Craig Samsky, IUSportcom: What was it about the Little 500 race that made you want to be a part of it?

Matt Cin: I was a competitive swimmer in high school. When I came to Indiana, I had to find something that would fulfill my thirst for competition. Intramural sports just didn’t cut it for me. I never rode a bike competitively, but knew I could learn and be good at it. The Little 500 is hands down the most competitive event outside of a D1 sport at IU. Freshman year, I knew I had to be a part of this huge event.

CS: In terms of training, what was your training program like?

MC: Having my brother on the team helped because we pushed each other every day. We started training the summer before the race in April. In the Fall semester we would go on road rides four or five days a week. Some rides being 40+ miles. On the other 2-3 days we would lift weights.

Once the track opens in the spring, most of our riding is done there. We train every weekday at the track, and then a road ride on the weekend. Last year our team decided to stay in Bloomington for spring break to continue training and get more time on the track. Since quals was the following week, we knew taking a week off would set us back and put everything we worked for in jeopardy. Staying for break allowed us to perfect our exchanges.

CS: What was your greatest fulfillment in being a part of the race?

MC: The greatest thing about being a party of the race was being able to share the moment not only with my teammates which also happen to be my closest friends, but being able to share it with my brother. Knowing that we did all of this together. Qualifying for the race meant a lot to our fraternity because it hasn’t been done in a while. That was also a great feeling; knowing the guys in my fraternity would get to root for a team in their four years at IU. I even remember seeing some ZBT alumni in our stands. It was really special.

CS: What was it like leading up the qualifications and even the race?

MC: Quals:

Trying to qualify for my third time definitely added pressure to a situation that is already has enough. Some of the reactions from not qualifying the year before put a lot of weight on our shoulders. That’s a whole other story. With that being said, we knew going into quals that we had more than enough training in our legs.

This time around we knew it could be done. The year before we road with 3 riders and missed it by tenths of seconds. Based on just missing it last year, combined with times from practice runs, and our training regimen all year long, we knew we could qualify. It was difficult falling asleep the night before. Its sort of an interesting feeling that your mind can’t just let go. The idea that we have been training for around 10 months, all for an attempt that takes around 3 minutes and 20+ seconds.

When we woke up, we all were so confident in ourselves. The morning of quals happened so fast. We woke up, and before we knew it, we hear, “ZBT, you may take the track.” The stands were packed with ZBT fans screaming louder than I’ve heard any crowd cheer in the last two years. We knew we were ready for this. We were able to put aside the pressures of the race, and the pressure from the Fraternity.

We were able to focus on what we do best, riding. And that’s exactly what we did. I rode third for quals, once I exchanged the bike to Willie Goldberg, I looked at the time and knew we were going to qualify. It is a feeling that words cannot explain. This was a result of all the things the last couple years that did not go our way. Seeing our hard work pay off was the most rewarding feeling; we earned an opportunity to compete in a race that is as storied as IU itself.

Race

The race was a much greater challenge. Having never been in the race to this point, we didn’t know what to expect. We watched film, and changed our workouts to more endurance-based rides instead of sprint workouts for quals.

Our feelings in the few days leading up to the race were filled with excitement and an eagerness to race.  We wanted to enjoy the moment, but also do as well as we could.

The weather was, let’s say, a little less than ideal. But it made for a very interesting race. The race was long, and challenging. I would get off the bike and my legs would be so shot; more so than ever before.

CS: Reflecting on your experience, would you do it again?

MC: Competing in the Little 500 is hands down the most unique, rewarding, and memorable experience I have ever had. Aside from all of the tradition and culture surrounding it at IU, seeing my hard work pay off the way it did is what made it all worth it.

With all of that said, I would want my brother, Jordan, right there with me. All our lives we played different sports. He was a pitcher; I swam. We were very close when we grew up, but never really shared something like this. Being able to accomplish something like this with him is what made it so amazing. I don’t think I’d want to ride without him.