Cycling With One Leg
Leo Rodgers
In conversation with Erik Douds
11:30am EST on Friday, Sept 18

Leo (he/him) lost his leg in a motorcycle accident 13 years ago. As Peter Flax tells us in Bicycling Magazine, his bicycle has become his prosthesis and his connection to the community. “Once you get to know Leo and ride with him, you’ll discover some of the beautiful things you can only find after losing something.”

Follow Leo on Instagram: @slimone1000
Donate to the Leo Rodgers Foundation
Image credit: Bob Croslin

Cycling With A Larger Body
Kailey Kornhauser
In conversation with Annalisa van den Bergh
5pm EST on Friday, Sept 18

Kailey (she/her) calls herself a fat biker and she wants you to know that she’s not trying to “fix” her body. Along with Marley Blonsky, she’s striving to promote a more size inclusive cycling community and industry. She recently graced the cover of Bicycling Magazine.

Follow Kailey on Instagram: @kornhausersauce
Image credit: Gritchelle Fallesgon

Cycling With Type 1 Diabetes
Abbey Brau
In conversation with Erik Douds
8pm EST on Friday, Sept 18

In 2017, Abbey (she/her) co-led a group of 20 T1Ds across America and shows no signs of stopping. Her accomplishments include swimming around Manhattan and completing two Ironmans. “I ride for the feeling you get when you ride a bike.”

Follow Abbey on Instagram: @ambrau
Image courtesy of Abbey Brau

Cycling With Carbon Legs
Kaisa Leka
In conversation with Laura Killingbeck
12pm EST on Saturday, Sept 19

Prolific Finnish comic artist Kaisa Leka (she/her), who adventures via kayak and bike, is always intentional about wearing skirts or shorts that reveal her prosthetic legs because they’re a part of who she is. Her most recent cycling journeys include Alaska and the northernmost region of Finland.

Follow Kaisa on Instagram: @kaisaleka
Image credit: Christoffer Leka

Cycling With The Voiceless
Javier Pineda
In conversation with Erik Douds
2:30pm EST on Saturday, Sept 19

Javier (he/him), who immigrated to the US with his family in 2006, rides for his late brother. “[When he] passed away in 2009, so did my desire to continue biking. With time, I got back on the saddle with a different perspective. Cycling is not about me anymore; it is about giving light to the voiceless and serving as an example for others from all walks of life to ride their bikes.”

Follow Javier on Instagram: @oso_aventurero
Image courtesy of Javier Pineda

Cycling With Black Girls Do Bike™
Stephanie Puello
In conversation with Annalisa van den Bergh
5pm EST on Saturday, Sept 19

There’s a high chance that Stephanie (she/her), who recently joined PEARL iZUMi’s ambassador program, was the only Black person to have completed the 44-year old cross-country TransAmerica Bicycle Trail. She is the leader of the Denver Black Girls Do Bike™ chapter, a guiding voice in the movement to create more safe spaces for Black cyclists, and most recently, an organizer of ad-hoc BLM rides* in Denver. Stephanie writes in Adventure Cycling, "As straightforward as it is to ride a bike, it is much more difficult to overcome the apprehension of entering a world that does not expect you in it.”

Follow Stephanie on Instagram: @istephmeister
Image credit: Jenn Piccolo

Cycling With Fear
Olivia Round
A Presentation
8pm EST on Saturday, Sept 19

In 2011, women’s bicycling advocate and Adventure Cycling contributing writer, Olivia Round (she/her), used a bicycle ride across America to help her get over her fear of men. She is an eloquent writer who turns her adventures into powerful prose that boost the upsides of vulnerability and encourage more women to ride bikes.

Follow Olivia on Instagram: @oliviaroundbikes
Read her blog at oliviaround.org
Image credit: Jennifer Diane Photography

Cycling With Depression
Jasmine Reese
In conversation with Olivia Round
Prerecorded + available on-demand starting Sept 18

Jasmine (she/her) has ridden thousands of miles – all with her violin and dog, Figi, in tow. In an interview with Olivia Round, Jasmine wrote, “Cycling cross-country for me wasn't just about bragging rights, it was about proving something to myself. It was about saving my life.”

Follow Jasmine on Instagram: @fijapaw
Image courtesy of Jasmine Reese

Cycling With PTSD + Sleep Apnea
Mark Roland
In conversation with Erik Douds
2:30pm EST on Sunday, Sept 20

Mark (he/him) became a fast member of our ‘trail family’ after we met him on the TransAmerica Bicycle Trail in 2017. A Green Beret who developed PTSD and obstructive sleep apnea after serving in Afghanistan, he’s found solace and healing in yoga, meditation, and following his breath as he cycled across America.

