Brandon Lyons competes in the para-cycling road world cup in Ostend, Belgium. (Photo: Casey Gibson)

After 24 grueling hours of energy-draining conditions and moments of self-doubt, Para-cyclist Brandon Lyons discovered that accomplishment is more than a spot in the record books.

Lyons, who was on the U.S. national team as recently as 2020 and competed for a spot at the Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020, originally had hoped to chase the chase the world record for 24-hour handcycling at the 6-12-24 Hour World Time Trial Championships on Oct. 9-10 on the road course at Borrego Springs, California.

After battling unexpected headwinds, misleading inclines and mechanical issues, Lyons realized the world record probably was unattainable, but he convinced himself to keep going in pursuit of the track record.

When he finished, a weary Lyons thought he had tied the 24-hour track record for men’s solo handcycling of 343.2 miles set in 2016 by Andre Kajlich.

Then, Lyons found out a couple days later that he actually had ridden what he thought was a record-setting 348 miles. The euphoria was short-lived, however, because it turned out that Kajlich had actually ridden 364 miles in 2015.

“When I went into this thing, the record crossed my mind,” Lyons said. “People even asked the question, ‘Do you think you can even ride for 24 hours?’ And, I didn’t have an answer. So, my answer was, I think I can. I know that I’m driven and determined. I’m not going to quit. I was confident that I would be able to. I didn’t know where my body was going to go, my mind was going to go.

“Just achieving it, was a huge success in itself,” he added. “I’d never done anything like this, or anything even close to this.”

The first part of the race was done on an 18-mile loop, but it was then condensed to a 4.7-mile loop for the final two hours. Lyons thought he was chasing the 343.2-mile target and gave it one final push in the closing minutes.

“There were about 17 minutes left. It would be my last lap and it would have to be the fastest lap that I’d done the whole day. I looked at my crew and said, ‘I’m going to go for it.’ I got it in within time, but when we finished, it still said 343.2. So, I assumed maybe I did the math wrong, even though I completed five laps.”

Lyons was so certain that he had only tied the record, he posted about it on social media. Then, a couple days after the race, a friend sent a text saying that Lyons actually had ridden 348 miles and broken the record.

Until he found out once again, that despite riding roughly the equivalent of going from New York City to Richmond, Virginia, he was short of the mark.

The 31-year-old Lyons, who first made the national team in 2019, is a relative newcomer to handcycling. In 2014, he was paralyzed from the waist down after diving into shallow water. After moving in 2016 to San Diego, which had an advanced rehabilitation gym, he was introduced to handcycling and rode with former Ironman world champion David Bailey.

The following year, Lyons was invited to the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center in Colorado and awarded a spot in the residency program. He felt he was on track for the Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020, which were delayed a year due to COVID-19.

“I was in a really good place to make the team, and then unfortunately just had a bout of bad health conditions at the worst possible time for it to happen,” he said. “I was at my peak performance in March 2021 and then early April through June, was in and out of the hospital just dealing with infections.”

With his hope for the Tokyo Games derailed, Lyons decided to chase the world record for 24-hour handcycling at Borrego Springs.

Thomas Lange of Germany holds the official record of 403.8 miles, set in 2009 at Sebring, Florida, but Lyons’ target was the unofficial record of 410 miles established by Lars Hoffmann of Germany.

Although the Borrego Springs website says “the course is fast and flat,” Lyons said the course actually has a three-mile climb, and winds that had been non-existent in days leading up to the race suddenly picked up. He also had two half-hour pit stops early for mechanical issues.

“Still, I was on pace early on, but just lap after lap after lap started to make it a little bit more challenging,” Lyons said. “I figured that I wasn’t going to break the world record. I still thought it was possible even though battling the conditions for the first eight hours, I was still above pace, but that was the hardest time. It just took so much out of me.”

Realizing the world record was out of reach, Lyons had to convince himself to keep going.

“I really think it happened when my pit crew said, ‘You don’t have to finish.’ It wasn’t the response that I wanted, but almost the response that I needed,” Lyons said. “Because I’m not a person to quit. Never have been, never will be. I used that as motivation.”

Lyons said his primary focus now is making the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris, followed by the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.

“When I think of the one goal, it’s to get to the Games,” Lyons said. “When I watched the Tokyo Games, it just continued to ignite that fire. For the last four years, you dedicated everything to try to make it Tokyo and it didn’t happen. So, let’s give it another go for the next three years.”

Although he wouldn’t rule out another attempt at the 24-hour mark someday, Lyons said having regular races, along with the world cup series and the world championships back on the calendar after the pandemic cancelations, is motivation to keep training for the 2024 Games.

“I want to get to Paris and pick up a medal,” he said. “I’m not thinking about just making it. I want to be able to contend and compete there.”

Brandon Lyons, While Eyeing 2024, Took A 24-Hour Detour This Month

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