The Braided Bandit: Brenna Wrye-Simpson

Now meet Mel's twin: Brenna Wrye-Simpson, hailing from Portland, Oregon. Both Mel and Brenna have the thickest blonde hair we ever did see, that's often braided into a Rapunzel like rope hanging off the side of their head. While both these ladies guest rode with LA Sweat last year, then never rode with us at the same time, which we're sure is going to provide some difficulty in telling them apart in the future. 

They both also have an obsession with caffeine, although while Mel is all about quantity, Brenna is a stickler for quality. She enjoys a perfectly brewed cappuccino in the morning and a black coffee in the afternoon. Nothing gets Brenna worked up more than a bad cup of coffee. Which is why her coffee kit is as important as her helmet and goes with her everywhere. Oh and did we mention this coffee kit isn't just an aeropress, hand grinder and some beans, they must be hometown beans. But enough of their similarities.  

Last year Brenna rode her way to 11th at the super tough Stillwater Crit on the last stage of the North Star Grand Prix, landing her a top-20 spot in the final GC. #colormeimpressed. She also tried track racing for the first time this year and loved it (which is good because we hope to push the whole team into some new experiences this year... fixie crits anyone?). She told us racing on the short, super steep and rather rough pavement of the Alpenrose track was like rollercoaster racing and was, "super rad." 

When Brenna joined us at Tulsa Tough this past year, we knew she was a keeper because one, she was aggressive as hell. Two, she loves Citrus Froot Nuun. Three, she loves the way a Castelli Chamois feels on her butt.  Four, she has major bike mechanic SKILLZ. When one of us (ahem, me) basically stripped our hub and destroyed our cassette, she was on it and had it working (I can't be trusted to touch bikes). And five, while she can be quiet, (probably because Brenna hates unnecessary noise like loud gum chewing, repetitive filler words in conversations and pen clicking), she knows that any Beyonce is the best song to play on the way to a race.... and you can't argue with that. 

 So Brenna! We are so excited to have you! Welcome to 2017!