Breaking Down Barriers With Brooke Goudy

There are some women in this world that are truly heroes. That are superwomen. And in my opinion, Brooke Goudy is one of those women.

She’s a leader in the world of cycling, and does the advocacy work of 50 people. She does trail advocacy work, public policy as it relates to cycling infrastructure. She works with high school kids and women. But most importantly, as a black woman, she is putting herself out there to be a representative for women of color. To show them that there’s a place where they belong in this–unfortunately–very white sport we’re a part of.

I felt so very honored to get to sit down with Brooke and interview her. Because, you know, she’s a very busy woman! And I think listening you’ll feel honored as well, and hopefully, inspired to go out and be a leader and do some advocacy work in your community.

Listen To The Interview

More Episodes You Might Enjoy

• Black Girls Do Bike With Founder Monica Garrison
• Marley Blonsky Interview: Building Size Inclusive Communities
• Face Your Fears With Lindsey Richter From Ladies AllRide

Connect With Brooke

• Website: rowdygoudy.com
• Instagram: @brookegoudy

About The Host

Full Transcript

Kristen
Okay. So welcome. Brooke Goudy, thank you so much for being here today. And as I like to start all episodes, can you just start out by letting anybody who’s not familiar with you, who you are and what you’re up to?

Brooke
Wow, okay.

Kristen
In a nutshell.

Brooke
Well, yeah, you heard it. You heard Kristen say, Hi, my name is Brooke Goudy and I like riding bikes. I really love riding bikes. But even more than that, I get a great sense of joy from introducing that same joy to women that look like me. And since Kristen told me, you can’t see me or you know, that, you know, I identify as a woman and and I am black. Yeah. And so I just do a whole bunch of programming, clinics, advocacy work around being able to break down barriers so that folks can get on bikes, and have experiences and adventures on bikes that are comfortable for them.

Kristen
Very good. And why did you decide that advocacy and leadership was a role that you wanted to take on? I mean, obviously, that’s a huge amount of work. Why did you decide to take that on rather than just continuing to live your life in the shadows, perhaps?

Brooke
I, um, yeah, that’s a great question that no one’s ever asked me before. And I have rarely reflected on why did I decide to do it? I mean, too much is given much as expected. I’ve been given many opportunities, from my family, from my friends and support network to the sponsors who support me and allow me to use their platform. And it seems to me that when we, I see these barriers, these things that stop and hinder folks of color from getting outside as injustice. And so whenever we’re confronted with an injustice, I think we all should take the opportunity to right wrongs. And so it’s never really been, Oh, you have selected yourself. It’s like, we all have selected ourselves to fight bad with good. And it could have I could have been a biker, I could have been a runner, I could have done many, many things. I decided that I like riding bikes. So that is where I fight in Justices of the world. And I want to make that very clear, like I’m biking. But this is much larger than biking. What I’m doing – it is just the vehicle through which I am advocating for people, I’m advocating for women, I’m advocating for black women, I’m advocating for women of color. I’m advocating for young folks, this is that vehicle.

Kristen
Yeah, I love that you said that, that it’s just it’s just biking, which sometimes does seem somewhat frivolous, or whatever. But it’s really so much more than that. And I liked that in your film A Space For All, you talked about it also being a really great avenue for healing. What do you think it is about biking, that makes it therapeutic?

Brooke
There are a few things I’ll talk about one one is the places that bikes can take you. They can take you from a place. And this is literally and figuratively, that is not a good place for you to be in and show you literally transport you to a place that is safer and more comfortable for you. There are some people who have used biking have done a really good job at it. And it has helped them to be able to explore the world and travel and have experiences that they perhaps never thought was possible. That is that is healing to be able to get out of something that you don’t want to be in and to have a bicycle be able to be the vehicle to do that.

Kristen
Yes.

