out on race selection. A lock for the HoF and will, in 2011, attempt to break the ITT record, gain a win in MnO and truly test himself to utterly crush the field in the main event!
Highlight- Winning the race twice in 2010
Lowlight- Not much…maybe crashing in Quals on the way to a sub 30sec lap (even though they still took pole!)

1- Hans Arnesen (Alpha Tau Omega)
Without doubt had the most varied relationship with Little 500. Part of the team that sprinted for the win in 2003 (8th), in 2004 was the only rider in L5 history to cross the line first but NOT win, crashing in the first corner of 2005 and finally in 2006 lapping the field solo in a crazy 10 lap stretch to finally take a long deserved victory. That final feat has been much maligned as it was achieved under the confusion of crashes and yellow flags but remains the greatest accomplishment of the decade. Arnesen06 vs Young11 would be a true battle for the ages!
Highlight- Lapping the field in 2006
Lowlight- The relegation to 2nd in 2004

108 comments:

rmsmallm said...

VARGO!!

Anonymous said...

Anyone notice the picture under Clayton's little profile is of Young.....perhaps a subtle jab?

Anonymous said...

Sorry but Young is better than Hans. The dude would not get dropped by Hans and would crush him in a sprint. Cutters were serving a penalty when Hans took off and he made a half lap gain under yellow (judges fault). He had the greatest race of 2002-2010, but not the best 3-4 years. Holds the ITT record though. I guess Young is punsihed for having Clayton and not having his 3rd race count and not making the first race. Young is a much better racer. Hans would probably win right now in a 10 mile time trial.... maybe.

Rest of list looks good.

Geraint Parry said...

Ha, thanks for that. Amended now!

Anonymous said...

Craig Leukens is continually the most overrated Little 5'er of all time. He went on to a considerable amount of success on the road and is no doubt an extremely good bike rider. However, during his little 5 years he honestly did not do much. He won the race once and never won an individual series event. If he is in the HoF Clayton should be an automatic inductee. (as well as Sasha). Also, Clayton should be #3 ahead of Luekens and Co.

Also, Young is a better Little fiver than Hans, and Issac should not of made the list, besides winning the individual series events in '08 he didn't do anything. Plus he was terrible on the only day that really matters.

All in all a good list.

Todd said...

I know I am biased, but Young is the best I have seen in Little 5 (FYI - the first race I attended was 1988). This doesn't take away from Hans' feat, but Young has ridden guys off his wheel two years in a row in the sprint and if you watch race tape has closed some fairly sizable gaps.

I also think Geraint is just bating people because if he switched the two, I don't think there would be much discussion.

Todd said...

I just saw the Leukens comment. He is definitely not overrated. I remember being behind the pit his junior year and saying, "he's still here," and he had another year to go. He was similar to Clayton in that if he was on the team, he would counter moves and ride long sets.

Anonymous said...

I would have put Vargo on the list twice. Outsprints sprinters and out TT's Hans and weighs 125 lbs.

Woj

Anonymous said...

Clayton shouldn't even be on the list!

Anonymous said...

it's great that 95% of the comments are so pro cutters and discrediting anyone else who is on the list, hah! very classy Cutters, very classy.

Todd said...

Two Cutters commented and one was pro Leukens.

I'm not seeing this 95% negativity.

Anonymous said...

GP - when is the list of best race directors going to be released?

Anonymous said...

Mike foote!

Mike Sherer said...

I didn't make the top 10? Haha Solid list GP I would have put Isaac further up though.

Todd said...

I just realized Simeon is not on there. He affected the race the way that Young does in 2003 and 2004. I'd actually put him in the top three.

Geraint Parry said...

Mike you were like TOTALLY number 28!

Todd, I'm not bating with Hans as No1. Eric is an awesome sprinter but winning two sprints and winning the race single-handedly (sorry Zimeba) are very different. I suspect if I wrote this list in 2012 then the order would change....and Zach Lusk would have to be in the top ten as a 3-time winner as well!
To the rest of the teams and to quote Erik H- HTFU and prove me wrong ;)

Anonymous said...

Upal,

Simeon did affect the race but so did others. I disagree he should be on there. He never had a series event result and his "only" result was 2nd place in '03. Yeah he was in there in '04 but crashing is a part of racing.

Geraint, great list (maybe the wrong order) but everyone will have a different opinion. Looking forward to more categories

Todd said...

LOL - Upal - wow it's been a while since I got that one.

