“Once you stop enjoying what you’re doing, the results aren’t going to come."
After 7 years of chasing UCI points for MTB XCO World Cup, Bradyn Lange fell out of love with racing his bike. He decided to give one more race a chance before giving up his racing dreams and pointed his beat-up van to Northern California for the Downieville Classic. The unique race format and relaxed, classic mountain bike race vibes re-ignited the love for racing for Lange in 2019. But, a ruptured spleen and the COVID pandemic meant that while he had found the fire, his racing career was on hold. In 2023, Lange went back to ‘the biggest race in the smallest town’ with fond memories and to see where he’d land with his improved fitness. And how things had changed.
Supported by SCOTT Sports
Featuring Bradyn Lange
Produced by Tanner Stephens
Executive Producer Garth Spencer
Directed by Drew Boxold and Tanner Stephens
Shot by Drew Boxold
Edited by Brock VanHeel
Photos by Tanner Stephens
Photo Editing by Drew Boxold
The tiny town of Downieville, CA with a population of under 100 people has hosted the Downieville Classic since 1998. The All-mountain title goes to the racer with the best time over two brutal days of racing that that climbs over 5,500 feet and descends an astounding 11,000 feet. Saturday is the XC race and Sunday is the DH Race, racers must choose one bike to tackle both. Downieville rewards the riders with the skills to descend and the legs to climb. The unique race format and relaxed, classic mountain bike race vibes re-ignited the love for racing for Lange in 2019.
But, a ruptured spleen and the COVID pandemic meant that while he had found the fire, his racing career was on hold. It wasn’t until 2022 that Bradyn committed to a full race schedule; entering as the youngest Elite rider in the Life Time Grand Prix. Taking the top step at Chequamegon, Bradyn finished 13th overall.
In 2023, Lange went back to "the biggest race in the smallest town" with fond memories and to see where he’d land with his improved fitness, and how things had changed. Not only was his #VanLife seriously upgraded, with the support of the Orange Seal Acadamy and SCOTT Sports, Bradyn’s found the fun of racing. “Last year I started getting really good results once I started loving training and loving racing again.” For Downieville, this translated to a 2nd place overall.
For someone ready to walk away from racing just a few seasons ago, it’s clear that Downieville reawakened the competitive spirit in Lange and has shown him the rewarding side of leaving it all inside the tape.
