Conquering CrossVegas: Despite prosthetic hook, Henderson man ready to ride

There ain't no mountain high enough to keep Henderson resident Robin Brown off his bicycle.

And despite having a prosthetic hook, the Clark County Fire Department captain plans to participate in the ninth annual Clif Bar CrossVegas competition Sept. 16 at Desert Breeze Park, 8275 Spring Mountain Road.

The race requires competitors to ride in the grass and maneuver over obstacles while carrying the bicycle. The goal is to make as many laps as possible in 30 minutes.

"I'm very excited. I've been trying to compete in CrossVegas for a couple of years, but my work schedule never allowed it," Brown said. "I already have the fitness part down, so I'm just working on the bike-handling skills."

Deemed the biggest cyclocross race in the United States, the Las Vegas event is also set to include one of the eight UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup competitions this year, according to race director Brook Watts.

"It's kind of like World Cup skiing where they have competitions in Utah, Canada and Austria, except with cyclocross," he said. "It's the very best women and men from 18 different nations. It's a very exclusive category of top level international cyclocross racers."

In addition to the professionals, an amateur competition is open to "weekend warriors," such as Brown, who compete for "bragging rights."

"These types of events are very rare. You don't see amateur skiers competing on the same course as Lindsey Vonn," Watts said. "CrossVegas is a great opportunity for people like (Brown) to race just a few hours before the best of the best compete.

"It's like taking my minivan to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway an hour before the Indy 500. It's a rare and neat thing."

A Texas transplant, Brown moved to Las Vegas in 1988 to work as a paramedic. He joined the fire department two years later and worked his way up as a fire captain.

"I was into desert motorcycle racing before I started cycling," he said. "I got into playing golf once I quit racing dirt bikes, but I started putting some weight on, so I thought it'd be healthier to pick up mountain biking."

Despite having a sporadic work schedule, Brown still managed to cycle nearly 8,000 miles and complete roughly 270 rides last year.

"We work what's called a five-six," Brown said. "We work five 24-hour shifts during a nine-day period, and then we're off for six days in a row. It averages out to a 56-hour work week.

"I ride on my days off, and then when the weather is nice, I usually ride into work and ride home."

Mostly a mountain cyclist, Brown prefers to compete in endurance races that are typically 50 to 100 miles. He finished the 104-mile El Tour de Tucson in Arizona in less than five hours and the 100-mile Leadville Trail in Colorado in 10 hours twice.

"If you finish the Leadville race, you get a belt buckle," Brown said. "Not a lot of people finish, so if you earn one, it's a big deal; I have two."

While Brown competes and rides for himself, he also volunteers with Ride 2 Recovery, an organization that helps veterans restore their hope and purpose through cycling.

"I got involved with Ride 2 Recovery about four years ago as a guide taking (veterans) out on a mountain bike ride, and it just grew from there," Brown said. "Most of us volunteers have done these rides before, but the veterans haven't. It's nice to talk them through a course and later watch them do it."

Although Brown wishes there were more scenic places to ride locally, he said he enjoys mountain biking in Blue Diamond and road cycling around the lake and Hoover Dam.

"Cycling is easier on the body than running," Brown said. "We have great weather that allows us to ride year round, and there's a great riding community. It's just nice to pack up and go."

Spectators can view the CrossVegas event for $15 per ticket. Clark County residents can receive a discount by using online promo code crossvegas15.

Visit crossvegas.com or call 303-684-9170.