All Bikes Welcome x Wild Rye

All Bikes Welcome is a non-profit with the mission of building more racial equity and gender diversity in cycling by providing free and low-cost outdoor programming in the Northwest Arkansas corridor. Their goal is to create and support an emerging base of beginner mountain bikers and outdoor enthusiasts by providing opportunities to learn and grow in a fun, supportive, and low-stakes environment. Keep reading to learn more about ABW and why we're so thrilled (and honored) to partner with them!

Tell us a little bit about yourself. What’s your background and how did you get here? Also, where’s “here”?

Beckie Irvin: My name is Beckie (she/her) and I am a former outdoor educator turned nonprofit development director and fundraising consultant. I grew up in a rural community in central Texas where my idea of the outdoors was hunting, fishing, running on gravel roads for cross country practice, and staring at the Milky Way from the bed of my ‘94 Ford F250 (the latter being the only one I really cared about).
As a freshman at Texas Tech University, I found the Outdoor Pursuits Center where I spent the next 3.5 years honing my skills as a rock climber and whitewater kayaker. I also became an avid commuter on my vintage Bianchi Brava. Even then I was super interested in expanding access to outdoor recreation, because while I was having a blast trying to keep up with the guys, it was the times that I recreated with other women that made my outdoor experiences turn to magic.
When I moved to Northwest Arkansas in 2017, the cycling industry was simultaneously making its way to the region. With nearly 1-mile of new trail being constructed every day, it was impossible to resist the allure of a bike ride. Within a year of being in Northwest Arkansas, I owned multiple bikes and my climbing and kayaking gear collected a lot of dust. 
Upon graduating with my master’s degree in Recreation and Sport Management from the University of Arkansas in 2019, outdoor events for women, trans folks, and femmes were popping up, and I felt compelled that the mountain biking space needed something like this. It was then that I co-founded Grit MTB Festival and All Bikes Welcome. Honestly, we just wanted a more lowkey and supportive space to learn and develop riding skills than a lot of the male-dominated spaces provided, and my co-founder and I agreed to maintain the highest standard of inclusivity at our event. Now, 5 years later, the organization is thriving under the direction of Rachel Olzer and the mission has evolved to build more racial equity and gender diversity in cycling by providing free and low-cost outdoor programming year-round in Northwest Arkansas. 

Rachel Olzer: I’m Rachel (she/they). I’m a queer, Black, femme working as an activist, organizer, writer, and speaker, currently based in Bentonville, Arkansas. I started biking and rock climbing in high school and early college. I saw the lack of diversity in outdoor recreation sports as an issue that I could positively impact. In 2019, I started Pedal 2 the People, an Instagram account dedicated to sharing stories of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color in all disciplines of cycling from downhill mountain biking to casual bike commuting. In 2020, I was living in Minneapolis during the uprising in response to the unjust murder of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis Police. During that time, I took to social media to organize in the cycling community and writing for a handful of cycling publications including: BIKE Magazine, Bicycling Magazine, and Cyclista Zine. Currently, I serve as the Executive Director of All Bikes Welcome, a 501(c)3, non-profit based in Northwest Arkansas that aims to create more equity and belonging in cycling and the outdoors. I am also the Director of Inclusion Programs for The Roam Collective and the Inclusion Coordinator for Roam Events. Long-term, I aim to change the historical narrative of who is a cyclist and the types of people that cycling serves.
 

What is your role/relationship with ABW?

Beckie Irvin: I co-founded All Bikes Welcome in 2019 and now I support the organization as a part-time Development Director. 
 
Rachel Olzer: I’m the executive director of All Bikes Welcome & Grit MTB Festival. I oversee the operations, finances, & programs, provide strategic guidance, manage staff & volunteers, & represent the organization to stakeholders

What does ABW mean to you?

Beckie Irvin: Personally, it’s my life’s work (up to this point). It’s grown beyond what I could have imagined, and I can’t express enough gratitude to Rachel, the Board of Directors, the staff, and the sponsors who drive the mission. 
Professionally, I think All Bikes Welcome is a role model organization for the outdoor industry in regards to what it looks like to allow people with marginalized identities to create spaces “for us, by us.” ABW practices what we preach and it is evident in the diversity of support this organization rallies from leadership all the way to ridership. It’s transformational to witness.

Rachel Olzer: All Bikes Welcome’s goal is to set an industry standard of what inclusion looks like. For me, this is an opportunity and an invitation to embody that standard. As the leader, it looks like building a staff and board of directors who represent the folks that we aim to serve. It also looks like evolving our strategy to complete our mission in a way that invites the most folks into our community while still focusing on our core mission of creating more racial equity & gender diversity. It also means bringing partners along in that mission in a way that allows us to grow together in this work. We know that in order for our mission to be successful we have to be willing to hear the needs of the community and move our targets where necessary. 

Why is this an organization that you’re excited to champion?

Beckie Irvin: I see the integrity and the intentionality in everything All Bikes Welcome does for marginalized communities. The leadership’s dedication to supporting marginalized communities and facilitating low-barrier access to off-road cycling is unwavering. Each year we collect hundreds of data points and testimonials that validate the work this organization is doing. Not only is ABW creating equitable access and diversity in mountain biking, we are also expanding peoples’ understanding of intersectional identities and how identities shape individual experiences in the outdoors.

Rachel Olzer: I’m excited to be a part of leading All Bikes Welcome because I know that the leadership is deeply invested in serving marginalized communities. I know that we have built an organization that is capable of growing and evolving in a way that continues to serve the most marginalized people while still remaining true to our mission and vision. 

What does this relationship between ABW and WR mean to you?

Beckie Irvin: When I first saw the Wild Rye x ABW merch, I wanted to cry happy tears. As a grassroots organization, onboarding brand partnerships that are mutually beneficial is challenging. The opportunity to partner with a company like Wild Rye is a dream come true, and your support further motivates me to keep pushing this mission forward. 

Rachel Olzer: The relationship between All Bikes Welcome and Wild Rye has been so exciting for me. As someone who has been a big fan of Wild Rye for many years, it’s a really special moment to work with your heroes in this capacity! It also represents a distinct way that industry partners can support & amplify community-led work in a way that is mutually-beneficial. We are so grateful for our partnership with Wild Rye!

What is the biggest change you would like to see within the bike industry?

Beckie Irvin: I want to see more BIPOC and FTWN-B representation in industry leadership. And it’s up to people like myself who benefit from white, cis, het privilege and proximity to power to make space and advocate for diverse representation in leadership roles.

Rachel Olzer: I want to see more conversations around intersectionality and I want to see the industry making long-term, strategic investment in BIPOC x FTWN-B led organizations. 

Follow @allbikeswelcome on Instagram to keep up with the happenings and news!