Brooke
Also, along with the places that it can take you. It is the how you decide to ride your bike. And for me, I decide to ride my bike. And I will admit that I am that these rides are a bit insane. But I want to ride my bike where I can fill every part of me and every emotion of me. And so I can commit to riding 2700 miles all at one time. I can commit to riding 600 miles and climbing 1000s and 1000s and 1000s of feet. And in that commitment, I get to hear and feel so much of myself. And those conversations that happen with me, just with me. Those are some of the most powerful conversations that I’ve had in my entire life, the conversations that I have to have with myself. And so many things come up and when I talk about the trauma experience in A Space For All, those quiet remote spaces where the body struggles, where the mind struggles, the spirit struggles too, and that and that bubbles and surfaces to the top that trauma, and you’re out there, and you’re having these conversations. And you are sometimes being kind to yourself and sometimes not so much. And that is that struggle. That is a part of the healing process – that awareness. And it is so really beautiful thing for me. And I oftentimes get off of my bike, especially with long adventures, and continue to work with the things, those conversations, those things that happened on the trail to work with them off the trail as well.

Kristen
Yeah, that’s really beautiful. Thank you for sharing that. Aside from the therapeutic benefits of biking, what else about it makes it feel so important to you to get more bipoc riders on bikes, what other benefits has biking brought to your life or to the lives of others that you’ve seen that make this like really important work for you?

Brooke
It’s introduced me to the outdoors. And there is something about the outdoors. And Kristen, I think you have experienced it. That is it’s almost like we’re in a cult, because we use words like it’s magical. It’s amazing. It’s, it’s something I can’t live without. And I think people who don’t go out and outdoors are like, okay, whatever. You go for your hike, I’m finding here watching television. We experience something that is really powerful out there. And I wish that I could articulate it. And I sometimes you read it and you’re like, Yes, that’s it. That’s it. That’s that thing. You recognize it. Someone told you about an adventure that they’ve had in the outdoors. You connect with it, because you know that feeling. And so bikes? I think there have been gates put up. Because we feel like, there’s only so much of that. There’s only and and only certain people should have the right to be able to experience and enjoy that thing. That thing that I know that thing that you know, right? Yes. And there are some people who don’t know that thing. And I think it’s really important for me to be able to like burst open those doors, cut down those bridges, do whatever I can, so that folks, all folks can have those experiences. And the way I know how to do it now is teaching someone how to get on a bike, or teaching someone how to crush a mountain, or, like this is an opportunity. Again, it’s like it could have been hiking, it could have been running I’m sorry, I keep saying this Kristen, for me it’s the bike you love the bike, and it is so that you can have that. That thing that that outdoor thing that juvenates us that really speaks to our soul. And also I think for black folks really ground us back into ourselves. We’ve we have my ancestry is an ancestry of people who love the outside and who love the ground and love the Earth. And I get not to sound too hokey, but I get feelings of that when I’m in the outdoors of just a recognition of the great ancestry that I came from the great line of people that I came from and the experience to be able to share that with others.

Kristen
That’s wonderful. How did you – since you didn’t have the same kind of representation that you’re offering right now, how did you get into biking?

Brooke
The complete opposite a middle-aged white guy I was in love with he’s so cute. He’s probably is still cute. We’re not together anymore, but um I don’t know if you know Colorado but people they like to bike they like to bike there’s there’s that that’s their thing. Yes, they ski and maybe it’ll make sense and like microbrews or something like the stereotypes. There’s a lot of them – at least all the guys I’ve dated, so I knew that if I was gonna hang out with this guy, I was gonna have to learn how to ride bikes. And and so that’s what I did is I got into mountain biking. I mean, the there was representation for me kids rode bikes like kids rode bikes, brown kids rode bikes, white kids rode bikes, we rode bikes. That’s yeah, that’s right. This lack of representation happens when we’re talking about what type of adventure folks are having on bikes. And so mountain biking was an area where I just didn’t see any representation, and just was great spark for me, like to ask myself many questions, that then I began, after a couple of beers asking other people out loud, like, what is going on here? Like, why does this community exist and look like this? Why does this Bikepark look like this? It seems a little bit ridiculous. And then that, you know, caused a lot of eternal questions that that have led me to this point, who I am now,

