Ambassador Spotlight - Ariel Marlowe
Ambassador Ariel Marlowe is a cyclist and activist out of Austin, Texas. While most in this space started from cycling and worked social or environmental causes into our passion for riding, Ariel swam the other direction. He found cycling and its community-building through his work as an activist. Read on to see why Ariel inspires us to spread the love, flight the good fight and enjoy the ride.
1. Tell me about your life in cycling. How’d it start, where’d it take you and what does it mean to you?
I guess my life in cycling really started when I moved to Texas for grad school at Texas A&M. Parking passes were far too expensive, so my mom gave me her hybrid bike for the commute. Unsurprisingly, I managed to destroy that bike before the semester ended. Hopping off curbs, skidding around turns, and crashing the bike a few times while navigating a car-centric campus. I ended up purchasing a used steel single speed bike that set my course toward becoming the single speed cross racing evangelist I am now Moving to Austin in the fall of 2019 set the stage for my development of using cycling for community based activism. It was hard for me to make friends when I arrived, but during the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder and the protests, I found that using my bike could be
empowering. I joined a group of bike marshals who put their bodies and bikes on the line to protect more vulnerable members of our community, oftentimes blocking intersections and creating a line of defense against those who hurled abuse and projectiles. It also created a path toward empowerment, allowing me to recognize that my preconceived notion of safety had a detrimental effect. That while avoiding things that made me feel unsafe made me feel better, oftentimes it actually reinforced my lack of autonomy. Biking became the way I grabbed freedom and challenged me to create spaces for people to walk in theirs as well.
Eventually this led to finding a job that allowed me to create the space for empowerment for others.
2. What other cycling-related projects are you involved in?
I’m one of the main organizers and ride leaders for Black History Bike Ride, a non-profit that leads people on social rides where they can become informed about the Black History of Austin. Last year we biked 350 miles from Austin to Galveston, TX in order to discuss the story of Juneteenth. There’s a documentary on our journey that has been accepted into many film
festivals around the country I’m also one of the co-founders of Bottom Bracket Boys (BBB), a group for cyclists who want a fun, uplifting and inclusive space that prioritizes and centers the needs and safety of Black cyclists.
Lastly? I’m the Head Safety Engineer for the Texas Showdown Series and Bikes or Death! My role as a community organizer is to help people feel welcome, listened to, and extra “safe” as they participate in and engage with our events
3. How’d you become involved with the fine folks at Chumba?
I previously worked as the Community Engagement Specialist at the now defunct bike shop Cycleast. I had many duties, which included running our instagram account. After we announced that we were closing, Vince reached out with a job offer for any employee to be a production assistant. Hannah Simon ended up applying and getting the position, but I still reached out to see if there was anything else available. While there weren’t any openings to join the staff, Vince wanted to discuss a different opportunity to show me some support. By joining the ride team!
4. Describe your approach/philosophy to cycling both as a community leader and a participant.
While cycling has such a huge capacity to be used to create connectivity between individuals and groups, it can also be used for individual and group empowerment. There is and should be room for both, especially for marginalized and underrepresented groups. Whether that’s having A/B/C paced rides, gatherings that aren’t focused on being physical, specifically crafted language that answers questions while making people feel welcome or making sure to set aside time for my own bike-related pursuits. It’s been a great practice for myself to find a balance between helping others and myself.
5. Who are some of your primary influences in…
a. Cycling: As a late comer to cycling, I’m mainly influenced by people I have met and competed against. SSCX and gravel racers like Shane Montgomery, Daniel Curtin, Nico Deporto-Cabrera. Friends like Hannah Simon, Joshua Strong, etc who use their cycling platform to lift others up alongside of themselves.
b. Athletics in general: I grew up playing soccer, so I loved players who took games by the scruff of the neck and drug their teams to victory. Wayne Rooney, Landon Donovan, and Dimitar Berbatov. I personally identified with specialist team players who focused on doing their job in order for the team’s goal to be accomplished. Like Patrice Evra, Michael Bradley, and Paul Scholes (can you tell i’m a massive Manchester United fan?). Lastly, as someone who has suffered several lower body injuries, players like Stuart Holden and Owen Hargreaves showed me that comebacks are possible.
c. Activism/Community Leading: King; a good friend who showed me that the revolution could be done with creativity and dynamism, rather than following the vulnerable process of marching in the streets and confronting abusers. Brandon Grant; who showed me the ropes of what it would take to be a leader in the bike and Black communities. Russell Pickavance: the first person who believed in me and gave me a chance to care for people, while also meeting my financial needs. We did a lot of good in the two years I had at Cycleast and I loved that we had the same heart for our community.
d. Business: President of our local rival club Violet Crown, David Comer haha. He’s been a huge advocate for cyclocross in Austin and become a good friend as well. He’s helped to demystify the organization of racing and create pathways for more people to participate and compete. Kyle Kelley, the owner of Allez LA, who epitomizes what it means to be a homie, creating space for community online and in person.
e. Professionalism: I ride bikes, none of my friends are very professional haha! Probably my partner Meaghan, who reminds me that structures aren’t inherently bad and that spreadsheets and budgets can help me do what I do even better.
6. What’s on the deck for you this coming year? What rides/races/trips are planned? What about content creation or creative outlets?
Well, I ended up taking a break in the middle of the gravel season due to some injuries and employment changes, but I'll be at SBT Gravel working for Chamois Butt’r. I’ll also be helping to kick off community rides at the newly formed bike shop, Dogspeed Cycles (in the old Cycleast space). This fall I’m very much looking forward to the CX season. We should have a fairly robust schedule of races in Texas this year, and my goal is to not only compete but to help organize and support some of the events as well. In September, I’d like to visit some friends in Cincinnati and do my first out of state CX race, as well as throw my hat into the single speed ranks at CX Nats in Louisville in December. Fall also brings the Central Texas Showdown, bikepacking, and possibly another big Black History Bike Ride tour/event. Content wise, I’d like to do a bit more storytelling with my media. I’ve gotten a good handle on creating media for marketing, but I don’t really feel like I’ve been able to share who I am and what I care about…other than my love for others and what cool things are happening in my community. There’s just so many wonderful people in my life and I think creating content that
draws lines between our experiences and stories could be really powerful.
I’m also a very amateur photographer, but practice makes perfect so I’m hoping to be out and about working on how to properly capture how I view the world.
7. If people want to know more about you and what you do, where should they go?
I guess instagram? I should probably create a website to contact me/see what I do…but for now @amarlowe89 is the best way to keep up with me.
Finish these:
1. My favorite cycling product I’m using right now are… my Ritchey Venturemax pro handlebars. I swear by them haha.
2. If I could only ride one bike the rest of my life it would be…the geared Chumba Terlingua I haven’t asked the shop to build me yet.
3. Gears are for…people who want their knees to last forever.
4. Riding bikes is about…expressing yourself. It’s all good to use them to find community and belonging, but with the wide range of bikes, gear, clothing, etc…why not use them to share how special of an individual you are!
5. The best bike rides start with…chamois butt’r.
6. The best bike rides end with…a good lie down on the grass.
7. We’ll keep doing this as long as…my knees let me! I was super stressed a few months back when I was having serious IT band and patella pain, but a bike fit fixed me for the time being.
8. I want people reading this to know that…I’m super grateful for the support Astral has given me. When I first began chatting with Loren, I was floored by his kindness and desire to help me, a stranger and a random guy who just wanted to ride his bike.
