The Radavist

Kittie Knox might not be a name you’re familiar with and that’s ok! Let’s learn about her today. She was a bike racer at the end of the 19th century, the first black person to be inducted into the League of American Wheelman, and pushed the paradigm at the time by wearing clothing only associated with males, like pants! Kittie fought for the rights of black Americans as cyclists, pushing for the ability for more to be allowed into the League of American Wheelman.

Head to Medium to read this great story.

When you’re done there, head to Bicycling.com for more stories by and about black cyclists.

REI‘s latest video showcases a group of female black cyclists as they embark on their first-ever bikepacking trip. Watch the premiere here with a panel discussion with the film makers after.

“Despite never having camped or ridden a bike off the pavement, Analise Cleopatra sets out to take on a week-long backcountry mountain biking adventure in Central Oregon on a journey of self healing and growth. Along with fellow beginner Dejuanae Toliver and professional mountain biker Brooklyn Bell, she discovers the joy of sleeping under the stars, the power of biking and the strength that comes with pedaling through.”

Our friends at Crust Bikes, Rons Bikes, and Ultradynamico have officially sponsored Leo Rodgers to their Factory PRO Recreation TEAM for 2021. Check out the full press-release below!

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.”

In 2019 Jonny Moses biked the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route. The GDMBR is a 2700 mile off-road bike tour that follows the continental divide along the spine of the Rockies from Banff Canada to Antelope Wells New Mexico. He rode this route in order to both challenge himself and to challenge the narrative of who does or doesn’t belong in the outdoors. His aim is to encourage kids of color that the outdoors and outdoor recreation IS for them.

Our dude Leo got some love in this new video by cycling’s bad boy Lucas Brunelle. This one is worth the watch. Miss ya, Leo!

We’ve been reading, watching, and listening, as the world’s largest push for civil rights has unfolded in front of us this week and in that time, fundraisers have smashed expectations, surpassing their goals. L39ION, a road racing team, based in Los Angeles, and founded by Justin Williams has raised over $50k to help bring diversity to cycling in LA and beyond. This fundraiser is still going, so let’s do our best to keep pushing it! Donate to their GoFundMe if you have the means and give the team a follow on Instagram!

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.

Photo by Bob Croslin

Anyone that has met Leo Rodgers knows his gravity. The guy is a beacon of fun energy! Bicycling recently gave Leo some love and it’s an amazing article everyone should check out!

“It feels at this point both necessary and a bit superfluous to mention that Leo Rodgers is a tall black man with long hair and one leg. There is no pedal or crank-arm on the left side of his All-City bike; his left pant leg is neatly knotted a few inches below the hip. Rodgers, 35, lost his leg 13 years ago, the result of the sort of motorcycle crash in which you are lucky if it merely changes your life.”

Don’t miss this article by Peter Flax over at Bicycling!

The latest from Patagonia is not to be missed!

“A film about inclusion, identity, and hand-drawn heroes. If you can’t find a hero, create your own; for mountain biker, skier and artist Brooklyn Bell, that hand-drawn hero was a comic character named Ruby J. Using Ruby as a role model, Brooklyn set out to “live like her, breathe like her, be unapologetically black like her,” finding her own identity in a mix of dirt, snow, art and inclusion.“

With Hermanas, Machines for Freedom shines a light on two women who have found their strength through cycling and seek to inspire others to do the same.

For the latest webisode, Bikes with Cheech and Nam take it to southern Arizona for the Ruta Del Jefe! Check out our coverage from the event later this week!

“When I cross the line, people seem stunned”.

“The sun is beating down from a relentlessly blue sky on an 80-degree late-May afternoon in Emporia, Kansas. Alexandera Houchin is joking with her friends and supporters at the starting line of the Dirty Kanza XL, despite the fact that she’s just ridden her bike a few hundred miles through rain and mud from Iowa, napping under a highway overpass to get here on time. The laughter masks her misgivings about this race. It’s not because the DKXL is a notoriously difficult 542km ride through the steep and sharp Flint Hills of Kansas. It’s the race’s name, “Dirty Kanza,” that gets her. Kanza is a nickname for the Kaw Nation, the “People of the South Wind,” who lived in this region long before white settlers arrived. To preface that with “Dirty” shows a disconnect of the history of place that is ironic to Houchin, whose mother is Ojibwe.”

Check out more at Bicycling Magazine!