{"id":184749,"date":"2021-07-26T11:06:47","date_gmt":"2021-07-26T11:06:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/?p=184749"},"modified":"2022-07-07T09:50:29","modified_gmt":"2022-07-07T09:50:29","slug":"cycling-is-for-all-bodies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.welovecycling.com\/wide\/2021\/07\/26\/cycling-is-for-all-bodies\/","title":{"rendered":"Cycling is for All Bodies"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s easy to believe that there is a certain body type \u2013 even an ideal body type \u2013 for activities such as cycling, and it centers on a bias that proves to be false; a bias that has become more prevalent over the past few decades.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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According to a study from 2012,<\/a> \u201cWeight bias translates into inequities in employment settings, health-care facilities, and educational institutions, often due to widespread negative stereotypes that overweight and obese persons are lazy, unmotivated, lacking in self-discipline, less competent, noncompliant, and sloppy.\u201d (They could have added \u201cunathletic\u201d.)<\/p>\n

Anyone subject to this bias should watch Shimano\u2019s<\/a> film All Bodies on Bikes<\/em>. It will be a revelation. In it self-proclaimed fat cyclists Kailey Kornhauser and Marley Blonsky go on their first bike-packing trip together from the American city of Corvallis, Oregon, to the Pacific coast. And they did great.<\/p>\n<\/lite-youtube>\n

The film has already made an impression on many people. Since it was posted on YouTube, it has received nearly 210,000 views, and both Kailey and Marley have been swamped with positive reactions.<\/p>\n

One comment was: \u201dAs a fat cyclist, Kailey and Marley hit the nail on the head. It’s so refreshing to see someone who looks like me and who also loves themselves and cycling. There’s so much joy on a bike. More of this!\u201d<\/p>\n

Kornhauser told in an interview<\/a>,<\/em> \u201cWhen you put something like this out there and share such vulnerable things, you wonder how it\u2019s going to be received.\u201d She first came to prominence in 2019, when she appeared on the front cover of Bicycling <\/em>magazine following her 1,000-mile trek across Alaska.<\/p>\n

Blonsky has long been a supporter of Fat Activism, a political movement advocating for the rights and dignity of fat people. She said she received a message from someone saying they had quit cycling because they felt too fat.<\/p>\n

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We've all been on that group ride that sucks. Make your next group ride suck less with these 5 tips to be more inclusive. https:\/\/t.co\/9fQYXTrRkp<\/a><\/p>\n

— Marley Blonsky (@MarleyBlonsky) July 22, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n