Naperville man races — and wins — for the glory of old IU

Will Wagner and his Black Key Bulls cycling teammates may not be John Mellencamp-level celebrities in Bloomington, Ind.

“But we definitely get recognized,” Wagner said.

At Indiana University, the annual IU Student Foundation Little 500 bicycle races for men and women are the stuff of legend, made famous by the 1979 movie, “Breaking Away.”

Wagner, a senior from Naperville who attended Benet Academy, brought home the Bulls’ repeat victory at the 74th Men’s Little 500 on April 26 in front of about 20,000 people at Bill Armstrong Stadium. Hoosiers football coach Curt Cignetti was Grand Marshal.

Wagner rode about 40 of the 200 laps including the last 5. He specializes as a sprinter, and the Bulls’ plan was for teammates Wiley Close, Paul Lee and Zack Villarreal to keep Wagner as fresh as possible should the race be in contention late.

No breakneck sprint was needed. The Bulls’ skill and speed, their endurance and savvy tactics had Wagner in position to lap the field near the end. A few more turns around the 400-meter cinder track and the Naperville native capped the Black Key Bulls’ second straight “Little 5” title.

“It was pretty cool,” said Wagner, who studied information systems and business analytics at Indiana’s Kelley School of Business and already has a job lined up with a Chicago consulting firm. He graduated May 10.

“Honestly, going back-to-back was something I didn’t really expect,” he said. “In my freshman and sophomore years I hardly knew if I’d be able to win one, let alone twice. I think it was cool because our team had never done that before and very few programs have.”

An independent team (off-campus Indiana students not in residence halls or the Greek system), Wagner said the Black Key Bulls originated at Ball State University and came to Indiana in 2006. They became the fifth team to win consecutive Little 500 titles, according to the Indiana Daily Student.

Wagner gained retribution at Armstrong Stadium his junior and senior years.

As a freshman in 2022 he was the Bulls’ fifth man, the alternate on a four-man team, and didn’t ride on race day. After completing 198 laps of the 50-mile race, the Bulls crashed and finished ninth.

On qualification day of his sophomore year the Bulls failed to make the 33-team field despite having three of the nine fastest overall riders, Wagner included. The Bulls faulted on each of their three attempts by changing riders outside of the relay-style exchange zone, Wagner said.

He was the Bulls’ sole returning rider in 2024.

“I came back that year with a new fire, and so did the rest of the team,” he said.

After qualifying in 2024 with the third fastest time, on race day Wagner and the Bulls beat the famed Cutters, featured in “Breaking Away,” and Delta Tau Delta by 3 seconds, setting the stage for this year’s Little 500 repeat.

“We went from not qualifying to winning back to back, so that was pretty cool,” Wagner said.

At Benet, Wagner played hockey and lacrosse and “never cared for cardio,” he said.

But his father, Steve, was a racer, and his mother Celeste, ran marathons. His father told Wagner about the Little 500, and as a freshman Will attended a meeting for prospective cyclists and teams. It stuck.

“I just joined not knowing what I was getting myself into, and I really enjoyed it,” he said.

Wagner said this school year he and his teammates averaged about 13 hours a week training throughout Bloomington and surrounding towns, with their longest ride lasting more than 6 hours.

Wagner said he can exceed 30 mph on the track; on those rural roads in and around Monroe County he tops out just shy of 60.

There are no weekends off. In bad weather or during the off-season the serious Little 500 cyclists ride on rollers or use a trainer cycle.

To compete at this level takes a lot of work and dedication. For Wagner, the training produced a great reward and a bit of glory.

“It’s hard to put into words,” he said. “It’s a goal I’ve worked hundreds and hundreds of hours for. And having it all pay off on one day — twice — it’s pretty cool.”