Where we come from.
The Pride Ride journey began in 2018 when Kris Hunt hosted the first Pride Ride in Barre, VT. In 2020 Pride Rides officially became a non-profit organization.
BARRIERS EXIST
Pride Rides is about creating diversity, inclusion, and representation of LGBTQIA+ folks on bikes, because barriers to inclusion for LGBTQIA+ folks exists in all aspects of cycling.
IGNORANCE PERSISTS
While there are mostly positive experiences and while Vermont has strong progressive values, there have still been instances of discrimination, exclusion, ignorance, phobias, etc. This is a part of the harm we can experience when being “out” among a group of mostly heteronormative people.
BUILDING COMMUNITY
It is good to belong! Building a community of queer folks inside the community of cyclists in VT creates a space for folks to ride without having to hide/closet or be quiet about their queerness. Create enough safe spaces, and we can see the normalizing of queer folks and the decentering of heteronormative social norms.
BELONGING ON BIKES
Things have changed for the better in a lot of ways over the years, but society still has a ways to go in the realm of LGBTQIA+ rights, awareness, and acceptance. Having a LGBTQIA+ specific group gives us that freedom to express ourselves fully and without the fear of judgment or worse. It is a safe and welcoming space to be ourselves on bikes. This can be especially important for folks who are new to biking. To be a beginner and be learning a new skill is intimidating all on its own. We can have an easier time learning when we feel safe and like we belong in this new space.
“My favorite little saying with a twist of my own, ‘we’re here, we’re queer, and we’re riding bikes.’ This can be an obvious statement of existence or a resistance to the image that mountain biking is an activity of straight white men. Part of who I am is my transness, my queerness, also I am a cyclist.” – Kris Hunt, Founder
VISIBLE REPRESENTATION
Pride Rides is also about representation. To show the broader community that we are out here!
We all have multiple aspects of our identities, but often LGBTQIA+ are not shown to exist in certain spaces, leading to the idea that we don’t. Cycling and sport is one of those spaces. Because of brave athletes and allies and better representation that is changing! When we come together and create this community we are also showing LGBTQIA+ youth that they too can exist in this space. Like Kris often says, “you have to see it to be it!”
HOW WE BREAK BARRIERS
Cyclists joke about the “magic bike formula”: N+1, which is no matter how many bikes you have (N), you always need one more (+1), implying the need always have one more bicycle. All jokes aside, cycling is a major investment. A safe and capable mountain bike costs anywhere from $800 to $3000—or even more. LGBTQIA+ individuals are statistically more likely than their cisgender heterosexual counterparts to face lower incomes, economic hardships, and higher rates of unemployment.
One of the key goals of Pride Rides is to address these barriers and offer access to queer-identifying folks. So far, this has meant collaborating with allies, local shops, and trail networks to provide bike rental donations, waiving trail fees, and designing beginner-friendly rides. We’ve also collected and maintain a fleet of bicycles, ensuring any rider who needs one can participate.
“I have personally experienced some of these challenges throughout my life. Fortunately, I’ve had incredible opportunities and wonderful friends who’ve helped me overcome these economic barriers.” – Kris Hunt
MORE THAN SUCCESS, PROGRESS.
“I am so happy to say that it has been more of a success than I expected. So many wonderful people came out to ride each and every event. They have been some of the most well attended group rides I’ve ever organized or attended. I’m stoked to keep this ride rolling and see how we can grow and develop in the future. Thanks for coming out and riding!”
