As we ponder the landscape of 2021, we reflect on who we are, who we’ve become, and who we aspire to be when this ends. We’ve turned epidemic into epiphany.
We have been antagonists. We have challenged traditional cycling in search of a euphoria of inclusivity. We have called out actions against gender parity in cycling media. We’ve criticized sanctioned racing for elitism. We have sold the solution to all this vile as the wonderful world of gravel believing we stood for the version of cycling that checked the most boxes on our imaginary list of perfection. We were wrong. This isn’t a community. We believe there is plenty of room for us all to succeed and simultaneously carve our own paths. We need all those paths. We need pros, and we need amateurs. We need unsanctioned racing and sanctioned racing. We need corporate events and grassroot organizers. This is no right or wrong. We need it all in order to operate a healthy ecosystem.
Yet, it is time we tear down the walls that divide. We, as cyclists or bicycle riders, are a small community with great overlap. In these unprecedented times, we are hearing stories of bike shops thriving with a new base of riders. It is our collective responsibility to welcome them. It is our collective responsibility, to bestow a set of ethics regardless of the path they choose.
The concept of unity is not defined by a congregation of people with the same mindset. True unity brings together all. It celebrates all days on the bike for every purpose and every person. It doesn’t matter what you ride, where you ride, or why you ride. It matters that you ride.
We need to respect each other. We need to help one another. We need to grow collectively.
We need to guide ourselves by principles not rules. The old slogan is true: If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem.
It starts with simple actions :
//kindness towards all riders
//events supporting other events
//pros encouraging non-pros
//for-profit funding non-profit
If we all share a moral compass, it is no longer relevant if we are or are not alike. If we hug at finish lines, it no longer matters where we line up at the start. If events help with events, it no longer matters corporate or grassroots, road or gravel, sanctioned or unsanctioned. If we all work towards growing cycling, it will grow.
Heidi Myers has worked in the cycling industry for over 20 years and is the co-founder of the Rasputitsa Spring Classic. Never a competitor, always an enthusiast, Heidi believes in supporting all facets of cycling. Struggling with Young Onset Parkinson’s Disease, she spends most of her time on the bike riding besides two goofy kids
