As the team transitions out of road and mountain bike riding/racing and into cyclocross mode, it's good to look back and remember what the Brazen Dropouts accomplished this past spring and summer. Our members have dedicated a lot of time not only to training and racing, but also to volunteering for our two successful WCA race events and our fun BD team activities. Here are some of the key items from the past several months:
Racing: Just like the WCA road schedule hits hard in April and May, the Brazen Dropouts also hit the racing scene seriously this year, donning all-new member-designed kits. Week in and week out, a BD rider was at the front of the pack and finishing strong in men's, women's, and junior's races. There were some of the highest numbers in recent memory for BD's in the Men's 3's field, elite women's races, and all juniors races, which clearly reflects our increased membership numbers and accessibility for our members to seriously train and ride with other skilled riders. The Brazen Dropouts finished above all other Madison-area teams and in the top 5 in the state for team point standings. For WORS mountain bike racing, we have had several riders consistently finishing in the top 5 of their age group and several age group wins in the Cat 1 field. As a member who just started mountain bike racing this year, I would say it is some of the most challenging and fun riding around Wisconsin and recommend it to anyone.
BD-hosted Races: We hosted our first ever road race in New Glarus, WI at the end of July and co-hosted the State Championship Crit in Mid-August. Feedback from the RR was very positive, with many attendees praising the course design, and the race was well-attended with 300+ individual registrants from WI, IL, MN, IA, and beyond. We hope to continue this event in the future and keep road races present on the WCA calendar. The new format of the WCA state championship weekend brought all riders to the Madison area. The crit in downtown Middleton was a unique and challenging 8-corner course that split apart many fields and truly showed who the strongest riders were. The WCA and Madison teams will be evaluating the success of this years championship weekend and will assess the likelihood of continuing this structure into the future. BD had fun hosting these events and none of it would have been possible without members stepping up to take on organization roles and filling volunteer slots, which we take pride in as a team.
Other fun stuff: In addition to our usual team meetings, we had a summer ride+cookout party. A moderate pace pre-ride of the New Glarus RR course followed by grilling out and enjoying team camaraderie made for a fun Saturday in late July. A few members of our team have held consistent 'donut' rides on Friday evenings to bring riders together in a relaxed atmosphere. Our Women's Leadership Committee has also been hosting social events to bring our female members together.
Looking ahead, BD will be hosting the Sun Prairie CX race on October 23rd and are currently in the planning stages for our annual Bike Swap, which will be January 14th at the Alliant Energy grounds in Madison.