Ahead of the men’s Little 500 race on Saturday, SAE team captain Travis Verhoff took sometime to answer questions about the team, preparation, and expectations.
Q: Who are the members of the SAE Little 500 team?
A: Our four in the race include: Andy Krahulik (sophomore, one year experience), Jacob Elliott (senior, two years experience), Zack Raubuck (senior, one year experience), and (myself), Travis Verhoff (senior, two years experience).
Q: How have you and your teammates prepared for the race?
A: We started training about a week after the race last year and tried to get in as many summer races as possible. With the extended winter this year, we took a trip to Florida over winter break to be able to get back outside. When it was too cold or too snowy to ride outside, we set up rollers and trainers inside to keep riding year around.
Q: Have you been competing in the Spring Series events? If so, how have they gone for the team?
A: We have been competing in Spring Series and have been fairly happy with our results. All of our returning riders improved over 10 seconds from last year and we finished strong in Team Pursuit. We were a little disappointed with our showing in Miss n' Out, but sometimes you don't have the best day.
Q: How does your individual previous Little 500 experience and that of your teammates help you going into this year’s race?
A: My experience in the race the last two years and the road races has been invaluable. We have all learned how not just be physically fit, but how to race a bike which are two totally different things.
Q: What are your goals/expectations for the race?
A: Our expectation for the race is to be with the leaders on the last lap.
Q: Is there anything else that you would like to add?
A: We are all really excited for race day. For the seniors on our team Saturday is the culmination of our college careers and we will be looking to go out on a positive note.
By: Max Gabovitch
