We don’t normally share content created by brands here. It isn’t how we see our editorial mission. But. When I began working to build The Cycling Independent, I swore that I was going to do more to make cycling a place that welcomed all the people, not just some, or even most, of the people. Sharing a video produced by the folks at Shimano would probably come in as a little suspicious (or maybe a lot) if they were currently a sponsor of ours—maybe it’s suspicious even now; it can be impossible to parse just how an audience will view the relationship between a media outlet and its sponsors. That said, “We Are Cyclists” is part of the All Bodies on Bikes movement, something Shimano has supported for five years now, ever since that initiative launched. Say what you will about big corporations, the more we do to make cycling a place for everyone, the better off the sport (and society) will be. The video was directed by Robin Sansom, a name who very few will know, but he is someone who has consistently made cycling more inclusive, less about being rad, and more about chasing the life you want to live.
