Playing Division One basketball at a Big 10 college, Kelsey Smith was no stranger to hard work and athleticism. But it wasn’t until the pandemic and subsequent lockdown that she first started cycling. Initially as a leisure pursuit, fast forward the intervening years and you’ll now find her—megaphone in hand—addressing the massed ranks of riders gathered outside Luft Los Angeles in her guise as ride leader and community cheerleader.
In an extended and off-the-cuff conversation—beautifully illustrated with the stunning shots of Chauntice Green and Melissa Martucci—Kelsey explores the nuances of the LA cycling scene, the positive outcomes from pushing back on boundaries, and the reasons she herself rides.
cyclespeak
Hi Kelsey. It looks like the sun is shining.
Kelsey
It is! I’m calling from my new backyard in Venice. I moved in with my boyfriend two weeks ago—all very exciting—but before that I was living in West Hollywood. So both from a riding and cycling scene perspective, this is totally different but I’m loving it. And we have this outdoor space which is really nice. Especially when you have a lot of bicycles to manage [smiles].
cyclespeak
Is this Venice Beach? I say that because so many place names in the States conjure up a film or TV location.
Kelsey
I guess Venice and Venice Beach are a little interchangeable. Maybe Venice Beach is more touristy—down by the boardwalk—and we’re set further back from the shore line. Actually, less than a mile from Luft which is amazing.
cyclespeak
You pronounce Luft in a very European way.
Kelsey
I’ll take that [laughs]. And what’s funny is that my very first group ride was Luft’s opening weekend.
cyclespeak
That’s quite a coincidence considering your current relationship with the brand?
Kelsey
I’d just moved to LA after first getting a bike during Covid when I lived up in the Bay Area. At that time my exercise routine centred around strength training at the gym but when they all closed I was like, okay, what happens now? My brother had a spare road bike and he offered to take me out on some rides. But then I moved to LA and didn’t know anyone or where to ride. My brother sent me a link to the Luft Instagram feed and flagged up they were organising their opening weekend. I showed up and—oh my gosh—I’d never seen a more diverse group of people on bikes before. It was super cool. And then when we set off, at the re-group point I noticed Kristen [Kuzemko] and immediately made a beeline to her and introduced myself.
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cyclespeak
Before we talk in more detail about your cycling journey, as it’s morning for you I wondered whether you have a specific routine?
Kelsey
I’m very productive in the morning and I enjoy having a coffee but don’t need one to feel like I can face the day. So my ideal morning would be waking pretty early…
cyclespeak
What do you call pretty early?
Kelsey
5:00am?
cyclespeak
Yep, that’s pretty early.
[Kelsey laughing]
Kelsey
And then depending on what I’ve got going on—I’m in business school right now getting my MBA—I like to go through my emails or catch up on assignments before leaving for a ride at around 6:00 or 6:30am.
cyclespeak
With friends or by yourself?
Kelsey
This morning I went on a really nice group ride out to Malibu. And then when I get back, I’ll make myself a quick smoothie before jumping into meetings, homework or things like that.
cyclespeak
But you’re not originally from the West Coast?
Kelsey
I grew up in the Midwest. More specifically a suburb of Chicago called St Charles. At college I was a Division One basketball player; starting my career at Michigan State—Big 10—before transferring to DePaul University—Big East—which is where I finished my career and have my undergrad degree from.
cyclespeak
Were you on a basketball scholarship?
Kelsey
That’s right.
cyclespeak
So you must have been really good?
Kelsey
I was. Back in the day. And I’m 6′ 2″ which I guess kinda helped [laughing].
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cyclespeak
Have you always enjoyed sports?
Kelsey
Growing up, my parents encouraged us all to try different sports but basketball was my favourite. So ever since I was 13, I had this dream of playing Division One but sport at that level is almost like a full-time job and by the time I graduated—I was a finance major—I was pretty burned out.
cyclespeak
What did that look and feel like?
Kelsey
I loved my teammates and the training element. But, mentally, it was really difficult.
cyclespeak
I’ve spoken with athletes—some at the very peak of their professions—and it almost seems like you’re only as good as your last game or race result, and then there’s the concerns over injury and not being able to maintain a certain level of fitness. And if they do achieve a big win it’s almost like, okay, done that, what’s next?
Kelsey
The system we have over here in the States, if a coach doesn’t have a winning season they get fired. And that, in turn, can create an unhealthy dynamic. So you take my playing career as an example. At high school I didn’t necessarily see myself as a gifted athlete but I did know how to outwork most people which was a formula that worked well for me. But when I got to college, all of a sudden it wasn’t working quite so well and you begin to question yourself. And it’s like you were saying, if you’re not performing in a way that leads to results, then it doesn’t matter whether you’re a good teammate or leader.
cyclespeak
How did that play out for you?
