The Radavist

Now in its eighth year, the Rapha Women’s 100 challenges riders around the world to share the road and ride 100 kilometers together on the same day. 2020 may be looking a little bit different from previous years and coming together can be complicated, but there is still a way… Watch this video for some familiar faces and check out the entire Womens 100 collection at Rapha.

In 2019 Gaëlle and her Bombtrack headed out for a staggering loop around Europe, covering all it’s countries within. From the heat of southern Spain to the frozen coast of Scandinavia, while traversing the Carpathians somewhere in the middle – home to brown bears and wolves…

We should all take the time to read this article by Ayesha McGowan on Outside Online if you haven’t…

“It’s been just over a month since George Floyd was murdered in the street by the police. After eight days of marches and protests all over the world, the four officers involved in Floyd’s death were arrested and charged. That glimmer of hope for justice is too little, too late. The Black community has endured centuries of witnessing Black death at the hands of the law enforcement officials who are supposed to protect us.”

BMX twins Lizsurley and Queensaray prove to be ‘2 in a million’ as they work their way up from local freestylers to olympic hopefuls despite their lack of training infrastructure and resources.

Two names in the outdoor industry with industry-leading apparel have joined forces to develop a special kit for women. Outdoor Voices and Rapha teamed up for a special riding kit and we think it looks great! See more from this collaboration at Rapha and see the full gallery from this photoshoot by Cait Oppermann below.

Emily Batty takes to the trails with her pup Buddy as she works on her MTB skills…

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.

Dynamo Jenny, a podcast from Adventure Cycling, is a binge-able, 6-episode audio dive into women’s experiences traveling the world by bike.

The advent of the bicycle coincided with, and influenced, the rise of the women’s rights movement in the late nineteenth century. But, by some accounts, it could be argued that cycling was more gender-inclusive then than it is today. Dynamo Jenny, Adventure Cycling’s first-ever podcast, explores the dynamics of women, bikes, and taking on public space in America through personal stories from the people who ride.

Podcast host, Jessica Zephyrs, introduces listeners to industry gurus like Nicole Formosa, professional creatives like Hilary Oliver, and a handful of inspiring and hilarious women from all walks of life.

Of the podcast, Jessica says, “With adventure being hard to come by at this particular time, connection and stories are the ways we have to get out of our own headspaces right now. So I’m particularly excited to have the privilege of helping to convey some really lovely, and at times outrageous, personal accounts of bicycle travel.

“The podcast has everything from grizzly bear encounters, an overnighter at a monastery, and on-tour breakups to feminist bicycle history, bicycle clubs for people of color, and a woman who’s trying to find out if she’s the first Black woman to ride the TransAmerica Trail self-supported. These women’s stories hit on some of the most poignant aspects of traveling on a bike: vulnerability, self-doubt, and joy.”

How accessible, here and now, is the freedom and independence that the bicycle first promised? Well, let’s find out.

Trailer Embed Code

Find Dynamo Jenny on all major listening apps, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Stitcher. All episodes are available for download right now, all at once.

Learn more about the podcast, contributors, and art on Adventure Cycling’s website, adventurecycling.org/podcast.

I’ve been thinking a lot about what we, here at the Radavist, could do in light of the current events unfolding across the United States. Black Americans need our ears right now and our eyes should be coinciding with our minds to understand what it means to be athletes, or even just hobbyists in the cycling industry. One such voice that has resonated a lot over the past few years is Ayesha McGowan @ayesuppose. Her writings are important and we’ve also listed her podcast, which you can support on Patreon.

Read her writings at A Quick Brown Fox.

Thank you for taking this time to reflect on the current events and how we all can be better human beings.

One of our favorite personalities in the cycling industry has a space on one of our favorite brand’s blogs! Sarah Sturm has a great little read up about the pandemic and what riding means to her. Be sure to check this one out and if you missed it, our Highway 50 Nevada MTB trip features some excellent shots of Sarah ripping that Nevada dust as well!

“We have in front of us a chunk of time. We have a global pause. There are no races, there are no events, there are no parties or gatherings or high fives. We have busy minds and bored bodies and there isn’t an exact day that we can mark on our planners when “this will all be over”. Nope. The only thing that is certain is uncertainty. And we’re getting sick of seeing that phrase plastered all over the media. Yes, we know, things are uncertain right now and saying it over and over doesn’t seem to help.”

Continue reading this piece at Tenspeed Hero!

Inspired by abstract watercolor paintings, the T.K.O. collection is the latest from Pas Normal Studios with designs for men and women, all overseen by PNS’ Creative Director, Karl Oskar Olsen. Watercolor paint is a perfect metaphor for cycling.

It flows freely across the canvas.
Its actions produce immediate results.
It demands confidence and does not respond to indecisiveness.

See more at Pas Normal Studios.

Thereabouts – Gus and Lachlan Morton – recently interviewed Sarah Swallow, one of the founding members of the WTF Bikexplorers and organizer of the Ruta del Jefe in Arizona, about life and the pursuit of all things rad. Check it out here and head to Thereabouts for their excellent write up about Sarah!

These new shorts represent so many firsts for Machines for Freedom. The Essential Cycling Shorts are the first new piece in the Machines’ line to feature their new inclusive size range, extending from X-Small to XXX-Large! They’re also the first cycling short truly designed for the long-distance rider with the same chamois as Machines’ Endurance Bib, graded for 6+ hours in the saddle, bacteriostatic to inhibit infections, and wide enough for most women’s sit bones.

The yoga-inspired waistband is revolutionary: compressive enough to stay up without sagging, but soft enough to eliminate elastic bands that dig when in the riding position. The seamless leg bands keep the shorts in place without overly compressing. The Essential shorts use the highest quality European fabric is compressive, moisture-wicking, and silky soft to the touch.

Head to Machines for Freedom to read more and to see their lifestyle lookbook.