"To be a cyclist, you just have to be a person riding a bike", chuckles Kailey Kornhauser (opens in new tab), who made waves this time last year when she appeared on the front cover of Bicycling magazine (opens in new tab). While we’re used to seeing svelte ‘cyclist bodies’ depicted in the cycling media, Kailey’s cover was a breath of fresh air. Almost a year on exactly, she stars alongside fellow bikepacker Marley Blonsky (opens in new tab) in a brand new 13-minute film by Shimano called ‘All Bodies on Bikes’ (opens in new tab), in which she strikes up a much-needed and overdue conversation about body image in cycling.
- What is bikepacking?
- Which bike is best for bikepacking?
- Plus size cycling clothing (opens in new tab): where to find it and what to look for
“One of my favourite things about bikepacking and bike camping, is it can be accessible to whatever level you’re at,” says Marley. The film follows the duo as they bikepack the 100km Corvallis to the Sea route over two days, and while Marley acknowledges that some cyclists will easily do that route in one day, she’s quick to point out that “there’s no one way to ride a bike.”
At the time of writing, the video has racked up over 27,500 views in under 20 hours since it was released, and the response on social media has been incredibly positive. The video is speaking to so many people struggling with their own body image while trying to enjoy the outdoors by bike, and we think this video adds enormous value to this much-needed conversation.