Kristen
You mentioned, I love that you said that, like all kids ride bikes, that’s a universal generally a universal child experience. And it’s really in sports, like mountain biking, where we don’t see that happening. And I’ve seen in the last few years, so much come out for girls. We’ve got Grit, and we’ve got Little Bella’s and just endless other programs for girls, but how do you feel like those programs are doing it reaching girls of color?

Brooke
Oh, I think it’s like, sparked another something inside of me. I don’t work. Most of my work is not with Little Bella’s or those age that age community. And so I I have tackled representation in this way, if you watch A Space For All, is that I’m an adult woman. And here I am being myself, which is not typical mountain biker, not the typical gravel cyclist. And and when I say not typical, there’s so much about me that is like when I get on a bike, I don’t look. I look like the black women heroes that have inspired me on a bike. And so I hope that other young black girls, or perhaps boys, or people in the visuals look at me and say, oh, yeah, she’s doing it. I see someone doing it and feel inspired, that they might try it, and that she’s doing it in the way that she likes to do it. And not necessarily the way they are all doing it. And so perhaps I can try and I can bring my own flavor. And I can put in my own way of cycling into the sport. And so I haven’t really thought about this idea of getting young people on bikes. It’s always for me has been representation. And now I like the little bit of fire around like, Yeah, where’s the little Bella programs? And certain communities that really are interested that might be interested in that, like, how do we offer this? You know, I, I, the youngest group I work with is like Junior seniors in high school because I coach a mountain biking team. It is not very diverse at all. And the idea again, there’s to be representation, we’re hoping that the area I’m in or the high school itself, I have to say that the majority of the folks are white. But coaching there is a representation for the kids of color who do want to come out and so they don’t just don’t see all white faces. Yeah. Like that’s not a place for me. And the representation happens for of course, I mean, I say this over and over again, representation matters for folks that look like you but also for folks that don’t. Yes, yes. You know, I coach 10 white high school Awesome. Men, gentlemen, kind. And they see me coaching. They see me leading, they see me calling the shots, they see me shredding and for them. That’s normal. They see a woman doing that. Yeah, that’s normal. Yeah, they grew up, they go to a job, like it’s normal, it is normal for them to have a female boss. Yeah, take directions from a female. All of these norms are happening for them that I think we have had a lack of, and raising kids. And so it really excites me that I get to be able to support youth in that way. And I’m really excited about really looking into opportunities to put more kids on bikes, just as many kids as I do adults. And so really think about that.

Kristen
Well, I didn’t mean to give you more, because I know you already have a lot going on.

Brooke
People are listening, and probably being like, what?

Kristen
So can you talk a little bit about that? What are the many organizations that you’re currently involved in? And what programs are you working on?

Brooke
I put them in categories. So mountain biking is really important to me, it’s where I started, it’s my first love. And so I it’s really important for me to put on clinics and to teach folks about riding bikes and give them permission to enjoy it, whichever way they want to whether that’s like on a flat trail and easy forever for 10 years, or whether they want to progress. And so I spent a lot of time just doing those teaching are finding opportunities for these things to happen group rides. Another thing that is important to me is trial advocacy work. So through BMA, Boulder Mountain Biking Alliance, and also I work with Colombus Women’s Program. Through those programs, I’m able to advocate for trails. Because we need more trails. And we need those to be built in a way that can sustain more people being on their trail. One thing that I hate hearing is there’s just not enough room. So once again, we’re going to exclude some people, I happen to feel like I know what oh, what those people are, who these people are. So instead of, you know, so instead of us advocating for, like, how can we build sustainable trails? How can we build trails that can support a larger population? Or what can we do? How can we solve the problem? We’re over? There are a lot of gatekeepers who are just like, Well, the answer is like, everybody just can’t be on the trail. Like, we’ve been here. Yeah, we’re good at it. We’re really good at it. So we get to stay here. But all y’all can’t be on these trails. And so it’s really important for me to sit at that table, because I’m so tired of that. I’m so tired of that.