Simeon won Miss N Out in 04 and I know that we didn't want to sprint against him (I'm sure Vargo would say otherwise). I don't recall his Miss N Out result in 2003.

I guess I'm putting more weight on the "Oh shit" factor than others are. Everyone on Geraint's list is worthy, but on race day, was anyone really thinking: What will we do if X (insert, Matt Davis, Isaac Neff, Clayton Feldman) is on the last lap with us?

I doubt it, but I can assure you, the contenders were saying that about Simeon in 2003 and 2004.

Geraint Parry said...

Todd just to clarify- you'd take Simeon (great sprinter, little else) over Clayton, Sasha, Vargo and Bishop. Talk like that will get you voted off of Cutter-island.

Anonymous said...

Simeon can take Isaac's place at 10th (its undeserved)

Anonymous said...

Todd has been off of "Cutter-island" before, I am sure he could find a way back on.

Anonymous said...

Luckliy Todd houses all the riders over break and probably contributes to their funds. But he almost dissed Vargo and did diss Clayton. You're gonna hear about that from Clayton!

Looks like he was trying to be non bias!

In your write up of matt davis, I can't help but notice the trend of second place finishes they have had over the years. It's brutal. I will say if cutters don't win, go FIJI for once!

Woj

Todd said...

I never said remove them. I'd remove Neff.

Geraint Parry said...

Top three is Top 3! I hope we'd get to see a transcript of the conversation when Vargo addresses Todd to remind him that he said he'd prefer Simeon at the end of the race! Just sayin' ;)

Anonymous said...

Where's Matt Kain?

Anonymous said...

id rather have a multiple wring winner on the list than a neff. if you didn't win you gotta have a grant like resume to be considered one of the best

Anonymous said...

Neff was close in the sprint once and everyone was a little nervous when he swept the series his senior year and Cutters ended up dominating the race with 4 strong guys because he was sick.

Anonymous said...

Where is Raj on this list?

Anonymous said...

Raj? ha ha ha

Anonymous said...

Hey now.....lets be nice here. Raj is up there as one of little 5's all time great guys. I rode with most guys during the 2002-current time frame at some point and Raj was one of the nicest and most fun guy to be around. Lets just keep it nice.

Anonymous said...

This is a list of fastest racers. Maybe Geraint can list top 10 nicest guys. It was pretty funny.

Anonymous said...

Its like this. Neff never delivered the goods. Period.

He has a record of being a choke artist when there are spectators. In little 500 he never delivered. I can easily see putting Simeon on the list before Neff.

Todd said...

GP - you are correct. I stand by my ranking of him. The big negative is no ring.

Anonymous said...

False. I would definitely put Neff up there for those years. Best L5 rider is the category, and he was one of the best over this period.

For whoever says he is a choke artist, how do you stand by that statement? As a sophomore a chain fell off his bike. He got back on a few laps later and made up half a lap. Then shortly later he almost won the sprint, but a much faster and incredibly fresher Alex Bishop was able to sprint away clearly for the win. The next year, his junior year, he dominated everything. Everything was a given for him leading up to the race. Then, he got sick. It wasnt that he choked, it was that he was physically throwing up the whole race. He was tough. If only he hadnt Cat'd up, what could have been for him and Sherer both their senior years. I thought he would lap the field.

Isaac said...

GP, thanks for putting me on the list.

My three races (race days) are some of my worst memories of little 500. Yes I choked, not something I'm proud of. Luck was never on my side. My Junior year (my last little 500) was easily one of the worst days of my life.
That said, very few of you have ridden with me, on the track or off. GP has.

I'm flattered to be included on this list and have my name listed next to some of the other riders on it.

Wes said...

Best all time Little 5 ride Wayne Stetina

Anonymous said...

I just shit my panties!

Anonymous said...

Wayne was great, but the Olympics really stand out. I am still shocked no one has 4 rings. Did Wayne only win 2 times? Still Young would beat anyone in a sprint.

Frederick said...

Wayne won on the old track. He is indeed one of the greats but it can't be over stated how the new stadium has changed the dynamics of the race.

At the old track was narrow and the corners were so tight that it was hard to pedal through it. Consequently, if a rider got a half lap up (for whatever reason) it was easier to turn that into a lap and once a team was a lap up its game over.

Right now all eyes are on Eric. It is possible for him to be _the_ 'great one' for the ages in the annals of Little 500.

We'll just have to wait and see.

Anonymous said...

You are saying that Young is better than Wayne? You are on crack.

