celebrating pride
with the speedtuck girls
To commemorate Pride Month this year, we spoke to George and Lily, the couple behind the epic partnership that is, “Speedtuck Co”.
While filming in Canberra, we were lucky enough to have the Speedtuck Girls take Deetz and Vandy to their favourite spots on the Centenary Trail. You’ll get to see them shine on this weekends episode, but before that, why not get to know a bit more about these two legends.
Introduce yourselves and tell us a bit about how the 'Speedtuck girls' came to life.
We are two girls, George and Lily, that like being outside, riding our bikes, and having a good old time. Things we have in common include: being gay (for each other), loving Celebrity Apprentice, and having an expensive degree that we will probably never use. Enter Speedtuckco. We like to say it’s a social enterprise but its really more of a cult that’s based on Instagram content and weird edits. We’ve never been shy about sharing the weird and wonderful things that we encounter, so why not show the whole world on the internet. A day in the life of a Speedtuckco member is about having fun on bikes and not taking yourself too seriously. We also love doing speed tucks and watching the creative ways the cult members also do them. We’ve roped many friends, family members, bosses, colleagues and strangers into this escapade and hope they are having as much fun as we are.
How did you find cycling?
We both found cycling during peak avoidance mode: completing a university degree. George made the decision to spare her shoulders and give her knees a turn by quitting tennis and buying a hardtail mountain bike. She loved it from the moment the tyres hit the dirt and has not looked back since. Lily had done some mountain biking as a kid, and even raced a Thredbo before it was cool, but hadn’t touched a bike since 12. She claimed her Mum’s old mountain bike while at ANU in Canberra and fell in love all over again.
Why do you love cycling so much?
We both love cycling because it allows you to be outside and go very fast. We also love the feeling of nearly crashing and then not, which endows you with such a rush of adrenaline and appreciation for living/breathing that suddenly you really could go a BBQ sauce smoothie from Boost Juice (see latest Celebrity apprentice episode for context). The community in the cycling world is spectacular too. Everyone has a zest for life and a desire to be better than yesterday. There’s always space for improvement in cycling, meaning you’re constantly addicted to chasing, doing something smoother, faster or more controlled.
How did you meet? Did one of you convert the other into cycling or did you both already love it?
We met through Bike Culture in Canberra, where we both worked. Lily started after George left the shop, but constantly heard stories of the illustrious Georgina. After a ride at Stromlo the deal was done. We were both already keen bean cyclists and bonded over our love for our Treks.
How important is LGBTQIA+ representation in cycling and in cycling media?
LGBTQIA+ representation in cycling is extremely important. Sadly, there is a way to go before comments on social media like “why are all girls that mountain bike either fat or gay?” are eradicated (a real life comment we have witnessed). Being gay is sometimes tricky enough, but in a generally male dominated, macho sport, it can be even harder. There are only a few openly gay women in cycling, however Trek-Segafredo rider Tayler Wiles said that ‘women’s cycling was such a nice environment to come out in’.
Mountain biking has always been the rebellious step-child of cycling. That works well for us and we have been accepted with open arms by the people around us. Lea Davidson, is an openly gay mountain biker, currently racing cross country world cups in Europe and repping it hard for the gay girls.
We look to our male counterparts and feel they may have it even tougher. The first openly gay pro male cyclist is Belgium Justin Laevans who came out in Jan THIS YEAR. Furthermore, we certainly know of people who’s sexuality has not been welcomed in the elite ranks. Surely, and we’re no social scientists, there are more gay men out there that may be too afraid to be themselves. This is why representation is so important.
What LGBTQIA+ initiatives or communities exist in the cycling space and how can people find/join them?
We have been looking into this for a while and can’t find much that is specific to LGBTQIA+ people. In the interests of upsetting groups that do exist but that we don’t know about, we won’t say any more. We would love to know of anything that does exist, because there’s gotta be some cool stuff out there.
Please feel free to message either the Speedtuckco or Trailtownstv if you have an LGBTQIA+ cycling initiative. We’d love to spread the word!
What is your ultimate cycling dream?
George’s ultimate cycling dream is to race one of the Enduro World Series and schralp properly. You can ask her what this is later but for now just imagine going around a corner so fast it sounds like a cat burping.
Lily’s cycling dream is to have a personal mechanic that fixes everything on her eternally broken bikes for free. Also, she’d like to have her unrealistically high expectations met on her next FTP test.
Do you have a hero LGBQTIA+ cyclist / professional athlete?
Huge yes. We love Gracie Elvin. She is a talented, authentic, general bad ass on the bike gal. She’s a CBR local and even owns a green Speedtuckco shirt (we can’t believe it). As a former pro-tour rider, she’s seen it all. To be honest you should probably have interviewed her, she’s so cool.
As previously mentioned, we also adore Lea Davidson. Mainly because her Instagram handle is lea-eats-a-lot which we totally vibe with. She’s also a just legend and genuinely happy. We aspire to show her and her wife Frazier around Australia if they ever visit. Actually, that’s our ultimate cycling dream.
Celebrating pride and LGBTQIA+ people within all sporting spaces and in your life is incredibly important. Here are some simple ways you can do that:
Add your pronouns to your social media, email signatures and video conferencing software.
Support Pride Organisations by donating. Pride in Sport is amazing organisation that are creating safe spaces across a multitude of sporting clubs and levels. You can donate here.
Check in on your LGBTQIA+ friends, family members and coworkers.
Follow queer people on social media and diversify your social media following. We’ve linked all of the instagrams to those mentioned from the Speedtuck girls throughout the article. Spread the love!
