Meet Anna Bryan

At 14, Anna Bryan has already made a name for herself in the mountain biking scene. The Edison Preparatory freshman won her division during Oklahoma’s inaugural National Interscholastic Cycling Association (NICA) season and spends her free time racing, reading and playing the baritone saxophone. We caught up with Anna to talk about mountain biking, memorable races and what keeps her coming back to the trail.

TK: How old were you when you first learned to ride a bike, and what made you fall in love with mountain biking?

Anna: I was 3 years old when I started riding my strider bike, then I was 5 when I rode my two-wheeler. I fell in love with mountain biking because I can go as fast as I want when I want.

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TK: You’ve had some pretty memorable races. What’s the craziest thing that’s happened during a race?

Anna: I had the worst nosebleed in my life about 20 minutes into a 1 ½ hour race. I still got first place!

TK: What has been your proudest moment on a bike so far?

Anna: Winning the Oklahoma State Championship during the first OK NICA season.

TK: What’s your favorite trail in Oklahoma?

Anna: Stay Gold at Turkey Mountain—it’s full of big ups and downs and easy flowing sections.

TK: What’s one skill you’ve had to work really hard to improve?

Anna: Endurance and getting better at reading my body to be able to tell when I am getting tired and how much I have left in the tank.

TK: What was it like being part of Oklahoma’s first NICA season?

Anna: It’s really different from racing in Arkansas—hundreds of people were there and the only ones I recognized were people on my team. It was all about winning. OK NICA is a lot smaller, and I’ll be racing Varsity as a ninth grader. It’ll be more competitive.

TK: What would you tell another student who’s curious about joining a mountain bike team?

Anna: It has been more like a community experience than playing basketball or soccer. It’s like you’re a group of people hanging out who happen to be riding bikes. It’s the best sport I’ve ever been a part of—and you can’t be benched.

TK: What’s your favorite subject in school?

Anna: Science. It’s easier than math! And it seems a lot more logical than math.

TK: What hobbies do you have other than cycling?

Anna: I love playing saxophone and reading. I’ll be in concert band this fall. I started reading The Odyssey while we were on vacation this summer.

TK: Do you like to read? And what’s one of your favorite books?

Anna: Yes! That’s hard. I really like The Help, The Hunger Games series and Stephen King novels.

TK: Who inspires you?

Anna: One of my coaches, Emily Adamic. She is crazy good at riding bikes.

TK: Do you know what you want to do after high school?

Anna: I will go to college. I really like Colorado State University—they have good science programs. I eventually want to study forensic pathology.