Frederick said...

I think I stated fairly clearly what I'm saying.

Again,

We'll just have to wait and see.

Anonymous said...

Wayne is the combination of Young and Clayton. Wayne rode over 160 laps. Young does not win without Clayton and Clayton doesn't win without Young. Wayne just wins. Young will have a much harder time this year. The track was different back then, it was much more dangerous because of the tight turns, the curb and the fact that it was 10 feet less wide. To get that lap, you needed to be a much better bike handler and avoid traffic on much less surface area.

Frederick said...

I'm not into hagiography. Stetina was one of the all time great Little 5 riders, however...
...could he have pulled off his exploits on the new track? Who knows.

As I said, the track makes the races of both eras very different. I'm still entertained by the factoid that Young is the only rider in history to effectively win the race twice (in one day).

You want to see Young carry a team on his shoulders single handed. If he pulls off a win this year (on the new track) for a third (fourth) time a very credible case can be made that his is a great rider for the ages.

Still, he has to go out and do it.

Anonymous said...

GP, Arnesen actually has the 1st and 2nd fastest ITT of all time; '06 and '07. Davis has 3rd fastest.

Anonymous, I think it's laughable that anyone could say Arnesen's lapping of the field was aided by a half lap gain under yellow.. that did not happen, hah! It may have given him some time to rest during yellow but there was no improvement in position; Dodd's was riding the yellow in front of him. He rode a 42 lap set to start the race and lapped the field in the process. The Cutters did serve a penalty during that period, but so did he (around lap 15 I think?). There were still 31 other teams racing when Cutters served their penalty, where were they? It's funny that you even try to discredit any of it.

Anonymous said...

Watch the race again, Dodds (the only team with him at the time) exchanges right as the yellow was thrown. Which then gave Hans a "free" gap on the field, which was spread out all over the track

Anonymous said...

He improved his position under yellow. He also did not have a pack chasing him but individuals chasing him spread out. He also started with a quarter lap after the Doods exchange under yellow. It was an amzing performance. I'm not discrediting him at all. The judges have done this many times and maybe it was only a quarter lap but he also started with a quarter lap after Dodd's exchanged. What a mistake by Dodd's.

Young could ride 160 laps and win the sprint by 4 bike lengths, but he doesn't need to because he's got the best Itt'er in the race on his team this year.

Lapping the field solo was something rare on a first set. Much more similar to the old track. But several circumstances came into play. No pack chasing being a huge help.

Young would easily beat Stetina in a sprint. Just like he could beat Armstrong, but get crushed by Cav.

Stenia was an all around rider but he was more of an endurance rider for sure.

Anonymous said...

a quarter of a lap is still an exaggeration. that is one light pole to the next. no way. if there was no pack chasing why didn't another team join him? he rode Dodd's (defending champs) right off his wheel. every other team had exchanged countless times while he was still on the bike. explain why? same race, why didn't one person from another team just stay on the bike? 32 other teams couldn't catch a solo breakaway that lapped the field...he threw down the hammer on everyone else that day and nobody could keep up. your whole yellow lap argument is still laughable.

Anonymous said...

You just claimed he rode Dodd's right off his wheel when it's 100% clear that Dodd's exchanged right as the yellow was thrown. Maybe you should watch the race tape for real. There is no tricky visual evidence that could go either way.I guess you don't know much about bike racing if you think Dodd's got rode off. A guy of Hans caliber can put 30 seconds or more on any individual that year over many laps. If there were 4-6 teams that he attacked and they couldn't chase, it's much more difficult because they can rest and draft and ride faster.

He had a faster ITT time the year before that and wasn't able to do anything close to that the year before. Circumstances helped the situation a great deal.

Why do you find it impossible that the judges allowed the leader to creep? In the history of the race, no team leading has been penalized for going to fast, yet every team behind is told to slow down or they get a penalty.

None of this is Hans fault. He lapped the field solo. There is no discredit to him. The guys is crazy fast. It was just a weird race and thats why he was able to ride away.

You're right in the fact that all 5 teams could have exchanged multiple time and ITTed 4 laps each to try to catch and they either didn't or couldn't. Don't give me 32 teams. Ha 27 of those teams don't even belong on the same track as Hans.

Anonymous said...

"Young could ride 160 laps and win the sprint by 4 bike lengths, but he doesn't need to because he's got the best Itt'er in the race on his team this year."


huh?? Who on their team is the best ITT'er in the race this year?

Anonymous said...

