While many Ball State students were riding Late Nite Carnival attractions, students were celebrating the annual race that takes over Bloomington, Ind.
Indiana University hosted its annual Little 500 bike race over the weekend to hundreds of students, fans and spectators.
The races, 200 laps for men and 100 laps for women, are celebrated throughout the week by students and residents alike.
Former IU Alpha Phi cyclist Libby Thompson said she would consider this year's race to be a good one.
"It wasn't awful weather so that's always a plus," Thompson said. "It was an exciting race with the fact that there were a lot of wrecks that took out a lot of good teams throughout the race."
IU's Delta Tau Delta took home the men's race trophy for its first time but had to put up a fight with several competitive teams.
IU senior Chris Hauger, a cyclist for Delta Chi, said this was one of the hardest, fastest races he had ever been in.
"You usually have two teams that are vying for first," Hauger said. "This year, we had five or six teams that were really in it to win it. They definitely showed up today, and they got lucky without getting into any wrecks."
A rookie member of the Delta Chi cycling team and IU sophomore Brandon Leviton said he started training for the races in April 2011, in hopes for a strong run this year.
"To be honest, I was as nervous as you could imagine," Leviton said. "It's like a whole year that you train, and this last week, you know it's coming, surreal wouldn't even cover it."
Hauger and Leviton also found it difficult to train during the partying that goes on all year, especially during the week of the Little 500.
"Most of the good teams are really serious about not drinking and being real serious about it," Leviton said. "I think it kind of shows the teams that really want it more than the ones that don't and it's frustrating when you're running with the teams that are just there on the track."
Although the Little 500 is a annual race in Bloomington, it is also the reason there is so much partying around campus with students, Indiana University alumni Ryan Berner said.
Berner compared the events that are associated with the Little 500 to be similar to the aftermath of the Indianapolis 500 and the Brickyard 400.
"Just like the Indy 500, they use it as an excuse to drink, people get trashed out there at the track," Berner said. "Anything, you can use it as an excuse to drink."
About 50 more people were arrested this year at Little 500 than last year with a total of 271 arrests, according to The Herald-Times. Most of the arrests were alcohol related and could qualify for a pre-trial diversion program.
IU senior Samuel Wirt said he felt the spirit of Little 500 week is similar to that of a college Spring Break.
"Along the same vein as going on Spring Break, it just a week to do whatever you want and you don't really worry about the consequences," Wirt said. "Everyone else is of the same mindset, it's 'We're all drinking during the day.'"
For now, the Little 500 has come to an end once again and those who took place in the events can only look back and reflect.
Wirt said if he could only use one word to describe the week, it would be "awesome."
"It's one week of the year in that all of your friends get together and you all have a good time, and that's really what it's all about," Wirt said.
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