In 2016, Lauren De Crescenzo suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI) in a life-altering crash, which led her to be airlifted and spend 7 days in a medically induced coma. Two months of rehabilitation followed, during which she relearned fundamental skills like walking and talking.

Undeterred, Lauren used cycling as a metric for her recovery progress. In 2018, while in graduate school, she discovered the burgeoning discipline of gravel cycling. Following the TBI, she found a renewed perspective on pain, leading to the overall victory at Unbound Gravel 2021.

Following her Unbound win, Lauren left her desk job behind. She’s been able to secure victories at prestigious events like SBT GRVL, Tour of the Gila, The Rad Dirt, 2nd at US Pro Road Nationals, and 2nd at Big Sugar and Tushar Crusher. Fun fact: Lauren held the Everesting World Record for 5 days!

But it's not just about racing. Lauren is a champion of the crucial message of traumatic brain injury awareness. She aims for her performances to showcase tenacity, grit, and hard work in the face of adversity.