Editor’s note: this story has been updated with the correct order of finish for the teams. The top four that was originally published was correct, but the order of teams 5-16 was incorrect. We apologize for the mistake.
It was a dramatic end to a historic Little 500 men’s bike race Saturday, April 25.
As the second-to-lap began, Chi Alpha was making an exchange. The racer, Ryan Amidei, was cutting back into the pack to try and maintain its lead, but a major crash ensued instead. The majority of the top teams were taken out in the pileup.
This led to a familiar face standing atop the podium: Black Key Bulls. The two-time defending champ made it a three-peat, winning the race under caution in the 75th edition of the race.
It’s the fourth time a team has three-peated in the men’s Little 500 race.
Cinzano, which led the race at multiple points, finished second. It was the first time reaching the podium since 1991 for the team.
Bears Cycling placed third. They were involved in the crash, but recovered in time to still earn a podium showing. It’s the second time reaching the podium in team history for Bears.
Cutters, which had dominated the prequalifying races, finished sixth.
Chi Alpha has been a team for less than a decade. While it had placed in the top five each of the last five races, it had never reached the podium before. It took the lead in the final 10 laps, building it up as large as a full straightaway’s length of separation. The gap had narrowed by the time the crash occurred.
The only other yellow flag to come out in the race was on lap 177.
Here are the final team standings from the race.
75th men’s Little 500 bike race results
Full rosters of teams listed below that were mentioned in the official program. Not everyone on each roster competed in the race. Only four racers per team are allowed to compete.
Austin Hough is a sports editor within the Center for Community Journalism at USA Today Co., overseeing high school sports and Notre Dame athletics coverage for five Indiana newspapers. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @AustinRHough. Hough can be emailed at ahough@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Major crash late leads to three-peat champ in men’s Little 500 race
Reporting by Austin Hough, USA TODAY NETWORK / The Herald-Times
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