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cyclistazine · 3 years

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Fat Cyclist Manifesto Mini Zine by @gearsforqueers on their blog: https://gearsforqueera.co.uk/2020/08/05/fat-cyclist-manifesto-mini-zine/. We love a good bike and body loving zine and have some words to share on fatphobia in cycling: ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ FTP also means stop telling people how to "look like" a real cyclist. White supremacy, colonialism, patriarchy and diet culture all sleep in the same bed together. Racial politics underly these medico-moral attempts to uplift and perfect the human race through diet and the regulation of body weight, size, and dimensions. Sabrina Strings’ book "Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia" gives a great history lesson on how diet culture is rooted in anti-Blackness and slavery. Scientific racism and patriarchy comes in a lot of different forms and the diet and fitness industry is only a few of them. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Here are some other tips: Stop offering weight loss tips to cyclist, period. Stop using obesity to promote cycling. Stop only offering XS, S, M, L sizes in kit. Size inclusivity mean XL, XXL, XXXL too. Stop focusing and promoting cycling benefits as weight loss, instead, focus more on air quality, climate change, cost, physical and mental health (regardless of body size/shape), sustainable cities and transport, efficiency and FUN! All these things intersect and many bodies that cycle regularly will stay fat and healthy. Please read more of Sabrina Strings work linking race and fat phobia. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Keep taking up space not just physically, but in all ways to advocate for yourself and sharing space with others. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #gearsforqueers #fatcyclists #bikezine #zines #zinelibrary #zine #fanzine #zine #pocketzine #queerzine #microzine #nanozine #artzine #educazine #protestzine #zinester #zinesofresistance #inclusionmatters #bike #cyclingdiversity #representationmatters #cycling #bodyliberation #fatpositivity #fatacceptance https://www.instagram.com/p/CDjXI1alcmW/?utm_medium=tumblr

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zealoptics · 9 years

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Escaping the Nine to Five: Daniel Mattison & Gina Bruckner

Bike aficionados take a seat outside their comfort zone, pedaling from Mexico to Argentina to explore more!

Fatcycling consists of Daniel Mattison and Gina Bruckner, riding on Surly Pugsleys from Mexico to Ushuaia, Argentina. An estimated 20,000km trip focused mainly on dirt and trail riding. We've both spent the past 5 years traveling (and working) our way through various countries by bike and foot. Riding a bike through the Andes is a constant reminder that in any aspect of life, you need to work hard to reap the rewards. We're both living proof that you don't need to be an athletic machine to do a trip like this, you just need to be prepared to step out of your comfort zone.

Words and photos by Daniel Mattison and Gina Bruckner

How’d the Fatcyclists idea come about?

Basically, adventure is something we're both pretty keen on. We met hiking the Te Araroa in New Zealand, and upon completion began brainstorming about new projects to tackle. I think a real decision point was made when we were living out west in the Canadian Rockies. We'd sort of already decided that we wanted to cycle through South America, and a friend of mine suggested almost as a joke that we ride it on fat bikes. As we did a bit more research, we found a few other inspirational cyclists (Cass Gilbert and Joe Cruz to name a few) who were doing some pretty wild wide-wheeled explorations. Something about the combination of hiking and cycling really pushed our buttons and affirmed the decision.

What are you into other than cycling? What motivates you?

While we may be traveling by bike, neither of us are very good technical riders. The bike is just a means for us to complete this adventure and access the remote locations that vibe with us. We are both pretty much on board with anything outdoorsy. Camping and hiking are obvious choices. Dan has a diploma in photography, a great hobby while on the road.

I'd say we're both motivated by the opportunity to try new things. There are so many different types of adventure sports that we would love to get involved with. It's really important to keep things fresh, and for us that means getting out there and trying something different from time to time.

What do you think makes your approach to riding differ from other riders?

We're two people on an adventure with no end date. We're certainly not the only ones doing a trip of this caliber. As previously mentioned, we have taken influence from a couple of other lightweight riders who've really paved the way for bike-packing in South America.

The large majority of riding down in South America is still done using fairly traditional bike set-ups. We're talking about racks and panniers with 26" wheels. This type of setup is fairly heavy, and carrying ones bike is usually out of the question. We decided to transfer our lightweight backpacking philosophies over to cycle touring. By using bike bags instead (Porcelain rocket, Revelation Designs, Alpamayo Designs) we are able to reduce our weight while keeping it all central. Firstly, this allows our bikes to feel like bikes instead of huge behemoths. It's also key in our ability to ride on surfaces and trails that would otherwise be much more challenging and less engaging. Riding with fat tires just amplifies the fun factor on rough terrain and acts as a low maintenance suspension system.

