Zwift celebrates more than a month of history in Black Celebration Series – From the start of next week, Zwift will run a year-long series of events celebrating the achievements of Black athletes. The Black Celebration Series (BCS) expands beyond just a month of history to honor Black athletes and their heritage around the globe.
Kicking off for a year in February, BCS will invite Zwifters to join special guests including Nelson Vails, Ama Nsek, Rahsaan Bahati, and Aisha Praught-Leer, as well as community leaders from the Black Cyclist Network and the Level Up Movement. The BCS events will all be based in New York City, where many legendary Black cyclists like Major Taylor & Nelson Vails started racing. Hour-long social rides will take on the Mighty Metropolitan route in NYC, with 6.8km/4.2mi runs heading out on the Grand Central Circuit.
LA Bicycle Academy will also join in as the series’ charity partner. LABA focuses on supporting communities without exposure and access to cycling, with Zwift hoping to expand their impact through a donation, and providing young cyclists a mentoring opportunity towards a professional career and beyond.
“I’m delighted to begin our year-long Black Celebration Series this February and celebrate the achievements of the Black athletic community worldwide,” says Eric Min, Zwift CEO & Co-Founder. “This is the first externally focused initiative spearheaded by our new Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging (DEIB) department who will also be running internal training and education programs on Racial Justice. It’s important to come together as one community and we will continue to provide further opportunities for all as part of our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. All BCS events will be taking place in Zwift’s recreation home city, New York, and I look forward to joining many of you in these over the year to come.”
Find out more about the Black Celebration Series and sign up for events at: Zwift.com/BCS
Advocacy & Industry News
- Rapha Women expands reach on Instagram & in funding – Rapha has long been committed to efforts to “further promote and grow women’s cycling” and this week added a couple of non-traditional elite cyclists to their sponsored team. But maybe with a longer-lasting impact for the next-gen of female riders, their Rapha Foundation continues to support grassroots participation. They are investing $1.5M annually into underrepresented cycling communities, including funding The Helen100 Foundation & The Amy D. Foundation, providing more opportunities for young women in cycling. And to tell those stories they’ve launched a new official Instagram: Rapha Women @rapha_women, calling it “a dedicated space to elevate women in cycling and facilitate conversations on important issues relating to the world of women’s cycling“. Check it out and give it a follow.
- Shimano re-ups as UCI World Cycling Partner with diversity promotion goal –Shimano shares renewal & expansion of their partnership with the UCI, aiming to “strengthen their collaboration and work together to promote the values that bind them and the causes closest to their hearts: the development of cycling in all its forms (as a competitive sport, a recreational activity, and a means of transport) for everyone; the promotion of diversity among people who cycle; and the promotion of healthy living through cycling. A significant number of initiatives will be rolled out at UCI events with these goals in mind.” That broad statement hopes to shape the next four years of working together across all disciplines to get more people on bikes, beyond simply pro & elite racing into development, as well. Both the UCI & Shimano celebrate 100 years in 2021, and hope to use this year to put a stamp on their work together.
- Get a job as a Mechanic or Graphic Designer for Transition bikes – “When you work at Transition you are more than an employee, you are family.” Transition bikes shared two open job opportunities they have available now. Priding themselves as having a fun, flexible work environment, the Bellingham, WA based bike company needs an experienced bike mechanic to support the showroom in their HQ, and a graphic designer to help shape the look of everything from bikes to t-shirts to their website. Did we mention that there’s a network of singletrack just minutes away from their headquarters? Apply now through the end of Feb at: TransitionBikes.com
Contest, Gear & Deals
- Win Canyon Ultimate supporting Historically Black College, University cycling -Continuing their support for St. Augustine’s University and the country’s first Historically Black College or University (HBCU) cycling team, Canyon has donated a custom-painted Ultimate CF SLX carbon road bike to be raffled off as a fundraiser. Hosted by St. Augustine’s, each ticket to win the SAU Cycling-edition bike costs $20, and you can enter as many times as you want up to the Feb 28 deadline. SaintAugCycling.com
- Obed adds Home.Delivery.Right, no mess bikes delivered to your door – While consumer-direct bikes are great for many people. Some cyclists aren’t ready to entirely cut out the bike shop. For them, Obed introduces new premium Home Delivery Right service. No giant bike boxes, or installing finicky carbon bars & stems, no guesswork. Much like we’ve seen with a number of mobile bike shops, for an extra hundred dollars over their ProBox shipping option, Obed will have a qualified mechanic deliver your fully assembled bike to you in the US, help with basic initial setup & a test ride to verify, so all you have to worry about is riding. Full info at: ObedBikes.com
Training
- Strava update gives better, more personal heatmaps – Personal Heatmaps get a new look this week. Unlike having to select your date range, now Strava will automatically update & generate your own maps to highlight where you ride most. New toggle controls let you turn activity types on & off, plus there’s a pull-down menu to see heatmaps from years past. You can also pick activity cluster view for a more birds-eye perspective, new background maps, and even pick which color you want to be hottest now. All the data seems to still be in the process of updating (I still have clusters missing), but Strava says it will be updated for all athletes in the next few days.
Riding & Racing together again soon
- Ladies AllRide MTB skills camps are open for 2021 registration – While they anxiously await a return to normal, Ladies AllRide is planning for the future. Their 2021 season of mountain bike skills camps for women has opened registration, with events planned from late Apr in Bend, OR until mid-Oct in Sedona, AZ. The Ladies AllRide crew will be ready to play on bikes in great locations around the US this summer. They are still taking COVID-19 very seriously and will follow strict guidelines to create a safe environment for staff, students, and the communities they ride in, taking extra care with small rider groups and all open-air camps outside. Get the full schedule & details at: LadiesAllRide.com
- EWS adds Crans-Montana, CH to 2021 race calendar in Sept – After a super-abbreviated Enduro World Series race schedule last year – where our own Jessie-May dove in for our The Path to the EWS series, there are big enduro plans for 2021. Crans-Montana, CH finds a spot in the calendar to visit the Swiss Alps Sept 11 as race 5 of 7, and promise dry south-facing hero dirt! (J-M will be happy about that after Zermatt!) Ten EWS events are on the calendar, starting in late June, with 2-day racing in Val Di Fassa, La Thuile & Loudenvielle. EnduroWorldSeries.com
