MOLLY CAMERON NEVER WANTED TO BE ANYTHING BUT HERSELF
Bicycling US|Issue 05, 2022
FOR 20 YEARS, THE OPENLY TRANSGENDER BIKE RACER PUT UP WITH DISCRIMINATION. NOW, AS ANTI-LGBTQ LEGISLATION SWEEPS THE NATION, SHE FINDS HERSELF LEADING A HIGH-STAKES EFFORT TO MAKE CYCLING SAFE AND INCLUSIVE.
Frankie de la Cretaz
MOLLY CAMERON NEVER WANTED TO BE ANYTHING BUT HERSELF

MOLLY CAMERON CAN’T REMEMBER HOW LONG SHE’S BEEN RACING BIKES.

Since the late 1990s, for sure—maybe 1998, or perhaps 1999. She doesn’t spend too much time trying to pinpoint a moment in the past. She’s too busy working on the future.

Few people in the bike world can remember a time when Cameron wasn’t present in the racing community. When folks talk about her, they all say a version of the same thing: “Molly has always just been Molly”; “Molly has just always been around.”

In fact, the 45-year-old has been involved in cycling for more than two decades, both on the racing scene and as the longtime owner of a bike shop in Portland, Oregon. Everyone knew that Cameron’s situation was different, but it never really registered because, again, Molly was just Molly.

And while the sport and the industry have been her life and her livelihood, they have also, in many ways, failed her. She’s been an openly transgender athlete since a time when people in sports knew even less about what to do with trans athletes than they do today. But she put her head down, rode her bike, and pretended she wasn’t bothered by the roadblocks that were thrown in her way.

“I never led with my identity or my politics,” Cameron says. “I was just, like, ‘I’m here to ride my bike and try to ride my bike as fast I can.’ Everything else came second. I never hid it. I’m an openly transgender athlete, but I’ve never wanted to push.”

Bu hikaye Bicycling US dergisinin Issue 05, 2022 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

Bu hikaye Bicycling US dergisinin Issue 05, 2022 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

BICYCLING US DERGISINDEN DAHA FAZLA HIKAYETümünü görüntüle
ONE MAN'S OBSESSIVE CRUSADE TO Take Down Zwift Cheats
Bicycling US

ONE MAN'S OBSESSIVE CRUSADE TO Take Down Zwift Cheats

Indoor cycling and virtual racing are booming, and so are the ranks of digital dopers abusing the platforms.

time-read
10+ dak  |
Fall 2024
WHAT I LEARNED WHEN LOST IT ON A MOUNTAIN BIKE
Bicycling US

WHAT I LEARNED WHEN LOST IT ON A MOUNTAIN BIKE

A lifelong roadie tries singletrack for the first time. It did not go as planned.

time-read
10+ dak  |
Fall 2024
THE UNLIKELY HERO WHO RECOVERED OVER 200 STOLEN BIKES IN ONE AMERICAN CITY
Bicycling US

THE UNLIKELY HERO WHO RECOVERED OVER 200 STOLEN BIKES IN ONE AMERICAN CITY

It was a sunny day in the summer of 2022. There were some things I had to move into the house, so I left the garage door open. I was gone less than 15 minutes.

time-read
10 dak  |
Fall 2024
YOU CAN BE MORE THAN JUST A CYCLIST
Bicycling US

YOU CAN BE MORE THAN JUST A CYCLIST

I'VE ALWAYS HAD A LOVE FOR SPORTS, starting with the usual team ones such as football and baseball. But that faded in favor of more individual pursuits. Watching my dad roll down the driveway to go for a ride, I wanted to do the same. The bike was my first taste of freedom, a freedom to do it my way.

time-read
2 dak  |
Fall 2024
THE RIGHT SADDLE CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE
Bicycling US

THE RIGHT SADDLE CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE

UP UNTIL RECENTLY, I WAS, AT BEST, A TWICEa-month cyclist.

time-read
3 dak  |
Fall 2024
HOW TO SAY GOODBYE TO THE RIDER YOU USED TO BE
Bicycling US

HOW TO SAY GOODBYE TO THE RIDER YOU USED TO BE

CYCLISTS OF ALL LEVELS GO THROUGH various phases or eras over the years they spend in the saddle. For the vast majority of riders (myself included), these things happen privately, without fanfare.

time-read
4 dak  |
Fall 2024
BIKES MAKE THE WORLD A MORE INCLUSIVE PLACE
Bicycling US

BIKES MAKE THE WORLD A MORE INCLUSIVE PLACE

LIFE'S A BEAUTIFUL PUZZLE THAT COMES in all sorts of shapes, colors, and sizes.

time-read
2 dak  |
Fall 2024
WHAT MAKES A GOOD CYCLING SCENE, ANYWAY?
Bicycling US

WHAT MAKES A GOOD CYCLING SCENE, ANYWAY?

I'VE HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF INVOLVING myself in a few populous and dramatically different cycling communities.

time-read
3 dak  |
Fall 2024
CHOOSE GEAR THAT INSPIRES YOU TO HAVE FUN E
Bicycling US

CHOOSE GEAR THAT INSPIRES YOU TO HAVE FUN E

EVEN THOUGH I TEST LOADS OF CYCLING gear for a living, sometimes I get locked in on particular items and find it difficult to enjoy competing products, even if those products have obvious advantages.

time-read
3 dak  |
Fall 2024
WHY YOU DESERVE A CUSTOM BIKE
Bicycling US

WHY YOU DESERVE A CUSTOM BIKE

Custom. The word evokes passionate opinions about what constitutes a custom-made bike and who gets to ride one. There's this idea that they're wildly expensive pieces of functional art meant only for the fittest, fastest riders.

time-read
10+ dak  |
Fall 2024