Liv expands Ambassador Program with sponsorship from SRAM, aiming to cultivate women’s cycling

With this season being the first for the UCI Women’s WorldTour, enshrining the talent of female riders in the pro pelton is a defining feature of 2016 in the cycling world. And as one U.S.-based cycling brand is demonstrating with a program meant to further nurture that talent—bolstered by some heavyweight sponsorship—there’s significant, meaningful work being done to continue that trend, starting at the grassroots.

That brand, it was announced, is Liv.

Dedicated exclusively to supporting women in cycling, Liv announced that, this year, its Ambassador Program will add 45 new ambassadors over the previous season, bringing the total to 125—the biggest in its history. As the largest such ambassador program for the brand, 2016 boasts the largest number of ambassadors overall not just for Liv, but also for any United States-based initiative. The focus of the program, of course, is to grow the women’s cycling community at the grassroots through local events, providing education about the sport and offering ways to make cycling more accessible—even more welcoming—for prospective female riders.

As Liv’s U.S. marketing manager Jen Audia said, describing the objectives of the program, the initiative is critical to growing women’s cycling in meaningful, far-reaching ways.

“I know what it is like to be new to the cycling world,” Audia said. “It can be really intimidating. The Liv Ambassadors are a resource based in the local community for retailers and women and the events they lead—like fix-a-flat clinics, bike maintenance and group rides—give women tangible skills to be more confident and independent cyclists.”

Ambassadors with the program will serve for one year, incentivized by discounts and products for their service. This year, the program will officially kick off on February 8—this Monday—as part of the Liv Ambassador Camp, held in Scottsdale, Arizona. Fifty ambassadors will be hosted, receiving training about the brand itself, as well as orientation in leading clinics and group rides. As sponsor, SRAM will also be on hand at the camp, training ambassadors in more gear-oriented aspects of their roles like drivetrains, brakes, suspension, maintenance and technology.

“We leaped at the chance to be a part of this program” said Elayna Caldwell, SRAM’s director of mountain bike brand marketing. “Through the ambassador program, Liv is really making a difference in the women’s cycling community and making progress towards our common goal of getting more women on bikes.”

More information can be found online at Liv’s website.