Girls Gotta Eat Dirt, because life is jort – Colorado denim specialists Ripton & Co are bringing the stoke this week with their first short film, titled ‘Girls Gotta Eat Dirt‘. The all-women mountain biking film does include a lot of riding in cut-off jean shorts, but it’s more the light-hearted story arc and killer ride footage that will make mountain bikers of all genders amped to get out for a ride.
We’ll look past the fact that they tricked us into writing #lifeisjort, and that they urged us to be good jitizens. “Sit back, relax, and watch Avra Saslow, Clare Hamilton and Delilah Cupp lead you through the finest dirt Silverton, Colorado has to offer. From exposed rocky ridge lines to loam tunnels deep in the woods to old mining roads, these girls will show you how to have a good time just about anywhere your bike can take you.”
Read more about the project, filming, plus more jeans & jorts puns at: RiptonCo.com, then shop for your own riding jorts and save around 12% with code: GGED at checkout until the end of the day today only.
Cycling Advocacy
- PeopleForBikes looks at how to make cycling more inclusive – Led by a researcher at Rutgers, the Where Do We Go From Here? Breaking Down Barriers to Bicycling in the U.S. report examines the barriers to entry into cycling in the United States. Focusing on ten US cities, the study looks at “why certain populations choose to bicycle and why others do not”, then makes recommendations on how to break down some of those barriers. Read more about the report and its author Charles T. Brown at: PeopleForBikes.org
- 4 simple steps to improves pro women cyclists’ future – It’s been a few weeks since The Cyclists’ Alliance’s suggestion for four simple steps to shape the future of the sport for women popped up on our radar, but it bears repeating beyond a single paragraph blurb. If you didn’t already read it, you should. Then, go watch the women’s races, engage with women’s racing, follow the teams & riders, and call out inequality when you see it. Since there’s no Paris-Roubaix to watch this weekend, maybe that’s extra time to dig deeper into past races, riders & what’s to come. It’s a really easy way to start making an impact while just doing what we are already doing… enjoying cycling. CyclistsAlliance.org
Industry News & Updates
- The Secret Life of Chains – Engineer, cartoonist & all-round curious British artist Tim Hunkin created an excellent Channel Four TV series called The Secret Life of Machines, that explains how things work. His episode on chains is both informative, and a joy to watch. And there’s plenty more at: TimHunkin.com
- Shimano race support across Spain & Italy too – Remember how Shimano announced earlier this year that blue Neutral Support was going to take over from decades of Mavic yellow at the Tour de France? Well, it looks like that reach is hitting all three Grand Tours, and plenty of other Spanish and Italian racing. Shimano has renewed the service support agreements with both RCS & Unipublic race promoters meaning you’ll be seeing blue support at Strade Bianche, Tirreno-Adriatico, Milan-Sanremo, Giro di Sicilia, Giro d’Italia, Giro-E, Gran Piemonte, Milan-Turin, and Il Lombardia… plus La Vuelta a Espana, Volta a Catalunya, the Itzulia, and many more for the next several years at least.
- Deceuninck-Quick-Step crosses CO2 Neutral threshold – One of the biggest professional road teams traveling the world to race going CO2 neutral seems like it might be a stretch, but Deceuninck-Quick-Step has been putting in the work to offset the impacts of their team & complex logistics. Working with CO2Logic, they calculated their carbon footprint at 1288 tons of CO2 last year – the equivalent of driving a car 179 times around the world, or 539 return flights between Brussels and New York… not exactly eco-friendly racing bikes, huh?! To help offset their impact, the team chose to support two international projects: one helping to supply safe drinking water in Uganda & one to help with the reforestation of the area around Mont Ventoux. ItStartsWithUs.Deceuninck-QuickStep.com
