Women in the Bicycle Industry- Meet Melanie Apel, Gravel City Adventure & Supply Co.
Content provided by Melanie Fry – Athlete, Bike shop Employee, Coach, and Advisory Board Member Women’s Cycling
Today we are going to introduce you to Melanie Apel, the buyer/inventory manager at Gravel City Adventure & Supply Co. in Emporia, Kansas. She grew up in Baldwin City, Kansas, and learned to ride a bike in kindergarten, ditching her training wheels in the first grade. Her first bike was very memorable as it was purple with streamers and a unicorn-printed banana seat. Streamers have been a recurring theme on her subsequent bikes, a great reminder that we should not take ourselves too seriously. She also exemplifies this by confessing that she and a riding friend have an unusual activity that they combine with their riding – they love to really, really badly sing opera!
Melanie’s career in the bicycle industry began in the spring of 2009 when she and her husband opened a bike shop together, which had always been her husband’s dream. She began as the bookkeeper but quickly moved up to inventory manager/buyer. They jumped in immediately by hosting women’s events in the fall and by the next year were bringing in the Giant for Women (now Liv Cycling USA) demo truck. Over the next six years, Melanie helped host monthly events, group rides, became an official ambassador with Liv, made tons of memories and friendships that are ongoing to this day, and had lots of laughs. They made the decision to close the shop and from 2015-2018 tried to have a “normal” 8-5 office life. But the bike industry is in their blood now and they decided to move from their community of 16 years in November of 2018 to co-manage the shop in Emporia.
As a woman in the sport, Melanie looks for ways to encourage other women to participate. She knows that it can be intimidating when you are completely new to cycling and you are bombarded with all of the gear and other people who seem to know it all. Even walking into a shop for the first time can be an intimidating experience. Melanie takes her time with new buyers and lets them know what items are needed right away, such as a helmet and a flat-change kit, then works with them to explain all of the other gear that they might find helpful, all in a non-threatening and supportive manner.
Female role models are important and Melanie cites Leigh Donovan and Lindsey Richter as two who have had a major impact on her. She had a unique opportunity to learn some very important mountain bike skills from them and she has taken those skills into all disciplines of riding ever since. These two ladies have been a part of the industry for decades and are still willing to take the time to make everyone confident and joyful on their bikes. Don’t hesitate to learn from them, if you ever have the chance.
Melanie finds the bicycle so important because it creates something. Whether that’s adventure, joy, freedom, fitness, or the excuse to eat more chips and salsa. Cycling is a tool to create something good. And just as important, Melanie follows a balanced approach to cycling. She also does yoga, runs, hikes and camps. She loves being outside and the bike is just one of many tools that she uses to accomplish her adventures.
Ask Melanie what some of the challenges are for women in cycling and she will tell you that it is very much an attitude of ‘cyclist’ vs ‘noncyclist’. She is passionate that you are a cyclist if you ride your bike, no matter what you wear or how long or hard you ride. Melanie still feels the sting of being called a ‘noncyclist’, in part because she also runs, hikes, camps, and does yoga. This was a life lesson that taught her how much our words mean to the people who hear them. She finds that women, and men, grow to love cycling through inclusion and a willingness to welcome anyone regardless of where they are on their journey. So, Melanie has great advice for those in the industry. She wants us all to model, believe, and act upon the saying, “come as you are”. The industry has so much joy available that it is wrong to keep it for a select group of people. She believes that people need to be able to show up with what they have and be treated with as much enthusiasm as the next person. This not only fosters inclusion; it organically helps it to thrive and grows deep roots within the industry.
Melanie also knows that women are supremely important to the bike industry. Women often make the majority of purchasing decisions in the home, travel decisions, and healthcare decisions. And perhaps even more importantly, 92% of women pass on deals or recommendations to others. When women have a positive OR negative experience somewhere, you can bet they’re going to tell their friends. Women are either making or influencing the majority of the purchasing decisions in our economy and so it is vital that advertisers, and the bike industry as a whole, begin to engage this gender more and to do it well.
What would Melanie say to women interested in getting involved with cycling? “Come as you are. Please, please, please, come as you are. Because where you are is the perfect place to begin an adventure. We all have talents, skills, and gifts to bring to the table. Identify yours, be proud of that, and let it grow. Bring ‘you’ into the adventure of cycling. Whatever the reason you want to adventure by bike. Whether it’s to ride fast or slow, take sweet jumps, or take in the sweet sounds of the world around you. All of them are good reasons so long as we appreciate and respect the uniqueness each of us brings to the table.”
The NBDA has been here since 1946, representing and empowering specialty bicycle dealers in the United States through education, communications, research, advocacy, member discount programs, and promotional opportunities. As shops are facing never-before-seen circumstances, these resources offer a lifeline. Together, we will weather this. We at the NBDA will not waver in our commitment to serving our members even during this challenging time—but we need your support.
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