Chris West is the Hans of this year's race wait and see

Anonymous said...

a rookie...we'll leave names out for now

Anonymous said...

Unless Patches is back the above post if completely false and from the grapevine he's not riding this year nor is he a rookie. Don't be an idiot when people are trying to make this blog serious about what's going on within the realm of L5

Anonymous said...

Cutters better hope so. It's amazing what a 46x18 single gear bike on cinders can do to even the best road TTer's/Tri's. It would be cool to see a young pup storm onto the track, but I'm not holding my breath.

Anonymous said...

You guys apparently don't pay any attention to who is on the Cutters and who this rookie is. He's clayton 2.0. No patches is not there.

I'm laughling my ass off at the guy that just called me an idiot because he doesn't know the rookie on the Cutters. I won't tell you his name for now because then you could google him and see that he's faster than almost everyone already.

He'll be on par with chris west, maybe not better but right on par.

Anonymous said...

Wait, Chris West isn't even close to this guy on Cutters. nevermind I said that. The Cutter rookie will take 2nd or 3rd in ITT's. If he's only top 10 it's because he can ride 20 laps that fast.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

If you are talking about Kevin Depasse, you may want to reserve judgment. He may be fast but he is still a rookie on the cinders. Comparing him to Feldman is speculation and nothing more.

Anonymous said...

I got my money on Matt Green taking the sprint

Anonymous said...

Well when you train on a Little 5 bike you get good at Little 5 bikes. It amazes me how people think some bike riders just aren't good on the cinders or spiining little gears. They suck because they only train with it when track season starts or on their way to class.

When you're constantly training to spin at 170+ rpms for 2 minutes on rollers for example, you tend to get the hang of it much quicker.

It would be different if he just started riding this year.

Todd said...

"Why do you find it impossible that the judges allowed the leader to creep? In the history of the race, no team leading has been penalized for going to fast, yet every team behind is told to slow down or they get a penalty."

Check the rules, the leader cannot "creep". That's why they have never been called for it.

Woj said...

It's not creeping because they are in the lead. But the judges do warn the leader that they can get a penalty because there is a caution flag and you could be going at unsafe speeds. I got lapped under yellow while being screamed at to slow down in 99. I would have to watch the Hans race to see.

Anonymous said...

"You guys apparently don't pay any attention to who is on the Cutters and who this rookie is. He's clayton 2.0. No patches is not there."

Clayton was 34th his first year in ITTs. I don't think Chris West will be anywhere near 34th.

Anonymous said...

In my defense I rode a unicycle and got 34th

Anonymous said...

I meant Clayton's sophmore year when they won. Shoot maybe just a touch slower than his junior year.

Anonymous said...

West was 31st in 09. not too far off. what was he last year?

Anonymous said...

You're absolutely dumb-founded if you think West is going to simply ride away from everyone. Too many strong teams this year that won't let that happen. Plus Sharp is stronger on the track than West

Anonymous said...

West easily takes Sharp this year. He laps the field at lap 44 after Cutters wreck the field. Green gets Beta second place by himself.

adamrodkey said...

Lance is my favorite.

Wes said...

I'd take LeMond over Lance any day

Anonymous said...

Young winning the race twice in 2010?? It was a red flag for rain delay... he did win once though, and dominated.

Anonymous said...

No dude, the way it was stated in IDS on the day of the race said clearly, that if the race is red flagged after Lap 100, they would not restart the race. Either IDS was totally wrong, or IUSF changed the rule mid race.

Every team was going for the win at that point and Cutters had a half lap lead!! and FIJI was almost 2 laps down and they got almost a full lap back for free. awesome stuff.

They would have lapped the field if it was not restarted.

Anonymous said...

This thread is hotter than Young on a 1 lap flyer

Tom said...

You are confusing the RED flag with the BLACK flag.

Red - The race is stopped and can be restarted.
Black - The race is ended.

The 1976 race was red flagged on Saturday after 77 laps and was restarted in single file and completed on Sunday.

Anonymous said...

The article in IDS specifically stated that IF the race was stopped due to rain after 100 laps they would race for the win when the flag came out. I assume the IDS had it wrong because obviously many many people thought the race was over. If before 100 laps the would restart. The 1976 race would not apply to what happened last year.

Anonymous said...

Tom straight from the IDS

Storms or unbearable rain | If the race has not completed lap 51 (out of 100) for women or 101 (out of 200) for men, it will be stopped and finished later in the evening. If rain continues, the race will be postponed. If the race has completed the necessary 51 or 101 laps, the race will be stopped and the leader will be declared the winner.

