Fund Little 500 Team Young Pioneer

The Little 500 is a student-run bike race that funds scholarships for working students at Indiana University. The race, held every spring since 1951, has become a treasured tradition at IU and is attended by more than 20,000 fans and alumni every April, rain or shine.In the 2015-16 academic year, the Young Pioneers, a (men’s) team of Chinese students, became the first international team to EVER successfully qualify to race in the Little 500 in its 65-year history; that was truly a landmark achievement! The team wants to continue to compete this year and in the future, paving the way for other international groups to participate in this wonderful IU tradition.

The Young Pioneers are independent and self-funded, so they receive no financial support from a sponsoring organization (by contrast, some of the teams supported by Greek fraternal organizations receive funding of more than $10,000 every year). We do not want a lack of funding to be an obstacle to the team’s ability to continue to improve, nor do we want money to stand in the way of a potential recruit who does not have the ability to purchase the necessary equipment. We are asking for some financial support from the community.

Funds could be used to purchase not just bicycles for training, but helmets, team kit (cycling jerseys and shorts), shoes, jackets, cold weather training, safety and protective gear, indoor training equipment, tools and maintenance equipment, team registration and entry fees.