MOMENTUM [ moh-men-tuhm ]: the force that drives us forward.
On 13th May 2022, the SunGod community came together to celebrate what we hope will be a moment to remember. This year marks the start of huge change within cycling, with the long awaited Tour de France Femmes finally going ahead. But to us, the introduction of a female Tour de France is not the end of the story. Instead, it marks the start of a more equal landscape; within cycling, and across womenâs sport more broadly.
Our aim is to capture the momentum that has gone into making this happen, harness it, and use it to build a better, more equal world for womenâs sport.
So last Friday, along with a team of our UK-based Ambassadors, we launched the SunGod MOMENTUM Campaign. The campaign celebrates the progress being made towards gender equality in sport, and highlights the work that is still to come. To mark the start of this campaign, we worked with our friends at the National Trust to create a completely unique, temporary piece of art, on the most iconic hill climb in the UK: the SunGod MOMENTUM Mural.
Where is the MOMENTUM Mural?
The Zig Zag Road, Box Hill, Surrey. This thigh-burning hill climb was the site of the London 2012 Olympic road races and is hallowed ground for British cyclists, as thousands head there each weekend to take on the challenge.
How was the MOMENTUM Mural created?
At 7pm on Thursday 12th May 2022, the National Trust did something they havenât done since the 2012 London Olympics - they closed the Zig Zag road to allow us, along with an artist, to work overnight to create the mural. Any cycling fan will recognise the road markings of the Tour de France, and we decided to put our own spin on these to create the MOMENTUM mural.
At 21 metres long and 2.5m high, the mural became an unmissable temporary feature of the Surrey Hills landscape. It was created out of bio-degradable chalk spray paints, so we were taking a risk, knowing it would only last as long as the British weather holds out. Luckily the rain stayed away and the sun made an appearance for a spectacular MOMENTUM community launch event the following day.
Why was the MOMENTUM Mural created?
Despite the temporary nature of the mural, the aim is for the wider conversation to last much, much longer. The MOMENTUM Campaign is a summer-long celebration of women in sport - but we know that this journey needs much more than just a marketing campaign. Weâre opening up the discussion - and trying to push for gender equality in sport across everything we do as a brand - but the systemic problems of gender discrimination in sport arenât going to be solved overnight. Letâs be loud, be bold and be commited to change; today, and every day until weâve achieved our goals of a gender-equal sporting world.
Who was involved in the MOMENTUM launch?
Joined by a team of SunGod cycling Ambassadors, Athletes and press, we unveiled the mural, shared a social ride and came together to share our thoughts on how all of us - regardless of gender - can be allies to women in cycling, and in sport more broadly.
On the day, key faces in the SunGod community spoke about their experiences of gender equality - and inequality - in womenâs cycling. Our speakers included:
- Louise Vardeman (nĂŠe Gibson): Team Captain of the cycling team and campaign group Internationelles, who campaigned for tirelessly for a womenâs Tour de France. Louise was joined by UK-based Internationelles teammates Rhiane Denton, Jess Galbraith, Jules Cass and Lucy Ritchie.
- Sabria Stultiens: Professional cyclist from the Netherlands who rides for UCI Womenâs World Tour team Liv Racing Xstra , who will compete in the Tour de France Femmes this summer.
- David Walters: Team Manager of Bianchi Hunt Morvelo and a key player in improving development infrastructure for grassroots female cyclists.
After the event, the road was reopened so the wider public could come up and get involved by riding the mural, using the hashtag #SunGodMOMENTUM.
As a brand in the sports industry thatâs committed to gender equality, weâve witnessed first-hand the progress thatâs been made in recent years in womenâs sport. From prize money to coverage, from grassroots up to elite - change is happening. But thereâs still a huge amount more to do. Weâve listened to our community, and heard your frustrations about the lack of equity despite these changes. We know we canât change the industry single-handedly, but we hope that with your help, we can make the conversation louder.Â
The MOMENTUM Campaign will last all summer long, and will include many different elements - from a film created in collaboration with our UCI Womenâs WorldTeam, Liv Racing Xstra, as they prepare to compete in the Tour de France Femmes this summer - to Limited Edition products. Throughout the summer, weâll be continuing to shout about what it means to achieve a fair and equal playing field in sport, and we hope that by making enough noise, weâll inspire change.
The more momentum we make, the more change we create. Letâs start the conversation and keep making noise until weâve achieved what we set out to achieve: a gender-equal sporting world.
See how the day went down according to SunGod Ambassador Francis Cade (@francisccade):
