We were lucky to catch up with Brett Donelson recently and have shared our conversation below.

Brett, appreciate you joining us today. How did you come up with the idea for your business?

My wife, Tam, and I had always been involved in coaching sports and working with youth. We met in the ski industry coaching kids in back-to-back winters between Australia and the U.S. When we left the ski industry, we became personal trainers, and we always wanted to work with kids again. As we centered our outdoor adventures around mountain biking, we started going to a bunch of races as participants. We also had an urge to get more involved with our community now that we were based more permanently in Eagle County, Colorado.

Around 2011, we had an idea to help young people get into the sport of mountain biking. There are plenty of amazing youth mountain biking programs supporting kids across Colorado, and we wanted to see if we could create a model that would support young people who haven’t had as much access to the sport, especially women. It was clear that there were FAR fewer women riding bikes than men. Tam had experienced first-hand how difficult it can be for women to access male-dominated spaces, and we both recognized the financial limitations of getting into these expensive but rewarding sports. Also, as coaches, we saw that social and emotional support, a mentor, or sometimes just a new group of friends could make a huge difference in kids’ lives. As we started formulating this project, that is all we knew.

As we rolled out a pilot program, we started with ten young women, nine of whom were Latina. The program continued to grow, and their friends, sisters, cousins, etc. started to join, and we had a bike team! From early on, we knew our team looked different than most teams at that point, and that our team culture was different. For one, we provided and still provide all the equipment our athletes need, which is unique in the space. And two, there was a lot of enthusiasm from our riders. Once we saw how impactful our program was for those initial athletes, we knew we wanted to grow our program. We wanted to create a space where girls could show up and find belonging around shared passion for mountain biking.

We loved learning about these girls’ backgrounds and cultures, and helping their parents and families navigate the world of mountain biking. The culture we created initially was honestly not super intentional, but it evolved and then we began emphasizing our commitment to inclusive spaces for female-identifying, Latina and BIPOC riders.

We also have had overwhelming community support and we have kept saying “yes” to new opportunities. This in no way has been easy or simple. We felt totally overwhelmed with the financial stress and ideas of “are we doing enough?” constantly. But we knew that if we quit, there would be such a huge void in our lives. So we kept going. Whenever we have a major low point, it’s usually followed by a great high point that keeps us going, especially as we realize that more and more youth need our program.

Of course, there’s plenty of data out there that shows if young women are involved in sports, it helps in so many areas, like college success and building resiliency. And that’s important to us. But I think our young women specifically need our program because they historically haven’t been encouraged to be in sports, and outdoor recreation in particular. We want to show them that this is for them and they belong here. To me, it’s that simple. There’s no need to explain it beyond that these riders are just as deserving of sport and outdoor recreation as everyone else.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Yesterday I got out on bikes with one of our teams, and I saw a first-time rider with us say she couldn’t bike over this rocky section. But she finds the courage to try, accomplishes it and is beaming on the other side. It reminded me that one moment can transform someone. And that’s what drives me – giving these young people the opportunity to have these transformative experiences.

The Cycle Effect is a nonprofit organization focused on mountain biking and mentorship. We have youth and adult programs for female-identifying riders who have been historically excluded from mountain biking. It’s a cost-prohibitive sport for many people, and we want to help bridge that outdoor recreation gap, while providing a healthy outlet for our community members who need it most.

The major problem we focus on solving at The Cycle Effect is removing barriers to entry for the sport of mountain biking. From the beginning, we’ve partnered with sponsors and leveraged our fundraising dollars to provide bikes, gear, transportation, race entry fees and highly capable coaches for our athletes. We continue to see this as the major aspect that sets us apart from other youth mountain biking organizations – building equity by actually breaking down barriers to entry. And that also means having supportive coaches and mentors in addition to access to an outdoor recreation outlet, which is why we also have a strong curriculum around mental health and leadership.

How’d you meet your business partner?

I met Tam on a t-bar while skiing in Australia. I had just graduated from college and was coaching alpine ski racing in Australia as Tam was teaching skiing at her home mountain. We started dating and were married a few years later. Our lives led us into the bike industry, and then we started working with young women on bikes. When we saw some of the impacts on these young women’s lives, we decided to start The Cycle Effect and grow it together.

Tam really was the inspiration for The Cycle Effect. Her creativity was the driver behind our name and our logos, and the initial startup. Also, our first athletes really bonded with her as female riders in those first years. I bring the drive and the ability to see all the puzzle pieces and bring them together. Tam now spends most of her time on coaching, and it’s been cool to watch build a full-time staff team to step in to help our organization thrive and grow.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Life shows up and it’s easy to doubt yourself along the way as an entrepreneur. There are always things you don’t anticipate, like a growing staff and the HR hurdles that come with it, or when our first athlete got injured and we had to help navigate that, and acknowledge the risks that come with mountain biking. There’s always something. So I think it’s about a lot of small levels of resilience that seem to add up. Starting a company or organization is hard and it’s a lonely space. It feels like the world falls on you. So always looking at just the next best step toward a broader goal has been really important.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.thecycleeffect.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thecycleeffect
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheCycleEffect
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-cycle-effect
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TheCycleEffect

Image Credits
Credit: The Cycle Effect