Kristen
That’s actually what you just said that I haven’t even thought about this. That’s mind blowing to me. It’s so true. And it’s also one of those huge arguments I hear against e bikes, right, like heavy bikes on the trails are crowded there too many people will let’s just build more trails. Let’s create more space for everybody.

Brooke
Like, let’s get creative. Yeah, that’s not that is not the answer. So with those two so Trail Advocacy organizations, I’m a part of both of them and Denver and Boulder area. And I and that’s really important to me. That’s huge. Yeah, so trail advocacy, getting people on bikes. I’m also a high school mountain biking coach. I also work for an organization or not work, serve and support an organization called Black Girls Do Bike – Denver. And I recently started my own gig is called Rowdy Goudy and Rowdy Goudy is just an opportunity for me to put my hands in lots of different projects. And one more group that I work with is VIDA Mountain Biking Series. I love them. They’re great. I do a lot of their community organization planning. And then I think that I just recently got into That’s really, really important to me is policy – policy around biking. I’ve been to lots of meetings where I’ve had to say, oh, okay, so where’s the equity aspect in this? And people are like, Oh, well, it’s just not something we thought about, or we don’t really have an answer to that. So to be able to sit at tables, and really, sometimes I don’t know, you know, I am not a DEI consultant. I didn’t, there are people who go to college, learning a lot of things and how to talk to people and all of those things. And that’s not what I am, but I am a black woman, I think who I know deserves a table deserves a seat at the table when policy is being discussed. And again, doing that through the biking lens has taught me so much, and got me really, really excited. I mean, I just recently got to testify for a law. So the Iowa Stop Law. The Idaho Stop

Kristen
Idaho, yeah, I’m in Idaho. So I’m a big proponent of the Idaho Stop.

Brooke
So I testified on the equity lens of that I testified about what it’s like to have to decide between your safety, right, get out in front of traffic. I mean, we’re all doing the Idaho Stop anyway. And then, like have this minor violation and confrontation with police. And this is a fat riders of color. So bicycle riders with color are stopped more often than white riders. Why do we and I and I just kind of talked about testified about like, why do we have these little laws that that add to these confrontations that are unnecessary. And I think those are things so when people get to a table, and they’re talking about all of these little laws, and they’re talking about all of these things, that’s the thing that’s missing, you don’t have a person of color at the table. Right? Here’s another part of it that you don’t even get to see. So policy is important to me too.

Kristen
What other policy issues are important?

Brooke
For me is making sure we’re doing what the community wants, that we’re putting in an infrastructure that is important to that community. And so, and that we are taking in consideration their thoughts, I think, in Denver, they’re well-meaning people who want to put bike lanes and everything everywhere, so that they can get from one side of town to the other side of town. And some communities don’t even have sidewalks or lighting. So just really being like, let’s Can we talk to a community? Can we build relationships with the community before we just go in and demand that like a bike lane has to be right there? This is their community. Yeah. And so I think what is important for me, and policy is that I’m sitting at the table, building relationships, and making that making sure that the people at the table are willing to build relationships that they haven’t thought about before. Because I believe that policy can change or their ideas of what is top priority can change when they talk to the people that they’re supposed to be serving. And it’s very interesting when you’re saying you’re serving your community by doing what you think is best for that community. Right? It is not the best way to serve a community. Yeah, yeah. Gotta listen. First. You gotta listen. And so I’m really excited. And this policy work around cycling it listening to the community and listening to the communities in Denver and the surrounding area, about what it is that they see is important work for us to be focusing on when it comes to cycling. Yeah. And taking that back to our mayor. Okay. Yeah, I serve on a committee called him back. It’s a mayor advisory board. And so we’ve got the unique opportunity of when we do have something that we want, or we’re advocating for the mayor has to respond to us and so being able to take different important issues to the mayor is is great opportunity.

