Adventure isn't dead - Other brands commit after Specialized cuts ambassadors

Last week, news hit of changes to the Specialized ambassador program. Between then and now, there has been many a story critical of the way in which the changes rolled out, and while it's perhaps a valid point, it's been well covered. 

However, there are also some questions about what it really means, why it happened, and what the future might bring for content creators and ambassadors of other brands in the industry. 

A recent Associated Press-Norc Center for Public Affairs Research poll reports that 57% of Americans say it's harder to afford the things they would like to give this year compared to 40% last year. With that in mind, it's easy to jump to conclusions. Is it a reflection of concerns about the wider economy? Is Specialized one of many companies that are cutting costs in response to not only a slowing of the economy but also a return to pre-pandemic bike sales?

When asked for details, Specialized denies that there's any great meaning behind it. The official statement from Specialized is "Our social ambassador program is continuing to change with the needs of the rider, but it definitely isn't going away." Reports seem to point to this being true, in a way. The picture that's becoming clear is that there's a greater focus on racing and a move away from adventure cycling. That sounds like a loss for those of us who are fans of adventures over racing. 

It could also represent an opportunity. Specialized is a juggernaut in the industry but it doesn't operate alone. The greater cycling industry is diverse and filled with brands that compete directly as well as those that serve other aspects of the community. There are big brands and there are small brands and many of them are choosing to stay committed to content that's not race-specific. 

Sarah Swallow is one of the athletes impacted by the decision from Specialized. She's been vocal and transparent on social media that it was a surprise, and I reached out to discuss her thoughts on what she thought it might mean. Through our discussion, one of the things that came to light was that even though what I heard was the grief of loss, positives still exist for Sarah, others like her, and fans of the kind of content she creates. Not only do those brands exist but according to Sarah, "I received an overwhelming amount of emails from brands wanting to work with me after the Velonews article. This tells me that there is still a big portion of the industry that understands the value of fueling the adventures and projects of ambassadors like me." 

That's positive news for the athletes but it's also positive news for the fans. I looked for confirmation from others and it wasn't hard to find. The first place I looked was Rapha and the brand was quick to reply with a statement saying "We are still very committed to our ambassador program, and believe that people are critical to humanizing and bringing a brand's ethos to life in the world. As such, we'll continue to invest in our athletes and ambassadors as we have for many years!"

I thought of Rapha first because Rapha is a brand that in many ways exists because of its emphasis on adventures. A few years ago, Rapha faced becoming another high-end road racing brand in a sea of them. The products the brand made at the time were good but differentiation and emotion are what make a brand great. Someone understood this and Rapha went all in on presenting an adventure lifestyle with only a loose connection to racing. A perfect example is a page that Sarah occupies on the Rapha website; it's a story about her racing the Tour Divide but her actual results are almost a footnote. The focus is the adventure, not the race. 

Rapha also embraced a relatively unknown man named Angus Morton. Angus had already completed what many consider a legendary piece of film with his company Therabouts. In 2014, Therabouts #1 landed with a story about a young Lachlan Morton and his older brother Angus riding through the Australian outback. I could make the argument it changed the cycling world. Eventually though, Rapha teamed up with Angus and more content hit the Rapha Films Youtube channel. As you peruse the amazing content, go ahead and see if you can spot my presence in their coverage of a 2019 Festive 500 ride where I got some light frostbite in my toes. 

Rapha did continue to focus on WorldTour racing, but even that has a unique spin. They partnered with EF Education-EasyPost to "shake the sport up." There are standard races and storylines but there is also the Alternative Calendar with races far away from the rest of the peloton. Lachlan Morton in particular has seen success racing in the WorldTour but if you are like me, watching the alternative calendar is far more exciting. If you haven't seen Lachlan crying while racing the GBDuro 2019, you are in for a treat. 

Of course, Rapha is far from the only player in this space. As Sarah mentioned, there is a lot of interest in her and you can see that reflected in the comments on her social accounts. One name that has popped up a few times is State Bicycles. You might not associate State with adventure cycling but they seem to be looking to make a play in the space and when asked for comment State co-founder Mehdi Farsi responded by saying "Myself, our team managers, and State Bicycle Co. have always really tried to provide a home where riders could be themselves, and cobble together unique and interesting schedules for themselves. We're just here to support. We don't have a particular initiative to grow our team, but we always had the mindset that if we find folks that are the right fit, the merrier. If we feel a rider is driving value, there is no reason for us to have quotas or anything too formal in place."

An important aspect of that is something I heard echoed elsewhere. It points to a non-transactional approach where a brand supports an athlete and asks for nothing in return. I have no insight into how one brand structures its contracts but the idea that this even exists is exciting and it sounds somewhat similar to discussions I had with Amanda Nauman about Shimano. Amanda is a two-time Unbound 200 winner and she's incredibly approachable. When asked about some of her favourite content for fans of adventure cycling, she was quick to point to Shimano. When I went looking, Shimano seems to be adding some amazing content that speaks not only to adventure cycling fans but also fans of representation. I know I'll be spending some time watching content about "All Bodies on Bikes" and "Beyond the Binary" during my down time this holiday season. 

The bottom line in all of this is that there is content out there, and for now, there will continue to be. Shimano is producing it. Rapha is producing it. SRAM is producing it by way of Hammerhead and the content in the "See the Road Ahead" playlist, Focus bikes has the Ride Beyond Crew who were responsible for an amazing video about the Badlands race this year. The list could go on almost indefinitely and I can only highlight a small number of the stories that help paint the picture. If you are a fan, go out and let the brands know and let the athletes know. Your support matters to everyone involved.