Dave, nineteen, has just graduated high school, with his 3 friends, The comical Cyril, the warm hearted but short-tempered Moocher, and the athletic, spiteful but good-hearted Mike. Now, Dave enjoys racing bikes and hopes to race the Italians one day, and even takes up the Italian culture, much to his friends and parents annoyance. While meanwhile, the 4 friends try to break away from their townie, Indiana reputation while fighting with nearby college snobs.

According to Indiana University's Office of Communications and Marketing, the Little 500 bicycle race began in 1951 as a fund-raiser for scholarship money for working students. The race was created by the late Howard S. "Howdy" Wilcox (Howard S. Wilcox), who patterned it after the Indianapolis 500, which his father had won in 1919. He was inspired by a bicycle race he saw involving students racing around a dormitory, with several women leaning out of windows and cheering them on.

Cyril:
Hey! Are you really gonna shave your legs?


Dave:
Certo! All the Italians do it.


Mike:
Ah. Some country. The women don't shave theirs.

Revealing mistakes: The stadium for the final bike race is obviously mostly empty, with spectators being moved around.

aka "Mendelssohn's "Italian" symphony"
Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy