About

About BD

The Brazen Dropouts club was established in Madison in 1987. Over the years, the club has gone through many iterations, but we have stayed constant as a group of people who love riding (and racing) bicycles.

In 1991, a group of enterprising BDs started a local swap meet. Over the years, the event grew and grew and now, we have over 1,000 general attendees and hundreds of vendors who show up every January to buy and sell all sorts of cycling gear. The Bike Swap has become an institution in the Midwest cycling scene, where people from all over can meet up and hang out for a day to break up the long Wisconsin winters.

While not a dedicated “racing” team, the Brazen Dropouts have always had one foot in the world of competitive cycling. For years, we hosted the Wheels on Willy criterium right on the isthmus. In the last few years, we’ve focused on putting on road races in the Madison area, including the fearsome New Glarus Road Race. In addition, we always try to host a cyclocross race each year as a member of the vibrant Wisconsin cyclocross scene.

As a club, we welcome members of all ability levels, from casual commuters to experienced racers. We take pride in being a part of the Madison community. We host events, and our sponsors are all local Madison businesses. We’re proud to work with them, and we’re thankful for their support!

What’s in a Name?

brazen

adjective

shameless or impudent.
made of brass.

dropout

noun

a person who withdraws from established society, especially to pursue an alternate lifestyle.
the part of a bicycle frame that secures an axle and allows the wheel to be removed.

The exact motivation behind the name “Brazen Dropouts” has faded into legend, but the people say that the founders thought it was a fun double entendre between an ordinary bicycle part and a derring-do description of rebellious person that lives by their own rules.

We’ve settled down a bit as a team, and we’re now an institution in the Madison cycling scene, but we still do things our own way!