The Radavist

Shift Cycling Culture has a new initiative afloat I think you all will be pleased to read:

“Dear cycling industry colleagues,
As a group of business leaders from across the cycling industry, we have become acutely aware that climate change is not only a future risk, but a current one, which is accelerating before our eyes. We are proud that cycling plays an important part in decarbonizing our world, by enabling people to ride their bikes, enjoy the outdoors and make cities more liveable by taking cars off the streets. At the same time, the way in which we in the cycling industry make and sell products is also contributing to the problem. We need to change this, but we can’t do it on our own, which is why we’re making an urgent appeal to you, our partners and competitors across the wider industry.”

Read the full commitment and see which brands are spearheading this endeavor at Shift Cycling Culture.

The accompanying gallery includes photos from a few of the areas in Arizona burned by wildfire in just the past 15 months. 

My friend Joe and I stood atop Spruce Mountain just below the fire tower one last time this past Friday, admiring the surrounding peaks and forests of the Bradshaw Mountains. We both live just a few miles from this summit, and we share a love for big rides in the chunky, challenging backcountry trails deeper in the range. But today’s ride was a short one, first thing in the morning. Up on that vista, my eyes hopped from one patch of brown to the next, each a cluster of dead pines and firs. The ongoing drought is having a devasting impact on these forests. To the north, smoke from the nearby 40,000+ acre Rafael Fire filled Verde Valley with an impenetrable brown haze.

Shift Cycling Culture is working on a film called ‘Cracked Earth’ and the campaign to fund the project has just been listed on Kickstarter. Here’s a synopsis:

Cracked Earth won’t beat around the bush. Because we no longer can. Climate change is not a future threat; it’s our generation’s reality. The film captures the lives of cyclists in vulnerable areas around the world who share their love for the bike, but also their concern about the current state of their homeland – and its ever more uncertain future.

Cyclists just like you.

You can see more at Kickstarter!

This is the second of a two-part series on how human-caused climate change is affecting the cycling experience, why we as cyclists should care about those impacts, and what we can do as individuals and as a community to combat those impacts. Part I of this series connected cyclists to a few examples of the realities of climate change, and Part II here outlines what changes we as cyclists and the cycling community can make to improve the future of our pursuit in a changing climate. If you only have 5 minutes, jump to the end of this article to read the action items toolbox to quickly learn more about what you can do to make a difference…