RAR SLO evolved from what started as wtfbikexplorers SLO in 2019. After revamping the group and having a really successful overnighter in 2023, there was a loud and collective yearning for more!
So many of us women and gender expansive riders in SLO felt the same thing: where are all the non-cis bro riders at? Already trying to create an inclusive cycling space, Brooke applied to become a RAR Chapter with the hopes of solidifying an inclusive cycling community.
RAR SLO is the result of a strong dedication and desire to build community, foster bike empowerment, and disrupt the typical patriarchal cycling culture by creating our own Women/LGBTQ+/BIPOC riding space on the Central Coast.
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CORE GROUP
Brooke Klever
Brooke (she/her): I started riding bikes several years ago and have never looked back. For the first few years of riding, it felt impossible to find cyclists to ride with that weren’t cis bros and it left me feeling like there was such a void in my community. Was there something wrong with me? Was I not “cool” enough? Strong enough? Fueled by passion and determination, I started networking at every bike event and bike group I could find in SLO; asking people if they wanted to go for a ride and attempting to bring a cohesive Women/Gender Expansive group together. (I even connected with riders in LA. Special shout out to @WildWolfCyclingCollective for welcoming in a lone rider with open arms). After over a year of organizing, wtfbikexplorers.slo hosted our first overnighter since 2019. (Shout out to the SLO peeps who had done one in the past). My motivations to apply for a RAR Chapter were to help make sure that no one ever felt the way I did when I entered the cycling world, build an inclusive riding community, and disrupt patriarchal spaces, of course. My soul truly lights up with joy when I think about our community and all of the bike adventures that are to come. I wish I could put into words what being a RAR chapter means to me, but being on the saddle has brought me an immense amount of healing and connection that I hope to share with other Women and Gender Expansive riders for years to come!
Alejandra Prendergast
Alejandra (she/her): I moved to Atascadero in 2020 as the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown happened. Like many people during the pandemic, I took up cycling as a means of commuting and running errands around town. I’m passionate about family life, environmental work, creating community, and bringing people together for beneficial causes. I hope to offer motivation and support around cycling to all, but more specifically to BIPOC who are women, trans, and gender non-conforming folks in North SLO County. I’m a mother of two rambunctious children and a part time environmental consultant. You’re likely to find me cycling with my two kids and a dog through the streets of Atascadero.
Willy Wilson
Willy (she/her): I got involved with the local bike community in SLO in 2013, starting off as a bike commuter. Within a few years, I started attending and supporting bike events and group rides put on by the local bike advocacy org, and building some (freaky) bikes of my own. Now, I works as an educational mechanic teaching folks how to work on their bikes at the SLO Bike Kitchen.
Audrey Surprenant
Audrey Surprenant (she/they): California born and raised, I have called the Central Coast home for the last 13 years. I love to explore our beautiful surroundings through bike touring. The sense of freedom that comes from traveling by bike is what keeps me going! Outside of bikes I’m a huge nerd about sewing, gardening. and my dog.
Kailey Herrmann
Kailey (she/her): Kailey has lived in San Luis Obispo since 2012 and is a Cal Poly alum. She currently works for the American Alpine Club as an event planner, serves on the board of directors for Bike SLO County, and is a certified Wilderness First Responder. She first connected with the local cycling community while in college through the Bike Kitchen, learning how to work on her 70s Schwinn. You can find her casually biking around town, out on silly costume rides, or mountain biking in search of wildflowers.
Kari Lekvold
Kari (she/her) said yes to a cross-country bike trip because she wanted to raise money and build affordable housing for Habitat for Humanity. Ever since, she’s been hyper-focused on how she can spend more time on two wheels. She’s helped countless friends shop for their first set of wheels and encouraged many new to cycling to conquer their first mile. Kari fervently believes that many of the world’s challenges can be solved by getting more people on bikes. Let’s go!
Ellen Rinell
Ellen (she/her): I think the best thing in life is to explore nature on a bike with great people. I love sharing this passion of mine with others and helping them gain the skills and access the equipment needed to enjoy cycling adventures of all kinds. I used to live in the UK where I started a gravel cycling club for women. Recently I moved back to SLO, my hometown, and am excited to continue to organize and lead rides under the California sunshine!
RAR Chapters will advocate, support, and uplift BIPOC and FTWN-B cyclists in their local communities! Find a RAR Chapter in your area and learn more about each group.
Latest Chapter News
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FTWNB Led Cycling Events
With recent announcements from UCI banning transgender women from competing in the women’s category during races, we wanted to uplift events doing the amazing work to create spaces for the FTWNB community. Here is a list of femme, trans, women, and non-binary led cycling events to support, follow, and attend. This is not a comprehensive……
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New RAR Chapters!
Give a warm welcome to the eleven new RAR Chapters! We had over twenty applications from BIPOC and FTWN-B organizers nationwide and beyond. We mainly sought groups in different regions who had a solid core group to build out their community efforts. THANK YOU to everyone who took the time to apply. Twenty-one RAR Chapters will advocate, support, and uplift BIPOC and……
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RAR Raffle for Chapters Fundraiser
Donate to win prizes and help us raise $40k to grow RAR Chapters to 20 locations! Donate to the RAR Chapters Fundraiser to win sweet prizes from Salsa, Revelate Designs, Velocity Wheels, Teravail, Bags x Bird, and Simworks. A total of five prizes will be given away: To enter, please donate $25 to the RAR……