How a Cranberry Township trio of siblings fell in love with cyclocross and made a national championship
When it comes to sports, children from the Bower family of Cranberry Township are thinking outside the box — and enjoying every minute of it.
Josiah Bower, 14, and his younger siblings Judah (12) and Shiloh (9) are each heavily involved in cyclocross, which combines aspects of road cycling and mountain biking. All three took part in the national championships, recently held in Arkansas.
Shiloh won the girls title in her age group, Josiah was runner-up in his age group and Judah was fourth.
“It was my first time racing at nationals, and I didn’t really know what to think getting ready for it,” Shiloh said. “After I won, I stood on top of the medal stand. It felt really good to win.”
The children’s father, Ben Bower, competed in local and regional events in mountain biking years ago. Josiah began competing in such races at North Park when he was 6. He took part in the Month of Mud, a series of races held at several parks in the region, including Moraine and Alameda, for the first time when he was 8, and won the event the next year.
At cyclocross nationals in 2024, Josiah placed second in his age group. That effort, combined with his performances at regional races in New York, Maryland and Wisconsin earlier this year, earned for him a spot on the EuroCross Academy team, made up of six of the best cyclocross youths from the United States.
The opportunity brought with it a trip in mid-November to the Netherlands, which is, along with Belgium, recognized worldwide as the hub of cyclocross. Over the span of 12 days, Josiah competed in four races on four different courses against as many as 80 competitors. Like the U.S. national race, cyclists complete as many laps as they can in 30 minutes on courses that range from 1½- to 2-miles long. His best finish was eighth.
“Now that I’ve been there and competed, I know that the racing is much more aggressive than here in the U.S.,” Josiah said. “I got involved in cycling because of my dad, and it slowly evolved from there to cyclocross.”
The surrounding area provides perfect terrain for practice runs. The Bowers make use of Connoquenessing Park and Moraine State Park.
Judah Bower recently dropped playing soccer because his schedule had become too hectic. Staying off his bike was not an option.
“I enjoy everything about cyclocross,” Judah said. “I try to explain it to my friends, but they don’t understand it.”
Over the winter months, the Bowers will work on strength training; there are portions of cyclocross courses where competitors are forced to carry, rather than ride, their bike.
Ben Bower enjoyed competing, but now sees the sport from a different perspective. He and his wife, Jade, devote much time to supporting their children, all of whom are home-schooled.
“To see them get involved in the sport, and gain a passion for it, it’s very cool,” Ben said. “They’re showing a lot of dedication.”
Josiah loves the competition end of it, and said: “I love racing against other people, putting it all out there. But even if I’m just riding on my own, not in a race, I enjoy that, too. I just love riding a bike.”