Kristen
How does Denver compare to other big cities and are there any other big cities that you’ve looked at that are doing a really good job?

Brooke
Denver? I hate to say this, but I’m gonna be honest Kristen.

Kristen
Okay, go ahead. Yes.

Brooke
People often ask me about the Great Divide mountain biking route and that route is 2700 Miles 2000 vertical feet from one end of the United States to the other and officially starts in Canada, but I went from one end, other end. And among that it is very remote. You go over mountains, you you’re constantly thinking about Grizzlies and other animals that could possibly harm you. You’re afraid that your food you might not have enough food and there were times I didn’t have enough food. I didn’t have enough water. And it is a tough ride. Very tough. And I still will tell you that the scariest bike riding I do is on the streets of Denver. Yeah. It is so much more scarier than the Great Divide. The this place is just not built for alternative modes of transportation. These folks aren’t built for alternative modes of transportation. There is a car culture here that is just extreme that I am I – We like our bikes, but it’s like we’d like to put our bikes in a car and bring them to a trail.

Kristen
Isn’t that crazy?

Brooke
And so, you know, I, there’s a lot of work to be done. And there’s a lot we have to create culture shifts, we have to create culture shifts that don’t. And this is a reason I’m glad as I sit at the table, we have to create cultural shifts that do not punish just a certain type of people as well, though, there are a lot of people in Denver who do have to drive it and, and that’s their only way of getting here to serve folks in Denver. And so I just want to make sure that like when we are creating a culture around alternative forms of transportation, and that we are acknowledging like not everyone lives in the city, and not everyone has a bike. And what are we doing about that? So we want to make culture shifts? How do we also support all of our communities?

Kristen
Yes. Switching gears a little bit away from communities to the bike industry, you have quite a lot of sponsors, you’re quite involved in the bike industry. How is the bike industry doing? I mean, it seems like we’ve had a little bit of improvement in the last few years in terms of being inclusive to BIPOC Folks, but what I guess what brands or what companies do you see currently doing a good job? And where are the industry failing in your opinion?

Brooke
I’m gonna stay away with brands. Um, yeah, I don’t know every brand out there and what they’re doing. Fair enough. Um, I will explain it to you and a story that I tell that to the Great Divide. I was on the Great Divide. And I had hit the midway point. I was in Colorado, maybe Salida. Maybe that’s that was midway point for man. I had passed lots of bikers excited I kind of passed a lot of female bikers. I was really excited about that. More than normal. I mean, of course, they were all to me looked to be white males and and I was on the struggle bus I had just left home. I mean, being in Colorado being and being with my friend, having that time was really supposed to boost me up so that I could do the second half but like as I was realizing that I was going to be leaving Colorado and I had many more miles to go. I just felt a little beaten down. And I welcome to this bike shop. WTB, one of my many supporters had left some tires there for me, and my tires had balled out and I see Velo News, I think it was called VeloNews. So this major cycling magazine right, the very cover of it is this black woman. A black bikepacker. I like never seen anything like that before. Was this Brooklyn Bell? This was no it was Devin Cowens. Okay. Devin Cowens was on the cover of those Oh, yeah. And I was I don’t, I started crying. It it meant so much to me to see another black woman out there bikepacking Just like me like, I’m not the only one. Like, yeah, I’ve seen some other black bikepackers That, too, and there were five packers of color cheering me on and sending me messages. And in a place where you think you would feel so alone, because there’s nobody that looks like you. I felt so not alone. And I took a picture of that magazine cover. And that night when I got back to my tent, I just shed some tears and, and thought about how I was supposed to be out there how you know how exciting it was that the industry had given me that that little piece of representation that really carried me through that really had helped my heart grow. So I could finish the rest of the trip. And I still have that picture on my phone. And I brought that picture out several times while I was on the Great Divide, and really thought about like how, how far we’ve come and how far we’ve still got to go.

