Gilroy
– Local BMX racer Brittany Duyao keeps making a name for herself
at national events and has climbed up to seventh on the National
Bicycle League (NBL) rankings in her age division.
Maybe just as important, she’s earned respect from the boys at
her local track, who call the petite but tough Duyao
”
Thunder Midget.
”
Gilroy – Local BMX racer Brittany Duyao keeps making a name for herself at national events and has climbed up to seventh on the National Bicycle League (NBL) rankings in her age division.
Maybe just as important, she’s earned respect from the boys at her local track, who call the petite but tough Duyao “Thunder Midget.”
“Because I’m short,” smiles Duyao.
Adds Manzanita track director Steve Tansey, “Look at her, she’s a dynamo!”
Riding his bike right up next to Duyao at a recent practice session at Prunedale’s Manzanita Park BMX track, 15-year-old Mikey Kasden, another rider, sums up Duyao.
“She dominates the girls’ class,” said Kasden, who had just returned from France after competing in the UCI BMX Championships and Challenge.
This summer, Duyao competed in two National Bicycle League (NBL) events, the Hoosier National in Evansville, Ind. from June 25-26 and the Stars ‘N’ Stripes National in Pittsburgh, Pa. from July 2-3. The trip took 16 days.
“We drove all the way there and back,” Duyao said.
She had top-three finishes in both events, even during the last day of the Stars ‘N’ Stripes when she had to move up one age division because she turned 15 that day.
“It was so fast,” said her aunt Lizz Soares, one of Duyao’s main supporters. “But she just got in it. There’s no way I’d do it. I’d be scared.”
BMX racing can be dangerous, as Duyao has found out over the course of her five-year career.
“I’ve had some stitches and a sprained ankle, but nothing too bad,” she said.
But at the Golden State Nationals at Manzanita Park last May, Duyao was involved in an incident that looked really bad. A newspaper photographer captured the frightening image of Duyao accidentally running over the neck of competitor Amanda Volle after Volle fell during a race. Both girls walked away laughing – and uninjured – after the crash, said Soares.
Duyao hopes to take her fearless act all the way to the 2008 Olympics, the first time BMX will be held as an Olympic sport. But the BMX lifestyle, which requires expensive equipment and lots of travel, is costly and almost more than single mother Melissa can handle. Duyao’s Specialized bike alone cost over $600 with upgrades, said Soares. Duyao is looking for sponsorship, but few females receive significant help in the male-dominated sport. A few local businesses have backed her in the past and South Valley Bikes provides her with free maintenance.
In addition to national events, Duyao competes at the state level and has ridden in several events, traveling as far south as Santa Barbara to as far north as Livermore.
But the biggest event is just around the corner: The NBL Grand Nationals in Louisville, Ky. over Labor Day weekend.
“I hope to make the main top five because I got sixth last year (at the Grand Nationals),” Duyao said.
In the meantime, Duyao will begin her sophomore year at Anchorpoint Christian, where she’ll also play softball.
“I’ve never played softball so I’m gonna try that,” she said.
For more information on local BMX racing, visit www.manzanitapark.bmx.com.
If you’re interested in sponsoring BMX racer Brittany Duyao for the BMX Grand Nationals in Louisville, Ky., contact Lizz Soares at 607-0339.
