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We have all been on rides that, at some point, require us to dig deep. But we still find a way to get that last bit of energy out of our bodies. We fight, we endure. And on the other side of these rides, we emerge stronger. We need to make the same commitment to anti-racism that we do to become stronger on the bike.
Cheech, founder of Casa Verde and partner with Matt at Crust Bikes reflects where she’s going in her life…
Our good friend Namz wrote a beautiful piece for Bedrock Sandals’ blog. Here’s an excerpt:
“Thunder Moon of July:
-I’m smiling a lot because my friend Sam is observing this one with me, all the way in another state. We both listen to N.K. Jemisin’s “The City We Became” to deepen our bond.
-Learn that the opposite of depression is not happiness but playfulness and remind myself to be a little more playful.
-Decided on wearing a linen cycling jumpsuit which allowed for airflow and a breeze all day (and I thought I looked really cute) but still wearing clipless cycling shoes and suffered pruned up, soggy feet at the end of the day.”
Head on over to Bedrock Sandals to read the whole piece!
Filmed by Bike is pushing for a substantial BIPOC filmmaker grant to help Supporting Black, Indigenous and all People of Color tell their bicycle stories via video:
“We spend eight months of the year digging into the far-reaching corners of the internet in search of the world’s best bike movies. (Really, it’s not as scary of a place as you might think it is.) You know what we’ve learned over the years? The world is dreadfully devoid of films created by or about BIPOC.
That’s not to say the films aren’t out there, it’s just to say they are rare and precious gems – the quantity of which does not reflect the population of people who are passionate about riding bikes. We know there are many barriers to filmmaking, and funding is a huge barrier. So we decided to do our part to help bring more representation to the world of bike movies. We hope you’ll join us by applying for a grant, spreading the word about this program, and making a donation today.”
See more at Filmed by Bike and make a donation here if you have the means.
If you’re a BIPOC cyclist, who enjoys bikepacking, or perhaps you’d like to give it a try…
The BIPOC Bike Adventure Grant is Bikepacking Roots’ grant program created to help reduce the barriers to bike adventure for BIPOC individuals. The BIPOC Bike Adventure Grant will support recipients by helping fund fun and empowering bike adventures.
Apply between now and November 8th. We anticipate requiring ~4-5 weeks to review and follow up with all applicants, meaning we plan on announcing the recipients and their planned adventures in mid-December.
Qualified applicants are those who
-have any level of experience riding a bicycle.
-would benefit from support in order to pursue a specific bike adventure.
-identify as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color).
-live in the United States.
-are any gender identity, age, class, body size, or ability.
Proposals can include requests of $500 to $3,000+ for the autumn 2020 grant cycle. The next grant cycle will open in late spring of 2021. Some equipment support will also be available as needed.
Apply now at Bikepacking Roots!
Security in México is a topic I don’t usually talk about; in order to keep myself from falling into hopelessness, I try to focus and highlight the good actions of people. Nevertheless, it’s like a pebble that you always carry in your pocket: you know it’s there, you touch it when you reach for other stuff, and although you are mostly used to it, some days it just decides to poke your leg. Adventure cyclists in the country generally have this factor in consideration at different levels depending on region and other circumstances, so here we’ll go a little over the topic but hey, there are some happy parts in this story too, for good balance.
Bicycle Nomad, that handsome cyclist from the California Golde project and beyond, has teamed up with Blackburn to become a brand ambassador. As someone who has played a small role in Blackburn’s bicycle touring lineup, this makes me excited. Erick Cedeño (Bicycle Nomad) is a beautiful human and I’m personally looking forward to seeing where this goes. I think Erick’s quote sums up the importance of this partnership:
“The cycling industry needs to have more representation in its marketing, so adults and, more importantly, children, can see themselves on a bike exploring their city, their country and their world,”
If you’re interested, the full press-release is below…
Logo by Sam Scipio
While it was the most violent in Illinois history, the Chicago Race Riot of 1919 still remains widely unknown to many. The Chicago Race Riot of 1919 Route Campaign honors the centennial of the riot in 2019 and is a collaboration between PeopleForBikes, Ride Spot, Newberry Library . The CRR1919 Commemoration Project to educate riders about a bitter piece of Chicago’s past while supporting a better future through Blackstone Bicycle Works’ efforts with youth on Chicago’s South Side.
