“Community, it's the core of it all… I wanted that community and so I built it.” - Brooke Goudy (she/her)
Meet Team LoveYourBrain Rider, Brooke Goudy!
Brooke (she/her) loves riding bikes and enjoys mountain biking, gravel racing, and bikepacking! As the founder of Rowdy Goudy, Brooke is dedicated to building programs that cultivate resilience, bringing safety and awareness to the trails, and creating a culture of kindness and service in the outdoors.
We sat down to learn more about:
The impact Brooke is making in cycling….
Cycling has brought me joy from the moment that I got on a bike when I was very young. I remember getting this beautiful pink bike with streamers on the handle bars. I would ride around the neighborhood for hours or until the street lights came on, that's when I knew it was time to get back home. It is the most free, independent, and joyous I have felt in my life. I expected as an adult I would feel that same sense of joy, and freedom, and I did, but something was off.
Getting back on the bike in Colorado as an adult looked very different. When I looked around there were not many people that looked like me. There were hardly any women on mountain bikes, and even fewer Black women. In this world I felt like I was often on guard. It was not rare to hear offensive language or experience microaggressions while out on the trail. Although I loved being on my bike, I wanted to feel like there was a safe space for me to be my authentic self. So I decided to build that space, and started Rowdy Goudy, a health and wellness organization dedicated to introducing adventure sports to women of color, and redefining what it means to participate in active living. Rowdy Goudy is about creating affinity spaces for folks of color and women, particularly Black women. Safety is not just about keeping our physical self safe, but these spaces are safe because they acknowledge that harm, underrepresentation, and lack of investment in marginalized communities exist in outdoor adventure sports. We challenge the industry to work with us to break down barriers that have historically left women and folks of color out of the great outdoors. Safety is about being able to be yourself and experience the joy of the outdoors.
We also work to ensure that folks are committed to doing all they can to keep the community physically safe. We offer CPR and first classes that concentrate on supporting someone that has had an injury or emergency on the trail. The average cost of the classes are a barrier for many and through the support of my sponsors, I am able to offer them for a minimal fee.
How Brooke uses the bike to build community…
Community, it's the core of it all. I always say that my work is more about community, joy and social justice than bikes. It just happens that I love riding bikes and it is the way that I commit to making this world a better place than what I found it. Everyone that shows up to a clinic, mechanic class, or social ride does not leave loving cycling, but they do leave with a sense of community that keeps them coming back. I spend most of my time being the “only one.” The only Black person in the grocery store, or the restaurant, or at my job. That feeling is magnified when I go skiing, hiking, or cycling. There are times where I feel as if I don't belong and I am not supposed to be there, but there is great joy in finding a community of people that reflect your culture, and values. I wanted that community and so I built it. With programs like ROAM Rowdies, I work to support others going back to their cities or towns and building community. As a community health nurse I am aware of this fact- community is one of the most influential determinants of positive health outcomes. Community is just that important. We can influence it and it can influence us. I use cycling, and outdoor adventure sports to build community and those communities build people that change the world.
How Brooke’s relationship to yoga and meditation relates to the bike and her social justice work:
I have to admit, yoga has not always been my favorite practice, but it is one that I keep coming back to when life is the most difficult. Throughout the years I have been able to use yoga an incredible tool as I heal from generational trauma. Currently, I am working on my yoga and meditation certification so that I can support others in their practice. It matters to me that the folks I serve can come to one of my events and first have a moment to connect with their bodies. They need to connect with their resilience and take time to hear all the many parts of ourselves that guide us when we are engaging in fast pace, adventure sports. We need to be able to trust mind and bodies. Yoga and meditation helps us to be better prepared to take on an adventure because we have tapped into a greater sense of ourself.
We are so grateful to Brooke and all of the wonderful humans joining us for this year’s Ride for Resilience!