Mother, daughter share passion for cyclocross racing

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By KEN HAMBLETON / Lincoln Journal Star

Sydney Brown crashed four times, watched a spoke in her wheel flatten a tire, was splattered in mud and couldn’t have had a better time.

“It was an epic day,” Brown said.  “It was so cold. Such a tough terrain. Snow. Ice.

“I can’t wait to do it again. And my mother, Nancy, she’s already planning on next year.”

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Sydney Brown

Brown and her mother can thank the Belgians in World War I for the opportunity to race bikes in the mud, ice, snow and cold.

“We hear that the Belgians did a form of cyclocross bike racing to stay in shape,” said Sydney Brown. “Now, it’s one of the fastest-growing forms of bicycle racing in the world.”

So Sydney and Nancy competed in the  national cyclocross races  at Wyandotte County Park near Kansas City, Kan., along with 2,000-plus other riders.

Deep, icy ruts, areas of the 1.9-mile course where riders had to carry their bikes, and some of the best competition in the country made it all worthwhile.

Sydney Brown, a 38-year-old instructional designer for extended education at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, finished second in the Masters 35-39 race and Nancy was second in the 60-plus age group.

Sydney carried her disabled bike to the finish line in the cold. She saw  bikes of other competitors break apart on the circuit that one man described as broken concrete and Brown described as riding in a rock garden.   

“Even in the cold, it is so much fun,” she said.

Sydney took up bicycle racing about 18 months ago. She’s competed in road racing and cyclocross ever since.

Nancy, who lives near Bennet, jumped into cyclocross competition for the first time this fall.

Since retiring from working as a Realtor, she and her husband, Carl, rode their bikes on county roads to stay in shape and see the sights. During nice weather, Nancy often attaches a tag-a-long to her bike to take her granddaughter to school.

“Sydney said I had to try cyclocross,” Nancy said. “I need the exercise and this seemed like a great challenge.”

Nancy and Carl cut a cyclocross circuit on their land to train. Nancy contacted a trainer and started working out harder to prepare for the new challenge.

“It’s extremely enjoyable,” she said. “I can see why Sydney is so enthusiastic.”

Still, that passion for riding bikes in the snow, cold, wind and wet, ends at the family ties.

“My friends roll their eyes and say that I’m crazy and there’s no way they’re joining me in cyclocross,” Nancy Brown said.

Sydney Brown has found a few friends willing to make the leap.

 She’s joining an elite team, Team Revolution of St. Louis, Mo., and will compete in 40 to 50 races professionally around the country.

“This started with four people in 2006 and now there are 52 women involved in Team Revolution,” Brown said. “At a local cyclocross race in Norfolk, we had three women competing last year. This year, 10.

“Racing isn’t for everybody, but bicycling is,” she said. “You can see more people involved in bicycles all the time. Whether it’s weekend races, weekday rides, commuting to work, it’s all good and it’s catching on,” she said.

The idea behind Team Revolution is providing clinics, gear and competition for women. Brown, like most women, had to join men’s teams, work out with men and even compete against men to get started in bicycle racing.

“It never bothered me that I was going against men who were so strong and intimidating when it came to competition,” Brown said. “I can see where some women might balk at getting into the competitive side of biking because they don’t know who to ask or what to ask.

“And the more people we get into biking,  the better it will be because there is safety in numbers — for those times when your bike breaks down 45 miles from home.”

Brown also professes the safety of cyclocross racing.

“You don’t get up to the high speeds and there’s no car traffic to worry about that you do in road racing,” she said. “And what’s a little mud and ice?”

Reach Ken Hambleton at 473-7313 or at khambleton@journalstar.com.