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Cycling Roundup: Brandon Lyons’ 24-Hour Ride Through California

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by Alex Abrams

Brandon Lyons competes at the UCI Para-Cyling Road World Championships. (Photo: Casey Gibson)

Every other week we scour the web for the latest going on in the world of U.S. Para-cycling. Here’s what you missed!

 

Brandon Lyons Handcycles 343 Miles in One Day

Brandon Lyons was looking for a new challenge after he missed out on qualifying for the Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020.

 

He found one, and it kept him busy all day.

 

Lyons, who’s a Para-cyclist with the Challenged Athletes Foundation, recently handcycled 343.2 miles in 23 hours, 57 minutes, 15 seconds in Borrego Springs, California.

 

Lyons wrote on Instagram that, with 18 mph headwinds, the course conditions weren’t ideal for him to break the world record of 410 miles in 24 hours.

 

“Between hour 8 and nine, the wind died down but the fatigue started to kick in at every climb,” Lyons wrote. “Coming to the realization that the world record was out of reach, there were many times in the middle of the night I found asking ‘am I going to give up?’ The answer every time was no.”

 



Lyons was hoping to make his Paralympic debut in Tokyo this past summer. However, he told KUSI’s “Good Morning San Diego” that his plans were derailed when he battled sepsis, which is the body’s extreme response to an infection, leading up to the Paralympic trials.

 

Lyons told KUSI that he found the 24-hour cycling event after he failed to qualify for the Tokyo Paralympics.

 

“Kind of the way that my mind works and the way that I’ve been wired to really overcome these challenges was what’s really going to be the next challenge, and that’s how I found this 24-hour event and then leading towards the future of looking at Paris in 2024 to be able to check off that item.”

 

Lyons said all of his focus now is on qualifying for the 2024 Paris Paralympics.

 

Oksana Masters Reveals Tumor Scare Before Tokyo Paralympics

Oksana Masters admitted she was terrified at a time when she should’ve been excited about the Tokyo Paralympics.

 

Masters told ESPN.com in a recent interview that an MRI revealed she had a tumor in one of her legs, which was causing her incredible pain more three months before the Paralympics.

 

She said her only option was to have surgery if she wanted to compete in Tokyo and at other Paralympics.

 

“I had a giant tumor growing in my leg, and it was preventing me from doing everyday things. I couldn't even sleep,” Masters told ESPN.com. “I’ve never felt pain like this before and that was absolutely terrifying, and the only option was surgery.

 

“I had to have a heart-to-heart conversation with myself in the mirror and be like, ‘You got to keep your body together.’ It felt like déjà vu from when I was younger and had to get surgeries.”



Masters returned from the surgery to win two gold medals at the Tokyo Paralympics — one in the women’s road cycling time trial and the other in the women’s road race.

 

A 10-time Paralympic medalist, Masters said she faced more challenges even after the tumor was removed from her leg. She had an issue with the radio in her ear during her time trial in Tokyo, preventing her from hearing her coach during the race.

 

“It forced me to race 100 percent on my own and pick my lines and just kind of take my brain out of my head and go on autopilot, which ended up being the best thing that could have ever happened,” Masters told ESPN.com.

 

Clara Brown Gets Her First Taste of ‘Gravel’ Racing

Clara Brown is accustomed to road races, just not on gravel.

 

Brown, who made her Paralympic debut this summer in Tokyo, was back on her bike this past weekend to compete in a most unusual road race known as the Hibernator in West Burke, Vermont.

 

“My first ‘gravel’ race did not disappoint! ‘Gravel’ in quotes because the 

@hibernatormixedgravel was a gnarly mix of gravel and singletrack, and a bit more technical than we expected, but a fun challenge,” Brown wrote on Instagram. “Terrain talk aside, it was so special to finally get a taste of gravel racing and the amazing communal aspect of it.

 

“It was such a joy pedaling with new friends and sharing genuine excitement about getting to ride our bikes through unbelievable country.”


Alex Abrams #

Alex Abrams has written about Olympic sports for more than 15 years, including as a reporter for major newspapers in Florida, Arkansas and Oklahoma. He is a freelance contributor to USParaNordic.org on behalf of Red Line Editorial, Inc.

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