-The goal is to inspire 300 riders to complete the CRR1919 route before Oct 31.
-If we succeed in activating riders and sell all of the CRR1919 Guidebooks, we will raise $7500 for Blackstone Bicycle Works, a non-profit program to expanding the educational and vocational opportunities of BIPOC youth on Chicago’s South Side and contribute to the CRR1919 Public Art Commemoration Project.
This year, riders can follow that same route thanks to Ride Spot. By downloading the mobile app and joining the Chicago Race Riot of 1919 Route challenge, riders will be guided by turn-by-turn directions to each stop along the route.
They can also download or stream an audio tour or purchase a limited edition 1919 CRR Route Guidebook for $10 with 100% of the proceeds donated to Blackstone Bicycle Works and The CRR1919 Commemoration Public Art Project.
To learn more, see the route and access the companion guides, visit CRR1919.COM.
Remember the Underground Railroad ride and video project? Well, in order to raise awareness and funds for the project, the team is selling three shirt designs. Two long-sleeves, one white, one black, and a short-sleeve heather grey. The back of the shirts have each city the ride will pass through. Delivery on these shirts is 4-6 weeks so if you’d like to support this project, you can purchase one now. Head to Underground Railroad for more.
Last night was the premiere of the roundtable discussion Swift Industries hosted called Black in the Saddle. Head back to this post for more information and watch the whole video here.
Patagonia tackles a big discussion about outdoor recreation and indigenous people. It’s a great sign that a big brand like this is aiding in the conversation, so take a few minutes (9 is all you need) and give this one a read!
“Outdoor recreation can be a lifeline for rural economies, but the industry has also benefited from the erasure of Indigenous peoples from their lands.”
Swift Industries is proud to announce Black In The Saddle, an online panel discussion moderated by Devin Cowens exploring the Black cycling experience, as told by featured panelists Lydia Moore, Kaiden Nia-Ali, William Lloyd, Duncan Benning, and Erick Cedeño.
This virtual event takes place on Thursday, September 3rd, at 5:30 pm PST / 8:30pmEST, and is free and open to the public.
Expect a lively conversation around the panelists’ cycling origin stories, their most memorable adventures, and how they’ve been handling this tumultuous year. You won’t want to miss this! The culture-shaping events of 2020 have awakened the Cycling and Outdoor industries to the existence of the many BIPOC communities whose incredible stories and experiences for too long they’ve ignored. Black In The Saddle is Swift’s effort in helping to amplify these important perspectives. This project invites the brand’s fast-growing audience to get to know amazing personalities and athletes core to our adventure-cycling community. Fans can set a reminder and/or tune-in for the live-streamed virtual event by visiting the YouTube event page.
Meet the panelists below!
WTF BX announces that the 2020 SJ Brooks Scholarship is now accepting applications!
The 2020 SJ Brooks Scholarships seek to increase access, reduce barriers, and center voices specifically for BIPOC cyclists who identify as femme, trans, woman, non-binary, intersex, two-spirit, or genderqueer. The application will close at 9pm (PST) on August 27, 2020. Those selected to receive one of the SJ Brooks Scholarships will be notified by the week of September 21, 2020.
**Applicants must self-identify as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, person of color) and FTWN-B (femme, transgender, woman, non-binary). All skill levels, abilities, and body sizes are encouraged to apply. All applicants who do not identify as BIPOC should spread the word to BIPOC cyclists in their community circles.
The cycling community and industry raised $20k for the scholarships. This financial donation will allow recipients to receive up to $2k to pursue a spirited endeavor and has helped support a committee to oversee the application process. WTF BX also received cycling and camping gear packages valued at $3k each and bikes for 9 recipients. These combined contributions will allow WTF BX to offer up to 18 scholarships specifically for BIPOC FTWN-B cyclists!