Woj

Anonymous said...

Correction, the IDS and Mike Howard both said if the Red Flag comes out after 100 the race is over no questions asked, that wasn't correct apparently, but that is what he said

Anonymous said...

Obviously the IDS and Mike misspoke. Red flag means the race is halted. Nothing more. The chief steward will then make a decision if the race can continue. This is all clearly stated in the manual so quit quoting the IDS for everyone's sake.

Who cares...its over and the Cutters won. Quit crying about winning twice.

Tom - Black flag means ride on the outside of the track...not the race has ended.

Anonymous said...

I think we are all glad they bent the rules. Most epic Little 500 I've seen

Anonymous said...

see previous post...they DID NOT BEND THE RULES!! IT'S CLEARLY STATED IN THE MANUAL!! THE END.

Anonymous said...

Okay, but when the race director, (you know the guy with all the power to make decisions on race day says it will be stopped after 100 laps) says it, that looks pretty bad and then it's verified in the newspaper. bad form once again.

Anonymous said...

Let's just use some common sense here people. The race is 200 laps. Rain halts the race prior to 200 laps. The rain stops and conditions improve. Why would you not finish the 200 laps that make up the race? If I don't see a checkered flag waived with that red flag, then the race is not over. Simple as that.

If you are trusting what the IDS has to say, then you are an absolute idiot. If you think that a waiving red flag, without a checkered flag being waived at the same time, means the race is over you are an idiot.

We train all year for 200 laps. Why would you want to win a race that was only 101 laps? Especially when the rain stops after an hour and the track is ok to race on.

Cutters won. Its 2011. Shut up and race.

Frat

Anonymous said...

Why are we arguing about what is already said and done?! The original blog post is about 10 riders, not the 10 most controversial or confusing calls made in the 2000s...

Anonymous said...

There is nothing that says a checkered flag is waived with the red flag. Mike Howard is the head of the Little 500. If he misspoke, that's really sad. The IDS does not matter but it reinforced what Mike said so everyone was thinking this as it played out. And yes common sense prevailed because no one wanted to win that way. But the IUSF must do a better job with these rules and how to be consistent and clear. Same goes with creeping. They should easily use video for creeping penalties or to move the riders back up who lost ground under yellow due to judges having no idea what to do.

RajMahall said...

First, props to Frederick for the SAT word of this thread thus far!
Next, thanks, anonymous Internet all-stars for the lack of vitriol and for making fun of me WAAYYY less than I would have made fun of myself!
Last, the reason we have these debates is that it's FUN. It's something to BS about when it's 0 degrees Fahrenheit and everyone stuck inside on trainers/rollers.

Anonymous said...

Sigma Nu wins this year! Or did they give their steroids to the Delts?

Anonymous said...

Ya cause RJ Stuart is swoll.

alley fruit said...

I am late to view this thread. I would have to agree with Todd (Upal) that Simeon would be on my top 10 riders in the race sine 2003. Simeon was flat out FAST! It is a shame that he spent to much time closing gaps instead of creating them.

Jim

Anonymous said...

what about Ali Camara???? Mr. I'll ride 60+ laps to start the race

Anonymous said...

Had Ali stayed in school, he mighta been a contenda.

His Little 500 resume' is, however, way too brief.

Anonymous said...

it looks like the top 10 is missing a few big names like chas pall, sty, bryan adams, mercer, dan brown

phi psi all the way FRAT HARD

Anonymous said...

Matt Neibler is missing too

Anonymous said...

Yay Neibs!

Anonymous said...

Neibler is the happiest person ever to get second - that automatically prohibits him from this list!

Anonymous said...

Phi Psi hasn't done shit since the days where they were literally the only team training. They are usually contenders but never can put the pieces together...NEED TO FRAT HARDER

R.Knapp said...

Chas, Gaz, Sty and Adams are the 90's Chicago Bulls of Little 500 Fratting. Legends. All others try to match, but fall short of their achievements.

Anonymous said...

Suprised this has been said but why have Isaac on the list instead of Luke "Cole"? he won ITTs as a rookie (beating many good riders), won the race & was a force in 2003. Geraint, does his '02 palmares not count for you? I've ridden with both him and Isaac. Isaac is a better road racer but Luke was a better Little 5-er. Also Simeon should receive honarable mention but shouldn't be on the list. He had alot of potential & probably would have won in '04 if he didn't force the crash. Perhaps their should be a list of best riders that never won the race. Seriously, that would be an interesting list

Anonymous said...

