Last week, news broke that Specialized's Ambassador Program would be changing. Since then and up to the present, there have been many critical articles about the way this change has unfolded, which is perhaps a valid point, but one that has been well covered.

However, there are also some questions about what the change really means, why it happened, and what the future holds for content creators and other brand ambassadors.

According to a recent poll by the Associated Press-Norc Center for Public Affairs Research (opens in new tab), 57% of Americans say it is harder to give what they want to give this year, compared to 40% last year The survey also found that the number of Americans who say they have found it harder to give what they want to give this year, compared to 40% last year. With that in mind, it's easy to jump to conclusions. Specialized is one of many companies cutting costs in response not only to the slowing economy, but also to the fact that bicycle sales are back to where they were before the pandemic.

When asked for more details, Specialized denies that there is much significance behind it. Specialized's official statement is that "our social ambassador program continues to change to meet the needs of our riders, but it is definitely not going away." The reports seem to point to this being true, in a sense. The image that is becoming clearer is that there is more emphasis on racing and less on adventure cycling. This is a loss for those of us who prefer adventure to racing.

It is also an opportunity. Specialized is an industry giant, but it does not operate alone. The cycling industry is diverse and full of brands that not only compete directly, but also serve other aspects of the community. Some brands are big, some are small, and many have chosen to remain committed to non-race-specific content.

Sarah Swallow is one athlete affected by Specialized's decision. She has been outspoken on social media about how this decision came as a surprise, and I reached out to her to discuss her thoughts on what this decision means. One thing that became clear through our discussion was that even though what I heard was sadness over the loss, there are still positives for Sarah, people like her, and fans of the kind of content she creates. Not only do such brands exist, but according to Sarah, "After the Velonews article (opens in new tab), I received an overwhelming number of emails from brands wanting to work with me. This tells me that there is still a large portion of the industry that understands the value of fueling the adventures and projects of ambassadors like me."

This is positive news for athletes, but also for fans. I looked for confirmation from others and it wasn't hard to find. We are very committed to our ambassador program and believe that people are important in humanizing our brand philosophy and spreading it to the world. That is why we will continue to invest in our athletes and ambassadors as we always have"

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I first thought of Rapha because it is a brand that exists because of its emphasis on adventure in many ways. A few years ago, Rapha was faced with becoming yet another of the many high-end road racing brands. The products Rapha was making at the time were good, but differentiation and excitement is what makes a brand great. Someone understood this, and Rapha committed itself to presenting an adventure lifestyle that had only a loose connection to racing. A prime example of this is the page that Sarah occupies on Rapha's website (opens in new tab). It is the story of her participation in the Tour Divide, but the actual results are almost a footnote. The focus is not on the race, but on the adventure.

Rapha has also recruited a relatively unknown man named Angus Morton. Angus had already completed his legendary work with his own company, Therabouts. In 2014, the first issue of Therabouts was launched with the story of a young Lachlan Morton and his brother Angus riding the Australian outback. It is no exaggeration to say that it changed the cycling world. But soon Rapha teamed up with Angus and a lot of content was posted on the Rapha Films Youtube channel. Take a look through that great content and see if you can find me in the coverage of the 2019 Festive 500 ride where I suffered a mild frostbite on my toe.

Rapha continued to focus on World Tour racing, but with a unique spin on it as well. They partnered with EF Education-EasyPost (opens in new tab) to "shake up the sport." There are standard races and stories, but there is also an alternative calendar of races that are far removed from the rest of the peloton. Lachlan Morton in particular has had success on the World Tour, but like me, it's much more exciting to see an alternative calendar; if you haven't seen Lachlan crying during a GBDuro2019 race, you're in for a treat.

Of course, Rapha is not the only player in this space. As Sarah mentioned, there is a lot of interest in her, which is reflected in the comments on her social accounts. One name that came up several times was State Bicycles. You might not associate State with adventure cycling, but they seem to be trying to play in this space, as State co-founder Mehdi Farsi said when asked for comment. Myself, the team managers, and State Bicycle Co. have always tried to provide a place where riders can be themselves and put together a unique and interesting schedule for themselves. We are only here to support. We don't have any specific initiatives to grow the team, but we always have the mindset that if we can find a rider who fits the bill, that's what we'll do. If we feel that the player is creating value, there is no need to set quotas or formalities"

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An important aspect of this is something I have heard echoed elsewhere. It refers to a non-transactional approach in which brands support athletes and do not ask for anything in return. I have no insight into how certain brands structure their contracts, but it is exciting that this way of thinking exists, and it seems somewhat similar to what I discussed with Amanda Nauman about Shimano. Amanda is a two-time winner of the Unbound 200 and a very approachable person. When I asked her about her favorite content for adventure cycling fans, she immediately mentioned Shimano. In my search, Shimano seems to be adding great content that speaks to adventure cycling fans as well as expression fans. I know I'll be spending some time in my downtime this holiday season looking at content about "All Bodies on Bikes" and "Beyond the Binary."

The bottom line on all of this is that there is content out there, and for now, it will continue. Shimano is producing it, Rapha is producing it, SRAM is producing content for Hammerhead and the "See the Road Ahead" playlist, Focus bikes produced a great video about the Badlands race this year Ride Beyond Crew. The list goes on and on, and I can only showcase a few of their picturesque stories. If you are a fan, get out there and let the brands know and let the athletes know. Your support matters to everyone involved.