Learn more about Mark on Miles of Portraits: @milesofportraits
Image courtesy of Mark Roland

Cycling With Deafness
Sonny Rasmussen + Dale McCrea
In conversation with Annalisa van den Bergh
Via an ASL interpreter
5pm EST on Sunday, Sept 20

We first met Sonny (he/him) at a Warmshowers in Colorado. Sonny and his cycling partner Dale (he/him), who are both Deaf, have cycled the Atlantic Coast and are always going on adventures together. The two are also constantly advocating for their rights in a world that often treats them like second class citizens.

Learn more about Sonny + Dale on Miles of Portraits: @milesofportraits
Image credit: Annalisa van den Bergh

Cycling With The BLM Movement
Orlando Hamilton
In conversation with Stephanie Puello
Prerecorded + available on-demand starting Sept 18

Orlando (he/him) is the co-founder of Street Riders NYC, a weekly peaceful protest* ride that sprung out of the Black Lives Matter Movement. Now regularly drawing 10,000 people, the ride is different from a typical march in the amount of distance it covers. As a participant points out in a recent NBC video, in that distance, “you get a landscape of the city and you see how it’s uneven.” Orlando rides for his friend who was killed by the police. “I’m not tired. I’m never going to be tired. I was tired of how we were living before.”

Follow Orlando on Instagram: @cheforlando_
Image credit: Ian Bartlett (@thebartlett)

Cycling With Chronic Pain + Chiari
Mal Johnson
In conversation with Erik Douds
Prerecorded + available on-demand starting Sept 18

For Mal (Mal), bikes have always been the chosen mode of transportation for 15 years. Now after suffering from severe chronic pain for 10 years and living with Chiari Malformation, a neurological disorder, bikes have become an internal source of independence from pain and a method of freedom that has yet to be taken away. Mal writes, “No matter where my condition takes me and no matter what abilities I lose there will always seem to be a way to ride a bike.”

Follow Mal and Mal’s partner, Anthony on Instagram as they plan their COVID-delayed 2021 ride across America: @mantrides
Image credit: Anthony Johnson

Cycling With A Hole in the Heart
Amalia Miller
In conversation with Annalisa van den Bergh
Prerecorded + available on-demand starting Sept 18

Amalia (she/her), who we met through PEARL iZUMi’s Ambassador Program, discovered that she was born with a heart defect called patent foramen ovale after experiencing hypoxia on a climb up Mt. Kilimanjaro. She later had surgery to close the hole in her heart. “Fear isn't going to keep me away from things that bring me joy.”

Follow Amalia on Instagram: @amaliamiller
Image credit: Randy Miller

Cycling With Type 2 Diabetes
Herminia "Minnie" Frias of Team Yaqui
In conversation with Annalisa van den Bergh
Prerecorded + available on-demand starting Sept 18

Minnie (she/her), a tribal councilwoman for the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, started riding with Team Yaqui at El Tour de Tucson in 2018. She loves riding with the group, whose aim is to fight diabetes one mile at a time. “They give me inspiration to keep moving and to live a healthier and active life. I especially appreciate the diversity of the group – different ages with different roles in our community. But what brings us together is a commitment to wellness through cycling.”

Follow Team Yaqui on Instagram: @pascuayaquibike
Image credit: Annalisa van den Bergh

Cycling With was conceptualized and organized by Annalisa van den Bergh (she/her) with support from Erik Douds (he/him). The Miles of Portraits cocreators know each other because they both have type 1 diabetes (T1D). Having it means that they have to do all the work for their non-functioning pancreases – virtually a full-time job! It’s a huge pain but it’s also one of the main reasons they’re cycling, to show that despite their disabilities, they can live their dreams.

In the same way that their T1D has reminded them that their health is not a guarantee, the death of Annalisa’s mother five years ago was her biggest wake up call. She decided to find a sustainable way to do what makes her the happiest – ride her bicycle.

Through and because of it all, the two have ridden a combined 25,000 miles – the equivalent to the circumference of the earth.

The Miles of Portraits story has been featured in media outlets such as NBC News Anchorage, Outside Magazine, REI, Adventure Cyclist, The Daily Beast, The Washington Post, and NowThis.

Follow them on Instagram: @milesofportraits | @annalisavdbergh | @erikdouds

Cycling With is presented by Ortlieb with support from PEARL iZUMi, Revo, Sawyer Products, and Aspire Eyewear.

Special thanks to our in-kind and press partners: BioLite, Big Agnes, Sea to Summit, Athleta, Alana Athletica, UnTapped Maple, Topo Designs, Ergon Bike, ROAD iD, Hope Tech, 718 Cyclery, Adventure Cycling, Far Ride, Mappy Hour, Chumba, Arkel, Rumpl, Rebbl, Black Girls Do Bike

Special thanks also to our Patrons who support Miles of Portraits monthly.

Without our generous Patrons and sponsors, none of this would be possible. 💙

FAQs

I’m interested in becoming a sponsor!
Email hello[at]milesofportraits[dot]com

How can I help spread the word?
Download the marketing kit here.

I can’t make it Sept 18–20. Will I be able to watch the recorded videos afterwards?
Yes but you still must register to do so.

*Brands involved do not endorse or oppose protesting.