"Mountain Ellie," as Schwinn rider Elke Brutsaert is known, is powerful on the bike, but quiet off it. The buff and soft-spoken graduate of the University of Maine has consistently ridden with the best in the world over her decade-long career. The Brutsaerts introduced their little phenom to sports at a young age, towing her about on Nordic skis as a child. Elke would go on to compete as a collegiate heptathlete, and the fateful foot injury on the running track landed her on the bike for rehab. Her talent on two wheels shone immediately. Soon she evolved from road cycling to the dirt and has been a mainstay in the women's dual/downhill scene through the '90s and into the new millennium.
Her Y2K season ended abruptly with a near-fatal injury to her thigh in Kaprun, Austria. A freak break in her seatpost resulted in a catastrophic puncture of her inner leg which nearly pierced her femoral artery. Life would've been ugly if it had-but Elke's back, prepared and determined to win the 2001 overall national championship in the downhill.
The pale-eyed babe from Durango spends her time training in the hills around home, and a good bit of the day eating and replacing calories to keep her fresh. She's the archetypal quiet type-a woman of few words, but murder once the dust starts flying.
back to startlist >> |
