An Open Letter To My Family At Chumba

I've never broken up with some(one) I still love...

It’s not you, it’s me.

In February 2018, I sent an email to Chumba USA through their online submission form on their website that started, “My name is Alexandera, and I'm currently tucked away in the frigid Northwoods of Minnesota. I'm going to spill you some of my story in hopes that maybe you can help me get a rad new set of wheels for this epic journey I am anticipating this summer... and beyond.” I explained throughout the email, “I've never fit in any place in this world, but I belong on the trail.”

I continued, “I've been saving up, and with my taxes, I am pretty close to having enough for a bicycle. I've been thinking and browsing around, and I've decided I want to ride a Chumba... I'm looking for a forever bike.” I bought a Rastro from Vince that winter with all of my savings and planned on riding that bike forever.

Throughout 2018, I kept in touch with Vince and kept lining up at the starting lines I promised I would. I had no way of knowing what the future held, but I followed my gut. I continued our correspondence via email, sharing my experience and goals with him and the rest of the team. I continued writing my heart out on my blog.

I wrote to the team in an email, “I just love showing up for the races. I always encounter people full of doubt about my ability, snobbish remarks about my footwear and choice of apparel, but smile and shake it off- hopefully forever expanding the level of acceptance in the cycling community...”

Looking back at these emails and recalling the humble beginnings of my ultra-racing journey brings me to tears. My friends at Chumba, Mark, Vince, Maura and Michelle have been my support foundation in racing longer than anyone.

They valued me not for my results, but Vince wrote that it was because of, “Your tenacity and thought behind what you do...” He gauged my seriousness when he wrote, “With our team members, we are really looking to build long-term relationships...” I truly believed I was going to ride a Chumba Rastro forever.

It’s been five beautiful years of growth for both myself and for Chumba as a bike brand. I’ve turned down offers from other brands because I believe in what Mark and Vince are doing. And because, hell, they took a chance on me. I wanted to take a chance on them. Reciprocity.

They spend countless hours bringing metal tubes into their workshop and turning those tubes into bicycles; works of art one can pedal for days. They’ve helped me with every single bike build I’ve raced. I’ve watched Vince and Michelle raise a beautiful young daughter. I’ve watched Mark and Maura make huge changes to their lives. I’ve gotten to test geometries and try to break the beautiful, bomber stuff Mark builds.

I’ve watched as Chumba has grown from a two-person staff to a small family of passionate people. They employ friends and sponsor some of my other friends. I’ve stuck with them (and they’ve stuck with me) because, at the core of it all, we believe in and want the best for each other. Love is a powerful bond; I genuinely love all of my friends behind the team that is, Team Chumba.

I still want to be friends.

“I’m planning on a 2020 Triple Crown SS; Alice Drobna is the only female 3crowner in the world right now...” I wrote to them after completing my first Colorado Trail race in 2018, finishing just two hours and 45 minutes behind Ashley Carelock, the women’s winner. “We would like to offer you a sponsored frame...” to “help promot[e] this bike for bikepacking and ultra racing...” Vince said in response. It was a mission I took very seriously, and I showed up everywhere I could with my Chumba and their support. I was honored that they thought I could help them.

I ended up racing that frame, my first sponsored bike frame, in the 2019 Tour Divide, becoming the first woman to win back-to-back Tour Divides while simultaneously setting a new women’s singlespeed record. It’s amazing what a team can do. Look at what we’ve done together. Chumba’s trust in me changed my perspective about myself in permeating ways.

In one of those early emails, I wrote, “I just want to ride bikes and break the mold..”

So, it’s not you. It’s me, I am going to try something different. I’m going to take a leap and see if there’s more for me to do out in the big bike world. And leaving the team at Chumba has been a hard decision for me to make, but Mark and Vince have made it easier. “We just want what’s best for you; we’re happy for you.”

So, Mark, Maura, Vince, and Michelle, I love you guys. Miigwech for truly seeing me.

We learned together, we laughed together, we cried together and we grew in meaningful ways beside each other. We built an outline for what team support can look like. I’m honored to have accepted your invitation to be my best self. I always felt supported and trusted. Most of all, I always felt valued. You were my biggest fans and my foundation. You listened to my ideas, you were always there to help when I asked for help. I will always be the biggest Chumba fan out there.

Instead of caging me, you’ve built me up and left the door open; now it’s time for me to leave the nest. I don’t feel like there’s anything more true love than that. Moving on is hard, but we built a family, and family is there forever.

Giga-waabamin, you’ll be seen by me.

Weweni, with care,

Nenookaasigwaneyaashikwe.