Sarah Swallow on what it takes to be a professional ultra-endurance cyclist, and the ups and downs of working as an ambassador in the industry

Sarah Swallow is a professional ultra endurance bike packer who is dedicated to being an advocate for the sport. Through all of the things Sarah puts on her plate, she still finds time to create amazing routes, coordinate events, and write amazing stories about her adventures. In this episode, she dove into how she found the bike, her introduction into bike packing, and how her career as a pro cyclist started. I really found interest in the recent story she wrote for VeloNews. Her and many of the outdoor ambassadors for Specialized received an email early December of 2022 stating they are discontinuing their ambassador program. This had a major effect on many athletes and outdoor enthusiasts of the sport who do amazing things for companies like Specialized. She described the implications this had on her and her decisions for 2023. Being laid off isn’t the best feeling, let alone being laid off at the end of 2022 when most bike companies have already established a budget for the following season. While doing research on her and this topic, I’ve noticed that this is becoming a bigger issue across other companies and athletes as well. I hope you enjoy this episode. If you want to find more information on Sarah Swallow and all of the cool things she’s doing check out the links below. https://sarahjswallow.com/ Sarah’s awesome event: https://www.rutadeljefe.com/ Explore here: https://ridewithgps.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarahjswallow/ VeloNews, Adventure no more: Specialized ends contracts with dozens of paid ambassadors: https://www.velonews.com/news/gravel/adventure-no-more-specialized-ends-contracts-with-dozens-of-paid-ambassadors/?utm_campaign=&utm_content=&utm_medium=organic-social&utm_source=velonews-instagram