The Radavist

Hannah Griggs from Queercyclist sent over this short video showcasing a recent trip her and her friends went on that ended up being more like bikeglamping and less like bikepacking…

Machines for Freedom is known for their road and gravel apparel but our friends just launched the Versatile Off Road collection for those who prefer to not wear lycra. The lineup includes Key Shorts, Technical Tees, and handkerchief designs, all in stock now at Machines for Freedom. If you missed our Utah expedition with them from a few years back, be sure to check that out too!

The story of three best friends, roommates, and riding partners with a taste for the finer things. And plenty of dirt on their Ripton jorts…

Our friends at Giro have sponsored a new collective of athletes and brands that stand united in a common goal to introduce new audiences to cycling. Read the full press-release on this group below!

All Bodies on Bikes, a film by Shimano just dropped this morning:

Kailey Kornhauser and Marley Blonsky are bike riders on a mission – a mission to change the perception of who rides bikes. All Bodies on Bikes, a Shimano Originals film, follows Kailey and Marley on a two-day bikepacking trip along the Corvallis to Coast Trail, a 65-mile route through the gorgeous Oregon Coast Range. The pair, who both self-identify as fat, bond over their love of bicycle adventure and their shared desire to build a more welcoming and diverse cycling community.

“Nobody was talking about size inclusion or what it’s like to be a fat person who rides bikes,” Marley explains. “We realized we could contribute to this and we could make a difference. We want people to feel empowered that they can ride a bike wherever they want to go.”

Enjoy!

Ready to roll for spring, PEdALED has launched the Essential Women’s Collection, including the Essential Training Bibs and three colors of the new slim-cut Essential Women’s Merino Cycling Jersey. The whole drop is live at PEdALED, so hop on over to see all the details.

This is the first of a two-part series on how human-caused climate change is affecting the cycling experience, why we as cyclists should care about those impacts, and what we can do as individuals and as a community to combat those impacts. Part I of this series connects cyclists to a few examples of the realities of climate change, and Part II will outline what changes we as cyclists and the cycling community can make to improve the future of our pursuit in a changing climate.  

In its first year, Dead Man Gravel is the newest race to join the gravel racing circuit. Today, the DMG registration is open for women and BIPOC participants – and general registration opening on March 23rd for everyone else. The event is scheduled for July 31, 2021 in Nederland, Colorado. This unique event strives to be both inclusive – as organizers believe everyone should feel welcome, regardless of experience, race, gender, or sexual identity/orientation – and challenging – as very few other races have as much climbing, technical sections, and sustained elevation.

To strike a balance between challenging and inclusive, Dead Man Gravel will feature three courses: the 66 mile Tungsten loop, the 41 mile Gold loop, and the 25 mile Silver loop, providing three distinct experiences for riders of all levels. 

DMG is also partnering with Ride for Racial Justice and Shark Tooth Cycling, two non-profits doing incredible work in bringing new, and typically disadvantaged, athletes into the sport by helping to increase awareness and reduce barriers to entry.

Register today if you’re BIPOC, or female at Dead Man Gravel.

Hallie Silva is taking on the Tour de Los Padres this year and is running a fundraiser to help raise awareness for the area. Hallie reached out with some details of her effort, including some organizations she’s currently fundraising for:

“I’m a teacher in Santa Barbara riding the Tour de Los Padres this year as to bring awareness to, and fundraise for the San Marcos Foothills Preserve. This public space is the ancestral home of the Chumash and one of the last remaining access points for front-country wilderness in Santa Barbara, and right across the street from the junior high I teach at. This access point is being currently threatened by corporate luxury home development. 

I’m currently collecting donations that will go directly to two local organizations:

Seeds to Forest Defense, an autonomous group of Chumash, BIPOC and white allies protecting the land who center Indigenous ecological knowledge. They also work to provide resources such as lawyer fees for the indigenous folks who were arrested in ceremony while protecting our public lands. 

The second organization is Save the San Marcos Foothills Preserve, led by Channel Islands Restoration, whose mission is to purchase the undeveloped property next to the San Marcos Foothills Preserve at fair market value, to protect it forever as public open space, and to restore the native habitat. You can learn more at their website, https://www.savesanmarcosfoothills.org  “

If you can and would like to help out Hallie’s efforts, you can donate to her cause. Right now, she’s $1,000 into her $3,000 goal. Expect more to come from Hallie in the near future.

Our good friend Rue was recently featured in a mini-docu put together by René Herse Cycles. Give this one a watch for a great profile on an extraordinary documentary photographer!

Grav.Elle, a gravel cycling resource site for women, by women, has launched today and one of their first stories features our friend Sarah Sturm:

“Ever since I was a little kid growing up in Albuquerque, I remember always wanting to do things differently. That same mentality has morphed into my adult life for better or worse, and when I started my journey into the world of cycling I felt real friction. I got into cycling, specifically racing road and cross when I was in college. I remember seeing and learning from my peers all of these ways to be an athlete. Eat this, do this, don’t do this. And for years I subscribed to that; I wore what I was supposed to wear, I limited what I ate, I trained, I raced and I wasn’t really having that much fun.

So I quit.”

Head to Grav.elle to read the full story.

SRAM is hosting four stories by a few of its sponsored athletes including Ayesha McGowan, Renee Hutchens, Lael Wilcox, and Isabeau Courduier over at their website. If you have a few minutes this week, we highly suggest reading one, two, or all of these stories.

It’s 2021 and women’s cycling is still fighting for their equal piece of the pie, as illustrated here by artist Thomas Slater. The InternationElles have had enough. These ten female cyclists and three crews from across the globe, are united in the fight for equality. Their hope is through activism, that they can boost women’s cycling. Right now, they have a GoFundMe to raise €5,000 as equal prize money to the top 5 women’s podium for the upcoming 2021 Strade Bianche. The above illustration might seem like an exaggeration but the payout at the recent Omloop Het Nieuwsblad paints a clear and concise picture…

Hopefully, the UCI, USAC, and other organizations will get with the times.

We’re very pleased to sponsor Swift Industries’ Stoked Spoke series and tonight is episode 02, featuring an evening of FTW Nb folks sharing their stories. Femme, Trans, Women, and Non-binary Nite (FTW Nb for short) is a dedicated space for our FTW Nb friends to tell their tales of adventure like single speeding in West Virginia, misadventures in Utah, and much more. Tune in here, tonight, February 24th, 2021 5:30PST/8:30EST for the live stream!

See Episode 01 here to give you a good primer for the series. :-)