Thank you to the cycling community and the following cycling brands who helped make this happen: @eastoncycling, @iamspecialized, @evo, @konabikes, @surlybikes, @velocioapparel, @chrome_industries, @revelatedesigns, @ridewithgps, @gaiagps, @cnocoutdoors, @bedrocksandals, @topodesigns, @ombraz, @blackburndesign, @biketiresdirect, @boschebikesystems.us, @fernwehfoodco, @fix_that_bike, @planet_bike, @msr_gear, @microcosm_pub
See more and apply at the SJ Brooks Scholarship page.
Ride Together is a new social networking site established to make WTF, BIPOC, LGBTQ+, or otherwise underrepresented cyclists feel welcomed, safe, and secure riding across the world. Their network of hosts span the globe and you can sign up to be a part of this project. Head to Ride Together to learn more and give them a follow on Instagram for updates.
Whatever you do in this life, do it with fucking passion and power.
Make sure the world knows it – Edward B. Gieda III
I’ve been so inspired by the voices, initiatives and attitudes from our bicycle community in the last year in general and especially in the last couple of weeks of unrest and calibration of who we are and what we’re doing to each other. The calling out of toxic elements and the demand for change has a snowballing effect that is nothing but refreshing. I believe in the bicycle as a tool for change and grassroots movements like the Cycling Industry Pledge by WTF Bikexplorers is just one powerful example of how to drive change and hold us all accountable for our actions, or the lack thereof. For some, the bicycle will always just be a toy or a piece of sporting equipment but for many others, it’s a tool that enables change, growth and freedom.
WTF Bikexplorers launched the 2020 SJ Brooks Scholarship Fundraiser today. As part of their Black Lives Matter accountability actions, the WTF Bikexplorers 2020 scholarship seeks to expand funding to increase cycling opportunities specifically for BIPOC folks who identify as femme, trans, non-binary, and women.
“We recognize that the outside is not free. The freedom and access that many cyclists enjoy are not an experience equally shared by BIPOC, queer, and trans riders. This rings true, now just as ever with social inequality and systemic racism persisting against the backdrop of a pandemic. These injustices and inequalities have persisted so much longer than this current moment and we recognize that there is much work that can be done on our part to create more safe, accessible, and inclusive spaces and opportunities for these communities. The 2020 WTF Bikexplorers SJ Brooks Scholarship seeks to increase access to cycling opportunities specifically within Black, Indigenous, people of color, queer and transgender communities by reducing some of the financial and material barriers that are required to pursue a spirited bicycle endeavor. Spirited bicycle endeavors may include overnight or multi-day bike trips, community organizing, or attending a cycling event.
We need the cycling community’s help to make this happen. If you support our mission, please help us grow and support our community through this scholarship fundraiser. Your donation will go directly toward financial stipends for the scholarship recipients to use to help pursue a spirited bicycle endeavor on their terms.”
Please, if you can, donate to this fund to increase the diversity of cycling!
These past few weeks have been a time for action, introspection, listening, and resisting. Radavist reader Sasha Schellenberg sent in this submission to us for a Readers Write, reflecting on their own perspective of what’s going on in the world right now with the murder of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter protests. Without further adieu, here are Sasha’s words…
I do a lot of listening while I ride my bike. I listen for traffic and the odd redneck that will try to drive their diesel truck within a hairsbreadth of my handlebars (an unfortunate reality of cycling in parts of rural Alberta), I listen to my bike, always alert for unusual sounds (a result of seeing firsthand how small mechanical discrepancies can turn colossal if they go unnoticed for a time), and I listen for birds and wildlife (the upside of cycling in rural Alberta that makes it worth putting up with smelly trucks). Riding alone, cycling becomes a sensory experience, and it’s on those long gravel climbs, that half of me hates and the other half loves, that sounds seem to resonate clear as a bell.
