On Women's Racing, with Anka Martin and Juliana Bicycles

Anka Martin - Juliana Racer from Juliana Bicycles on Vimeo.

This one gave me chills. Anka Martin puts into words exactly how I've been feeling. I hope this inspires some more ladies to try racing.  In fact it's part of a new invitation Juliana is sharing to get involved with their brand: http://www.julianabicycles.com/en/us/ambassador-program  

Thanks to one of my frequent readers Ben for sharing this with me today, saying, "If we all want more women racing or just riding mountain bikes i feel this video can appeal to both genders. I know i race to push myself and to take me to new places. Podiums are just one very small aspect of riding to me. Maybe we are not advertising properly to women?"

I think Juliana Bicycles was one step ahead of Ben on that one, which is one of the [many] reasons I find the brand exciting. Here's what I had to say in a past TGR article on this topic: 

...the Juliana Bicycle Company is especially women’s specific in one meaningful way: Marketing.

Remember what catalogs used to look like? Big, cheesy smiles in a studio with every sock, sweater set, and trouser laid out in grids, complete with order form in the back? The marketers that speak to women from the fashion industry—a very powerful, insightful chorus, I would argue—still send a catalog. But today they call it a “look book” and each one is themed and styled with models, carefully selected pieces from the latest collection and far-flung locales, all captured by an editorial-style photographer. The look book is designed to make you want to be the people in the pictures, not just have their clothes. They sell ideas and lifestyles just as much as clothing and accessories.

A fleet of Julianas descend. Photo by Will Ockelton.

The Juliana brand does the same thing. It shows women on epic adventures at the tops of mountains, getting out of helicopters, railing corners, and riding off into the sunset. The website is full of images with golden-hour drenched sunlight and women ripping. The images help women feel like mountain biking is for us too, and in a much more meaningful way than a cute paint job (though they definitely have those) or a slightly narrower grip, or a saddle that accommodates a woman’s anatomy. 

As a racer, I can’t help but notice the low turnout at my local start lines, but I think it’s because women see mountain biking the way Juliana Bicycles does: A way to connect with each other, have adventures, challenge themselves, see beautiful things—and that doesn’t necessarily mean racing. Juliana Bicycles is active on social media, reaching more and more women, and encouraging them to share photos of themselves riding their way through contests like #MyRoubion. They make you want to go on a ride with them, and I think that’s a good thing for women, and the sport.

Full article here: http://www.tetongravity.com/story/bike/womens-specific-mtb-made-for-you-or-made-for-marketing