Mini 500 is the name of a tricycle

Tricycle

A tricycle is a three-wheeled vehicle. While tricycles are often associated with the small three-wheeled vehicles used by pre-school-age children, they are also used by adults for a variety of purposes. In the United States and Canada, adult-sized tricycles are used primarily by older persons for...

 race performed annually at the Georgia Institute of Technology

Georgia Institute of Technology

The Georgia Institute of Technology is a public research university in Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States...

 and Indiana University.

Indiana

Indiana's Mini 500 began in 1955 as a means to involve women in the Little 500

Little 500

The Little 500 , is a bicycle race held annually at Bill Armstrong Stadium on the campus of Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana...

 celebration. The Mini 500 was exclusively for women until 1978. The modern Mini 500 is organized by the Student Foundation Special Events Steering Committee and it is held in Assembly Hall

Assembly Hall (Bloomington)

Assembly Hall is a 17,456-seat arena on the campus of Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. It is the home of the Indiana Hoosiers basketball teams. It opened in 1971 , replacing the current Gladstein Fieldhouse. The court is named after Branch McCracken, the men's basketball coach who led...

. The race featured men's, women's, and coed divisions. Trikes were specially made for the race with larger front wheels and stronger frames. Teams were composed of four riders and one optional coach.

This event was discontinued in 2002 and replaced with the Little Fifty, a relay-style footrace.

Georgia Tech

In the 1960s, freshman fraternity pledges were often forced to ride tricycles around campus as a form of punishment or hazing. Georgia Tech's Mini 500 was derived from this practice and was first organized by the Ramblin' Reck Club in 1969 and has been orchestrated during the week leading up to the homecoming

Homecoming

Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back alumni of a school. It most commonly refers to a tradition in many universities, colleges and high schools in North America...

 football game every year since. The race is divided into men's and women's divisions. Men must complete 15 laps around Peters Parking Deck while women must complete 10. In times of poor weather, the race can be shortened. The teams are made up of assorted fraternities, sororities, ROTC, sports clubs, and other student organizations. The teams can have up to seven members (4 drivers and 3 pit crew). As the tricyclers race, they must complete three pit stops in which the front tire is rotated. Each tire rotation and each lap is counted by a designated Ramblin' Reck Club member. The tricycles are provided by Ramblin' Reck Club but because they are made for children, an additional support bar can be welded to the frame. The toy tricycles require unique techniques and strategies for effective riding.

Other Collegiate Trike Races

• Depauw University
  DePauw University
  DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, USA, is a private, national liberal arts college with an enrollment of approximately 2,400 students. The school has a Methodist heritage and was originally known as Indiana Asbury University. DePauw is a member of both the Great Lakes Colleges Association...
  
   holds a Mini 500 in conjunction with its own version of the Little 500 race.
• Indiana State has held a tricycle race known as the Indiana State Tricycle Derby annually since 1963.
• Louisiana College
  Louisiana College
  Louisiana College is a private institution of higher education located in Pineville, Louisiana, affiliated with the Louisiana Baptist Convention, serving a student body of approximately 1,300 students. The college operates on a semester system, with two shorter summer terms...
  
   has held a homecoming tricycle race annually since 1997.
• Purdue University
  Purdue University
  Purdue University, located in West Lafayette, Indiana, U.S., is the flagship university of the six-campus Purdue University system. Purdue was founded on May 6, 1869, as a land-grant university when the Indiana General Assembly, taking advantage of the Morrill Act, accepted a donation of land and...
  
   has held a tricycle race known as the Trike Race annually since 2004 as part of their Grand Alternative.

See also

• Little 500
  Little 500
  The Little 500 , is a bicycle race held annually at Bill Armstrong Stadium on the campus of Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana...
  
   - Bicycle
  Bicycle
  A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....
  
   race based out of Indiana
• Georgia Tech traditions
  Georgia Tech traditions
  Numerous Georgia Tech legends and traditions have been established since the school's opening in 1888, some of which have persisted for decades. Over time, the school has grown from a trade school into a large research university, and the traditions reflect that heritage...
  
  - Extensive list of Georgia Tech traditions