BikeBiz Awards 2022: The inclusivity shortlist

Following the announcement of the shortlist for the BikeBiz Awards 2022 in association with ArmaUrto, we’ll be highlighting each and every finalist from our list of expertly-curated accolades.

The winners will be announced on BikeBiz on Friday, 4th November. The majority will be decided by our expert judging panel, who will offer years of combined experience in the cycling industry.

IBD of the Year and Woman of the Year will be decided by a vote open to the whole cycling industry, which is open now and will close at midnight on Friday 7th October. The Diversity Champion award will be decided by the BikeBiz team.

Today, we’re showcasing the inclusivity category: Woman of the Year, Cycle Advocacy Award and Diversity Champion.

WOMAN OF THE YEAR
(winner decided by voting open to whole cycle industry – vote here)

Cheryl Reid, Cowley Road Condors
Cheryl Reid is a force for good in cycling across the south of England. As an ambassador for Iconic Cycling Events (organisers of over 40 cycling events across the UK) she continues to promote cycling activities to all ages and abilities through key events including Bike Oxford and Bike Bath, she has also championed the business networking group BDOVELO which is a community of 1500+ riders across London.

Judith Smith, Primal Europe
For over a decade Judith has been managing one of the most well-known and innovative cycling clothing brands in the UK. Firstly, as a military wife and a mother and later including supporting professional teams such as Team Raleigh. Judith has quietly been a champion of women in the industry as well as the wider sport.

Kimberly Coats, Team Africa Rising
As pretty much the only woman involved in the development of professional cycling across Africa through the Team Africa Rising non-profit, she has spent over a decade both on the ground in Africa, and remotely, fighting almost unsurmountable barriers and hurdles, corruption and high levels of misogyny, she has driven through unprecedented developments including the growth of the number of female athletes now coming through the ranks across the continent, the creation and development of an incredible pan-African e-racing and training programme, working with Zwift and Wahoo in the UK with an aim to get over 1,000 athletes online.

Lauren Goode, Chicken CycleKit
Lauren’s tireless work as the head of design at Chicken CycleKit is seen throughout the industry, but rarely recognised outside of Chicken CycleKit. Having produced some of the most interesting and unique Pro Team and club kit designs in the UK, Lauren is often found designing custom bottles for shops, clubs and teams and is instrumental in producing (CCK thinks) the best B2B user interface in the UK, marrying clean and concise aesthetics with intuitive work ow that enhances the user experience of our website.

Vicky Balfour, Vicky Bikes
Vicky Balfour is leading the way in women’s cycling. Inspiring hundreds of women as well as other unlikely cyclists to get on their bikes. Teaching mechanics, guiding rides and helping disabled riders to find a way onto bikes. A constant source of inspiration and someone who is rarely seen not smiling, she manages to make everyone she meets and rides with feel pure enjoyment from being on their bike.

Wiesia Kuczaj, Fusion Media
Wiesia Kuczaj is the managing director of Fusion Media, the integrated marketing communications agency for active people, and has been at the company for almost 12 years. This year, V was promoted to managing director and she has been a driving force in making the cycling industry more accessible and making sure that the gender imbalance is tackled.

CYCLE ADVOCACY AWARD
(winner decided by judging panel)

#BikeIsBest
#BikeIsBest exists to inspire more people to embrace bikes of all types and to ride more often, by broadening cycling’s appeal as the original and most accessible social mobility tool. As a not-for-profit campaigning alliance, #BikeIsBest is here to inspire more people to cycle more often and reshape cycling’s image to be accessible and normalised.

Cyclehoop
Cyclehoop creates innovative cycle parking and infrastructure to break down the barriers that prevent people from cycling, making it a safe, attractive and everyday mobility choice. Its products are designed and developed by cyclists for cyclists, working closely with local authorities and clients to promote active travel.

Cycling UK
2022 saw the culmination of more than 11 years’ worth of campaigning by Cycling UK, with the introduction of the new Highway Code in January. The updated code will help make the roads safer for people cycling, as it clears up misconceptions on cycling two abreast, gives clear guidance for drivers on overtaking cyclists and shows how to limit the risk of car dooring through the Dutch Reach.

Go Velo
The Go Velo team has successfully delivered Bikeability and Adult Cycle Training to more than 60,000 people in the UK since its formation in 2009. Go Velo are champions of sustainability, offering employment to many of the young people who take courses… they often go on to become instructors.

TotalMTB CIC
TotalMTB CIC is a 2X award-nominated non-profit community of bike riders that are helping mental health, inclusivity and the environment through MTB. It has a range of campaigns and projects all aimed at helping people get out on their bikes. It does a lot of charity work and since June 2019 it has raised over £20,000 so far.

DIVERSITY CHAMPION
(winner decided by the BikeBiz team)

Beccy Marston, See.Sense
Beccy Marston, head of projects at See.Sense, helps grow the use of its technology and data services across its global projects, on its mission to make cycling better. Beccy joined See.Sense at the start of 2022 to manage the company’s worldwide portfolio of data insight projects.

Bikeability Trust
The Bikeability Trust is the national charity for Bikeability, the UK Government’s cycle education programme. It puts diversity at the heart of what it does, removing barriers to cycle training and encouraging more people to cycle.

Hollie Weatherstone, Muc-Off
The Move Over campaign was Hollie Weatherstone’s idea that needed to be pushed through the business at a time when the brand had been focused on saving money and preparing to weather the storm from the recoil after the pandemic. This took a lot of persuasive attitude and dedication to a worthwhile cause and one that Weatherstone feels is extremely important for women, the industry and sport as a whole.

LDN Riders
LDN Riders is an inclusive LGBTQ+ road cycling club. The club provides an opportunity to socialise and meet like-minded members of the community who share your passion for two wheels. It caters for all abilities and organises rides from London most weekends. It also holds weekly training rides, charity rides, sportives and tours across the UK and internationally.

Sarah Mitchell, Cycling UK
Cycling UK doesn’t just want more people cycling, it also wants them to represent the rich diversity of the people who live in the UK. Through its behaviour change programmes in England and Scotland, it’s doing just that having reached 260,365 people in the last year and 702,274 in the past three years.

Women of Colour Cycling Collective
The Women of Colour in Cycling Collective is intentionally not a club, but a charity that aims to show that women of colour can and do love cycling and we aim to encourage more women to cycle. It is so hard to be what you do not see, so by being a collective from across the country WCCC aim to encourage and provide opportunities for women, help those who are keen but struggling to access and afford training and support women of colour who work in cycling.

ArmaUrto is the headline sponsor for the BikeBiz Awards 2022, and the Bicycle Association (BA) has also been announced as the Cycle Advocacy Partner.

For more information about sponsorship opportunities for the BikeBiz Awards 2022 in association with ArmaUrto, contact Richard Setters at richard.setters@biz-media.co.uk.