We've met a lot of other cyclists running traditional set-ups who are shocked by our lack of gear. However, for us we're carrying everything we need with very little sacrifice over a heavy rig. We also find that fat bikes are great at forcing us to ride the challenging routes as you feel like a bit of a twit if you're caught riding on the highway.

How’d you get into cycling and what is it that continues to get you excited?

Dan actually rode across Australia back in 2011, after that he was hooked on long distance adventures. I guess that's how this ride came about, it was a natural extention of the more "tame" 7000km paved ride.

We are both out here riding for the nature. Not to take away from the great people we've met while riding but what really excites us is untouched remote routes. There is a certain thrill about carrying a bike over a 5000m pass and knowing you're one of only a handful to do the same. The rewards of getting off of the tourist track are incredibly fruitful and award some fantastic camping opportunities as well.

What are your favorite places to ride? People to travel with? Why?

There are so many great places to ride, this is a tough question. We really enjoyed the riding out in the Rockies. Snow and ice are so much fun on a fatbike! On this tour however, Ecuador and Peru have really got it dialed in terms of the landscape. Specifically, Cotopaxi in Ecuador was a great experience and one which is stuck in both of our minds as an all time great. Also, Peru has some incredible routes and high passes. Specifically Huayuash and Ausangate come to mind for beautiful bike-packing.

We really enjoy meeting other cyclists on the road, but unfortunately most aren't set up lightweight enough to consider the same routes. That's why usually it's just the two of us riding together. There have been exceptions though and we are always keen to ride with anyone else who's up for the tougher routes.

What are some of Fatcyclists' accomplishments that you're most proud of?

Trying new routes, and things that seem impossible. There have been a couple of routes we've done that weren't documented by any other riders. I still remember one we did in Colombia. We were just desperate for a hike and Gina had mapped out a route using Google satellite images. Arriving at the trailhead, we realized the route was a muddy and boulder laden horse track. We decided to do it anyway despite a farmer trying to persuade us not to. Honestly, today that is still the benchmark for our toughest "ride". I think it was only 300m of elevation gain and 7km all up but we just got shredded. We were getting bitten alive, ran out of water and the trail involved constantly pulling our bikes up these one meter boulder faces. By all means it was disastrous but we made it through and never felt so good. We've had a couple of other moments where we've been on a route and just thought "how the heck can we tackle that", but you'd be amazed by what you can achieve if you just take the first step/peddle stroke.

We've also been held up at gunpoint, robbed, been sick with parasites, and thanks to amazing people supporting us have managed to come out on top and stronger than ever each time. So while we are really proud of ourselves for pushing through the tough times, we are also incredibly lucky and grateful to all the people who've supported us on our ride.

What are a few things that most people don't know about Fatcyclists?

Neither of us were particularly sporty people growing up. Dan didn't even like camping or hiking when he was younger. Somewhere, things changed for us and we are both pretty passionate about the outdoors now. I think it must have something to do with us trying to resist a traditional lifestyle working a 9-5 that just pushed us towards nature.

What's next for Fatcyclists as far as trips, goals, etc.?

Who knows? We're on something pretty big right now. Things can change so quickly that it's hard to know what's going to happen when we get down to Ushuaia. I think we'd both consider another means of transport for our next adventure, maybe something new for both of us. Dan is pretty afraid/bad in water so maybe there's an opportunity to do something about it.

Two sentence description of your approach to life:

Work hard to follow YOUR dreams, not someone else's.

Why are you down with ZEAL?

I like that ZEAL is a small company trying to create a product while reducing their environmental footprint. A lot of cyclists claim to be environmental, it's sort of a buzzword for us. It's not really true though, we still fly on planes from time to time and buy packaged foods which produce a huge amount of waste. That being said, we still recognize the importance of caring and respecting for the environment we travel through so that it can be enjoyed by others. I think Zeal has a similar ethos. They have to create and manufacture a product, as any business does, but to do so with as minimal environmental impact as possible is the key. That's what sets them apart.

What are your favorite sunglasses and why?

The Rival Team Edition

UPDATE: Dan & Gina were recently mugged for the second time during their travels, losing a full frame DSLR, iPad mini, GPS, passports, credit cards, bike pump, headlamp, and a bunch of other bits and pieces (not to mention the backpack itself with camelbak). Please support them here and donate to the cause!

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