Kelsey
You’re 18 years old and your coach is telling you that you need to gain weight. So over the summer you eat so many chicken breasts that if you never see one ever again it would be too soon. But I’m coachable and stick to the plan and put on all this muscle but when I get back to school, the same coach tells me I’m too slow and need to lose weight.
cyclespeak
I can see how that can start to play mind games.
Kelsey
Looking back, there was something in me that knew it didn’t feel right but your coach is an authority figure and you’re the player and they decide your playing time so you do whatever they say.
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cyclespeak
So you had all these mixed emotions going through your head?
Kelsey
Exactly. And then this job opportunity came up in San Francisco. I’d never been to California but decided this was the break I needed.
cyclespeak
What was the job?
Kelsey
It was in banking. I started on the same day as another eight people and none of them came from the West Coast. So it was this really interesting dynamic of everyone being super young, everyone so excited about moving to this awesome city and you’re all kind of figuring out how to function as an adult. I honestly didn’t know shit about shit but these other people were in exactly the same situation which was really cool.
cyclespeak
In a new environment, you can be whoever you want to be?
Kelsey
Absolutely. It was incredibly liberating. And I experienced a similar process when I moved to LA. In San Francisco my life was centred around finance tech but in LA I began meeting all these people that were unapologetically pursuing things they were passionate about.
cyclespeak
Did you move to LA for work?
Kelsey
It was initially only a temporary move. In San Francisco I was used to going into an office downtown every day. But when Covid hit, it turned into a ghost town. So the friend I was living with suggested we spend the summer in LA. But it only took a couple of weeks before I was figuring out how to stay.
cyclespeak
It felt that good?
Kelsey
It was this combination of meeting all these new people, LA just being amazing and, career wise, I’d worked in finance for eight years and felt the need to pivot into doing something I’m more passionate about.
cyclespeak
Which is?
Kelsey
Sports business. Which is why I’m currently getting my MBA.
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cyclespeak
It can feel good to explore new directions.
Kelsey
The advice that I got before entering business school from someone who had just graduated was, “Kelsey, business school is a two year sabbatical. Yes, you’re going to class, but go to all the events, meet everyone and try out a bunch of ideas. It’s your time to take a step back and ask yourself what you really want to do and how these two years can help you explore that.”
cyclespeak
That sounds like good advice. And going full circle back to your riding, when you first came to LA, what kind of cyclist were you?
Kelsey
Saying I came to LA as a cyclist is generous [laughs]. Yes, I had a bike that I’d been riding for three or four months but I’d only just started clipping in.
cyclespeak
We all have to start somewhere.
Kelsey
I was really lucky because I met people that welcomed me on their rides and made me feel physically safe when I was learning how to ride in a group. And the scene was very nonjudgmental so, whenever I made a faux pas, they would explain without making me feel stupid.
cyclespeak
Tell me about a faux pas you made [smiles].
Kelsey
This is a classic one that people will understand because when I first started riding with a group, I wore my sunglasses with the arms under my helmet straps.
cyclespeak
Dare I ask whether it really matters? But I guess to some people it’s a pretty big issue.
Kelsey
It was a small group of guys that I rode with pretty consistently. We were out towards Malibu and someone mentioned my sunglasses and how the arms were under my helmet straps. And I was like, why, that’s so stupid. But he explained that it was a rule so I asked why he’d taken so long to tell me—we’d been riding together for months. He answered that it was the first thing he’d noticed about me but didn’t want to be that guy.
cyclespeak
Cycling and its unspoken rules [laughs].
Kelsey
I was lucky that the people I met were happy to advise and not judge too harshly.
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cyclespeak
How did this tie in with your involvement with Luft?
Kelsey
So I’d made this connection with Kristen and we’d arranged to go for a ride on a Wednesday with a couple of her friends. It was summer time, still really warm, so after we went to a Juneshine for a hard kombucha. And that was basically how the Humpday Hunnies ride started. Really informal on a Wednesday with a drink to follow. And through that, my friendship with Kristen developed and that led to me asking if I could help out with the Luft ride scene. We sat down together and formulated the Rad Women summer series in partnership with MAAP and it’s continuing to grow from there.
cyclespeak
Did you have a certain vision for what you wanted to create?
Kelsey
Kristen and I wanted a space to make cycling more inclusive—a community for women to join together to ride.
cyclespeak
Do you think that—as you’re fairly new to cycling yourself—this helps inform your advocacy because you can picture what it felt like rolling up to your first group ride? It can be a little intimidating.
Kelsey
So I’m a woman, thinking about getting a bike. Maybe I have concerns about safety but there’s this whole other issue relating to who I see riding in LA. It’s a lot of men so I’m wondering—if I turn up to a group ride—will I get mansplained to? Will they want to race or just ride faster than I’m comfortable with? I’m not for a second suggesting this is how male cyclists behave but what we do at Luft is counter these perceptions in a safe and supportive environment.
cyclespeak
Just out of interest, have you ever been mansplained to [laughs]?
