Twenty-five-year old Brennan Wertz doesn’t follow metrics. He follows fun. This may seem counterintuitive for a Pinarello-sponsored athlete to say but it’s the truth. His ultimate goal in cycling is to push his limits and have fun doing it.
The 6-foot-5 gentle giant has been an athlete his whole life and has had an unconventional entry into the world of pro cycling. His journey begins in a boat.
Boy Meets Crew
Wertz grew up in Mill Valley, California, in a home that valued good work ethic, sportsmanship and perspective.
Both of Wertz’s parents rowed collegiately and even met through the crew community. But despite their athletic careers, they never forced Brennan into elite sports. Quite the opposite, in fact.
“When I expressed an interest in learning to row, my parents were hesitant at first,” Wertz recalls. “They never wanted me to feel pressure from sports. They wanted me to keep a sense of fun in whatever I pursued.”
Even so, Wertz pressed onward in his youth rowing career, eventually earning a spot on the prestigious Stanford varsity crew team. During his time at Stanford he also rowed for the U23 men’s national team with whom he captured the U23 world title.
But a persistent injury to Wertz’s ribs left him considering other athletic options toward the end of his time as a collegiate rower.
“I had inflammation in the muscles all around my ribs,” Wertz says. “It was excruciating to make a rowing motion, but when I rode a bike, I had zero pain.”
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Rolling Out a New Career
Wertz grew up mountain biking for fun. After all, Mt. Tamalpais (“Mt. Tam” for short) was in his backyard.
“Mountain biking was always a recreational part of my childhood,” Wertz notes. “It was something my dad and I did for fun and I always really enjoyed pushing myself on the bike.”
Post-grad, Wertz returned to the bike. It was a safe haven from the pain he sustained from his crew injury. At the same time, Wertz got a job at Above Category – a high-end bike shop in the Bay Area – and also picked up road cycling.
“I had just come off years of intense training for crew, so I was physically really fit,” Wertz says. “I loved the dynamics of riding with a group, but also going out for solo rides with no plan, no power meter. Just exploring and pushing myself on the bike.”
(Image credit: Pinarello)
Athlete Gone Gravel
Wertz quickly found success in amateur road racing, moving from being a Cat 5 racer to a Cat 2 in just…