FEATURE
shifts on the ground. The experiences of SRAM engineers Mandy Pitscher and Hannah Layland underscored why daily allyship is non-negotiable. Both women, who credited early encouragement for their paths into engineering, still encountered bias. This friction is why every colleague must be an ally. As Hannah said, having support around you is critical, because “if someone’s saying no constantly, then no matter who you are, you’re gonna just stop doing it.” This commitment requires actively listening and removing obstacles. But how do we go about making a change? Not everyone has the resources and manpower of SRAM. Though not specific to recruitment, Dr Fiona’s work and research through project FIAS (Fostering Inclusive Action Sports) and more specifically, the recent release of the ‘Gearing Up’ Toolkit (a toolkit for the mountain biking marketing and media sector to support gender progressive practice) that, although focused on mountain biking, has takeaways that crossover. Fiona’s research emphasises the critical importance of visibility and representation: “You’ve got to be able to see it, to be it, and I think that’s really true,” she said. There were also discussions about the importance of
Top: April Marshke Bottom: Dr Fiona Spotswood
women in the workplace. “I truly believe when people know better, they do better.” Beyond that, SRAM offers annual pay reviews and workload audits to intentionally challenge assumptions made about female employees. “We audit workloads and assignments... we ask and then they tell us what they need and we try to make it happen. You start by taking away the obstacles,” she explained. Perhaps most importantly, the talent pipeline work starts early: in high schools, talking to young women interested in STEM or hosting hands-on engineering experiences, as well as college recruitment programs, where they break down financial barriers to ensure greater access to opportunity. Ultimately, the goal is to fully embed gender equity into systems. “How do you know that it’s successful? When that happens, when it’s embedded in the system, when we don’t have to think about it, when it’s part of a process and how we do business,” she concluded. Yet, systemic policy changes only work if the culture
www.bikebiz.com
recruiting with intentionality. It’s time to challenge your networks. Many people default to their personal network, but it’s important that we seek candidates outside of those spaces. During a breakaway, we discussed barriers, one being confidence. Data has shown women are less likely to apply for a role if they believe they don’t fit all the criteria. So, even editing to say please apply or changing the wording of a job advertisement to include more inclusive policies and wording can make a difference to who applies. You can also be an ally. Whether that’s through sponsorship,
advocating or using your influence to help. Even down to changing the way in which you represent your business to the world. Use your marketing, media, and social channels to create inclusive and transformative content. This means intentionally showing women as experts and central figures. The Summit Series established that achieving a 50% gender balance by 2030 may be optimistic, but the financial risk of maintaining the status quo is too high to ignore. Change requires a two-pronged attack: large companies setting a systemic blueprint (like SRAM’s) and individuals committing to daily allyship and intentional visibility.
The Summit was just the beginning, highlighting the need for collaboration to improve the recruitment and retention of women in cycling. “We’re now working with the European Network for Outdoor Sports and Dr Fiona Spotswood on a toolkit to help companies boost diversity,” said April.
In the coming months, Outside Advice will be seeking partners to pilot the tools and provide feedback. Planning for another Summit Series event is also in the works. To get involved, contact
april@outside-advice.com.
November 2025 | 27
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68