Kelsey
I grew up playing sports against boys so that doesn’t intimidate me in the slightest. And what Kristen and I try to encourage is for people not to feel they have to apologise if they can’t climb a hill as fast as somebody else.
cyclespeak
Let’s say someone rolls up for their first group ride. What kind of advice do you give them?
Kelsey
Number one—especially in LA—is safety. So we talk about riding two up and the various hand signals they might see. Are they carrying the tools and spares they need? Do they know how to use them and if not, would they like us to show them? And then there’s the secret language of cycling that covers aspects of etiquette. Things like the difference between a drop and a no drop ride. With our Rad Women rides, we have two routes. One is called Spicy and the other is Mild.
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cyclespeak
So what does your own cycling journey look like?
Kelsey
Some of the women that I’ve met on these group rides are now my closest friends and my go-to people to ride with. Through them, I’ve discovered new routes and seen and done things that I never would have thought possible. And I also get a real sense of satisfaction when women return after their first group ride with an appetite for more…
cyclespeak
Because that’s the metric, isn’t it? Do they come back…
Kelsey
Exactly.
cyclespeak
You mentioned carrying ride tools and knowing how to use them. The megaphone you and Kristen use for your briefings looks fun?
Kelsey
Oh my gosh. You’re right when you say it’s so much fun. It’s a little silly and cute and I love standing up at the front passing the megaphone back and forth. But what’s really cool is that in the photos you can see the two of us but what we can see is 70 or 80 women that have come together because of something that Kristen and I have built.
cyclespeak
That’s pretty special.
Kelsey
It’s good to be reminded that it wasn’t that long ago when I rolled up for my first group ride [smiles].
cyclespeak
Looking at the LA cycling scene in more general terms, does it have a unique sense of style?
Kelsey
That’s an interesting question because what’s cool about LA—or at least my cycling community—is that a lot of people come from a creative path. So maybe there’s more a feeling of making it what you want it to be? Less stuck up and stuffy? A tee over cargo bibs is very much accepted as a gravel look. Maybe with a bandanna?
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cyclespeak
And the more traditional road scene?
Kelsey
When MAAP, BlackHeart and Bleach Design Werks did the pink bibs, they were all over LA. And it was interesting seeing men so excited to wear Barbie-pink bibs. So, yes, we might adhere to the cycling rules but what’s cool about LA is people like to push the envelope.
cyclespeak
What bikes do people ride?
Kelsey
Nice bikes. Expensive bikes [laughs].
cyclespeak
What do you ride?
Kelsey
A Specialized Tarmac. But that’s because I like to go fast [smiles].
cyclespeak
Do coffee stops feature on your rides?
Kelsey
If we’re on a group ride and don’t stop for coffee when we finish, that’s a little weird.
cyclespeak
After but not during?
Kelsey
If we’re way out in Malibu and it’s a very long day then during. But for the most part, the coffee is the reward at the end of the ride.
cyclespeak
And does cake also feature?
Kelsey
How do you define cake? Seeing as you live in England.
cyclespeak
Not pastries. Something like a brownie? Or carrot cake with frosting?
Kelsey
I love that. But typically over here, people get a coffee and either a croissant or a muffin.
[pause as Kelsey mulls over other options]
Or a cookie. A big cookie the size of your face [laughs].
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cyclespeak
Not so much cake choices but do you feel there are any misconceptions about the LA ride scene?
Kelsey
Speaking for myself, a little part of me wondered whether people in LA would be materialistic—maybe stuck up and not inclusive. And especially in West Hollywood, right? Everyone flashy and focused on show business.
cyclespeak
And the reality?
Kelsey
I’ve actually found the community here to be super approachable. I speak over the phone to my Mom and say that I’m going to hang out with this or that person and she asks me what they do for work. And sometimes I don’t actually know which is really kind of refreshing as not every conversation when you meet someone for the first time starts with, “And what do you do?”
cyclespeak
I guess that helps people place you?
Kelsey
Careers in LA look a bit different. You might work in tech but be a photographer on the side. Or have a marketing position but on the weekends write short stories. So generally speaking, I find the community in LA to be really welcoming and more nonjudgmental than I was initially expecting.
cyclespeak
So taking all these different aspects into consideration, why do you ride?
Kelsey
Cycling offers me a true sense of community. When I ride, I get to meet people and the conversations we have are not just a lot of fluff. And what’s so personally fulfilling, is that I’m pushing my body and mind in a way that you don’t always get to do in your job. I’m very Type A so riding a technical gravel route or climbing up a mountain allows me to grow both mentally and physically. For me, that just feels super cool, and by leading an active role in creating and growing a community, I can pass these feelings on to other people.
cyclespeak
Last question Kelsey and it’s an important one. Your Instagram profile mentions you’re just here for the free snacks. And I was wondering whether you have a preference?
Kelsey
It might not be the best choice for on the bike but sliced apple dipped into chunky peanut butter? That works for me every time [laughs].
Photography by Chauntice Green and Melissa Martucci with kind permission of Kelsey Smith
Feature image by Melissa Martucci / All other images individually credited
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