End of Specialized Ambassador Program, but not the end of adventure

It’s been a few weeks but in a surprise email to many of the Specialized Ambassadors, Specialized Bikes ended or outright terminated sponsorship agreements with a number of riders. One-word reaction–Shame.

Shame that Specialized thinks these people don’t help get people to enjoy biking. Not everyone is going to be racing. Some of us don’t care about podium finishes anymore. Think about the last time you watched a race, especially if it was mountain biking or gravel racing, on TV.

Folks are interested in real people doing fun stuff on bikes. And that is what a lot of the Ambassadors were doing. Sure, some of it was a lot more epic than any of us would do. But that’s not the point. They are still getting people excited about adventures on bikes.

And bikes are adventurous. Even as kids, we knew that. Learning to ride and getting that first bike was an adventure and freedom. You could go faster and further than before. That lasted for a good portion of many people’s childhoods; until all your friends, and you got cars.

That happened to me. Friends got cars and the bike got left in the garage. Only in my early 20’s did I get into mountain biking. Bikes became an adventure and escape much more than transportation. Not until my 30’s did a bike become transportation, a way to get around Chicago.

Then I moved to Colorado, and I got back into riding trails. Back in Chicago, I still mountain biked, but trails were a long drive away. In Colorado, I had trails that I could bike to. And those trails kicked my ass when I got here. Real trails, altitude, and lots of rocks all conspired against me. It was an all-new adventure again.

And it seems that a lot of other folks have come back full circle too. Pandemic shutdowns led many more people to rediscover cycling. Some of that has toned back now that many other places are open, and quite a few folks feel a bit edgy riding on bike lanes, roads, and in cities. But still the numbers are up.

For city riders, the commute might be an adventure. Going somewhere, under your own power. Just like when you were a kid. I live in a medium-sized city, and riding around is a good way to get somewhere and get fresh air. Most of the time it would be faster to drive the car. I will admit most of the time I drive to the trailhead to go mountain biking. While some trails are close, all of them are across town.

I do have a bit of a greenway and bike path I can take to stay off the road. In the summer and warmer weather it is really a lot of fun. But sometimes, I’m really pressed for time and still want to get a ride in.

Adventure is what you make it. We all have different mountains, some are even real ones. Over 2023 I plan to bring you stories of people that can inspire you, much like the former Specialized Ambassadors. There are a lot of folks out there, hardest part is finding a place to start.