Kristen
Yeah, yeah, who are some who are some women that you look up to? Who are the black women out there that inspire you?

Brooke
Well, I have to say Devin Cowens was one of those ones. When I got back, I am working on a project with her to take a group of folks bike packing and I finally got to meet her. And for me, she’s a superstar. So that was amazing. And you know, Ayesha McGowan I mean, everybody’s, I mean, come on. Is that just just little black girls looking up to her? Like, girls in general women? Yeah, yeah, are looking up to that woman. She’s doing amazing things. And there is someone I haven’t met yet. But she’s so special to my heart. So I hope I get to meet her soon. But Sam. Sam attempted the Great Divide on a single speed. She’s also running her own bike company. Now she’s building bikes herself. And they’re just so there are so many women of color out there riding bikes and and doing it in their own way. And unapologetically being themselves. And so I really just feel inspired by all of them. Like I feel so comfortable. I can get on my bike and feel comfortable. Because I see those women doing it. It is great.

Kristen
Yeah, it is it’s so motivating. And you have other women to, to look up to. And not just always I mean for me as a white woman when I have always had white males to look up to right. And I think that the more that I saw other women, the more motivated I was to ride so I can only imagine what it must be like to see other black women, other women like yourself doing the things that you want to do and how motivating and inspiring that can be. And it totally is. It’s a game-changer.

Brooke
Yeah, I tell the story about oh, my hero is a woman named Flo Jo. You know?

Kristen
I do yeah, with the nails right? Yeah.

Brooke
So when I was a kid, I would watch Flo Jo, Flo Jo, come out. And she had on the most amazing outfit read. There were just so many of them. And they were amazing. And she had her nose done. And she her her hair was on point her makeup was on point. And she was representation for me. I became – I saw her and that’s all I want to be. I want to be a track star and I joined by middle school track team. I also join after high school when I went to high school ran track. And that part of her that like inspire me to do that. It’s the same part of me that exists when I’m on my bike. People always say ” I don’t get what’s up With that lipstick, or what up with that outfit.” And I am always so excited to just be like, this is the way I’ve learned to show up. This is the way my hero showed up. This is the way that I feel most comfortable showing up is being myself and myself is wearing bright red lipstick, picking out the funkiest outfit. Having my nails done. Like, that’s the way I show up at the start line. Yeah. And well, that looks a lot different than some of the other female cyclists. Not to say there’s anything wrong with the way they’re showing up. But it’s really important for us to know that we don’t have to fit a mold. You get to be whoever we want to be. You have to show up as yourself. You have to show up as yourself and Flo Jo, she definitely did. And she inspired me and it’s some her spirit that that part of her I hold on my heart to this day, and always will.

Kristen
I love that that’s wonderful. Um, this year on a more personal level, what do you have going on? What are your big goals for 2022?

Brooke
Well, I’m joining the wash for way. Challenge where I’m going to Iceland, I’ll be riding 600 miles. I’ve got four days to do it. So we’ll be climbing anywhere from seven to 12,000 feet a day and covering well over 120 miles a day. That’s going to be my hardest. That’s huge. Yeah, yeah. Big challenge. Yeah. So I’m really excited about it. It’s happening end of June. Okay, so everybody cheer me on? Yes. Also, I am throwing the biggest baddest trail advocacy party that I could get together. So myself and another organization called Elevated Alpine, we are throwing a dig day. But a dig day retreat where you ride trails, you learn what makes it good, what makes a trail good, what makes a trail? so-so? How do you dig a trail? How do you use all these tools? It’s been run by women or women. And it’s going to help us dive into those discussions that I was talking to you about earlier, Kristen that, like these don’t match at least trails don’t magically get here, how can we advocate for them. And I think the best way is to like have people get really dirty, and, and find a value in trail building. And so that’s what I’m trying to support this year by having this big party. And I’m putting on more Same old, same old, putting in more clinics, I my, my good friend Annika is had a horrible accident. And she cannot ride and able bodied bike. And so she’s riding an adaptive bike. And so for me, you know, we talked about gatekeeping. And all of those things. It’s I haven’t thought about that whole room, folks with disabilities. And so it’s going to be really, really great to join with her, and put on some group rides, and really learn from her and see how I can support her mission this year as she moves forward. And so you’ll see a little bit of me in that arena as well. And, yeah, and run bikes. Have fun, drinking beer, eating ice cream. Yeah.