Sty has my vote for frattiest rider ever. legend.

RJ said...

Knapp, I couldn't have put it any better myself

Anonymous said...

Ryan Shanahan should be on this list

Anonymous said...

One hundred!

Anonymous said...

Needed to push this one over the hump.

Sty was a legend. He once showed up at a Zeta pajama party in his khaki's and navy blazer. When questioned he said, "what? I always wake up in this from the night before."

I also heard that during his Riders Council interview they asked him what his weakness was. His response? "My short game, but it's coming around."

Geraint Parry said...

Wow, I always dreamed of this moment but 100 responses is something I will put on my resume...
I'd like to thank all you losers for your inane posts and now please get back to work- I'm proud to say that BVN is responsible for significant lose of productivity in the wider Midwest.

Zack Lusk said...

Geraint Parry put yourself on the list; announcing take a special individual and it's safe to say that you will be missed dearly upon your departure to greener pastures. No one knows riders, information, and other nonsense surrounding Little 5 better than yourself. L5 is losing a legend! Best of luck and thanks for providing me another outlet to express my ridiculous thoughts and more importantly your hard work with the start of the new Scholars Inn Bakehouse and continued support of Tortuga.

Todd said...

GP - it's spread outside the Midwest.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Todd said...

I believe your last post was deleted.

Anonymous said...

Todd Neville...Master of the Obvious!

Anonymous said...

Madness abounds!!! GP, Seriously with this list??? Ok, if it is about Little 5 then it is about RACE DAY. On RACE DAY Issac Neff was abysmal (As is BKB most years, BIGGEST WASTE OF TALENT IN LITTLE 5 HISTORY) and needed “Pepto-Abysmal” in 2008 (REMOVE HIM!) Next, Matt Davis???? (Bad race day rider) Really? After Hans took out 2/3rds of the field, someone had to win and someone had to finish 2nd (2005 should be thrown out all together as a performance resume stuffer.) Which leads to Leukens, again the beneficiary of a series of events, but left to his own resolve, again a terrible race day rider, That's "TEHRR-BLE!" (REMOVE HIM!)

GREATNESS IS ABOUT DOING WHAT NO ONE PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT COULD BE DONE! THIS IS ABOUT THE THINGS YOUR EYES JUST SAW (RACE DAY) THAT YOUR MIND TOLD YOU WAS IMPOSSIBLE!
So here is the THE LIST:
1.Young
2.Arnessen
3. Commisiong
4.Vargo
5. Camara
6. Bishop
7. Land
8. Grant
9. Feldman
10. Parks


Young has gotten it done more than

Hans and I am sure he will this year too! Though his burnouts are still kinda weak!
Putting Hans at #2.

Add @ #3: Simeon Commisiong, Like Todd said: It’s about the race day wow factor. Been around many a race don’t ever remember a race where so many teams were worried about 1 guy being on the last lap. He was SICK fast! How fast? In 03 AND 04, He got on the bike with TMT ½ down in turn 1, and the leaders in turn 3, By the time the leaders were back at at turn 3 (40 lap!!!), .....He was with them. Do the math! You will never see that again in your lifetime. He did it twice.

Move VARGO up. The flashpoint for the current wave of Cutters success, deserves his due. Speed and endurance on race day with the sack to sprint against anyone.

Add @ #4: Ali Camara, the statement that he didn’t have a long career is erroneous he raced from 2005-2008. Again someone has to win every race but I would have never though a L5 Rider could ride 66 laps out of the gate??? Insanity! (Wanna be on my list, 66+ from the jump gets you in as an automatic!)
Land Great Leader and setup man
Grant was a Beast! If he were eligible on this list for more than 1 year, he would be top 3
Clayton Best “Wingman” over this period.

Add @ #10 Kenny Parks again you will never see someone with that combination of speed and endurance , especially at that size in your life. 3 Incredible race day performances. Riding 130 laps in 2009 and sprinting for the win in 2009 and 2007.
GREATNESS IS ABOUT DOING WHAT NO ONE PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT COULD BE DONE! THIS IS ABOUT THE THINGS YOUR EYES JUST SAW (RACE DAY) THAT YOUR MIND TOLD YOU WAS IMPOSSIBLE!
That’s the word.

Starting a petition to have Leukens, Davis, and Neff removed. “ ….Someone go wake up Kiel”