Kristen
You’re gonna be busy. I’ve got three final questions for you. But before we do that, where can folks connect with you?

Brooke
I think a really great place is to I talked about Rowdy Goudy, super easy. Go to rowdygoudy.com. And there I put up events that I’m involved in or vids that I recommend for others. You’ll see content and videos, things that I’m just doing out out in the world. Also another area is to go to Instagram. I always been posting articles, podcasts, whatever it is, that I think is important for folks to hear. And uplifting, more cyclist, female cyclists, cyclists of color, so you can go there.

Kristen
Wonderful. Thank you. And we’ll include those links in the show notes for anyone who’s interested as well. Brooke, I just want to say before those final three questions want to say thank you so much for being here. Thank you for being such an inspirational role. model for all of us. And I just think you’re absolutely fabulous. I think you’re doing the work of like 50 women, and I don’t know how you have so much energy for life. But I really appreciate all you’re doing and we following along with you and cheering you along and listening to all the great work you’re doing.

Brooke
Thank you.

Kristen
Yes. So first question is what bike or bikes do you ride?

Brooke
Alright, a Salsa Cutthroat as my touring bike. And I ride Yeti, I ride a hardtail. And that’s the arc and also a dual suspension bike, which is the Yeti SB 140.

Kristen
Awesome. Second is what is your favorite place you’ve ever ridden your bike?

Brooke
Oh, man, this is gonna be so lame. I’m so sorry, people. People, people who know this, though, it’s going to be lame. But one of my favorite places is Green Mountain. It’s right outside of Denver, it’s easy to get to. And it’s the mountain that I learned to ride my mountain bike on. And so now I take a rigid no suspension or anything, and just go up there for fun. So it’s just so much fun to see how I’ve progressed from someone who barely know how to knew how to ride it on a mountain bike to someone who just loves to kill it on a rigid going down there.

Kristen
That’s not lame at all. That’s badass. Final question is: What is your favorite thing about riding a bike?

Brooke
It’s the joy it brings me. It takes me – I don’t know. I just I’ve never been sad on a bike.
And when I am sad, you know I just it is though. I don’t know. I’ve never been sad. I’ve been uncomfortable. I’ve been in pain. I’ve cried on a bike. But sad, sadness, the way we know sadness, like, just never been sad on a bike before.

Kristen
I love that. Thank you so much, Brooke. This was a beautiful, beautiful interview. I really appreciate you your time today. Yeah.
Thank you.

Brooke
Can I say thank you to some folks? Yes, please do. Yeah, I just want to say thank you to people who’ve given me opportunities and who have lifted up my voice and what I’m doing. And I want to start with Roam Fest. Roam, Ash has done a great job of putting wrongs best together and to actually taking me back home to put on a clinic for women of color there. So I’m going to be doing that in May. And that just makes my heart sing so much. And also Jess at Joji bar, and Salt Slug. She’s one of my largest financial supporters. And so I just wanted to thank her and Yeti and Pearl Izumi, Chamois Butt’r. I love those folks at Chamois Butt’r. WTB. All of those folks have really helped me get to be able to do this.

Kristen
Wonderful. Thank you. All right. That’s a wrap. Thank you so much.