Based in St. Louis, Chanel Mitchell is a STL Regulator working with Diverse Terrain Collective to lead a 260-mile trip along the Katy Trail. The Katy trail is a frequent gravel ride that few BIPOC individuals get to experience due to the lack of educational resources, camping gear, and security feeling on the trail. From this ride, Chanel hopes to have more frequent outings and travels with peers to do bike-packing trips in the surrounding area. Her goal is to inspire individuals to learn how to camp and attend events to increase their adventures in other states.
Her vision is to get more BIPOC folx from various communities to learn more about bike packing. As security and safety is a concern, her goal is to build a community where groups are larger in numbers and able to venture outside of St. Louis without fear. By increasing the number of people with the skills, tools, and resources to bike pack, she can increase the distance and areas they visit.
Chanel believes that breaking the status quo of what cycling, adventure touring/ riding look like, requires representation, such as myself to show up and create opportunities for others. Her goal is to be a visual representation to promote and encourage more BIPOC individuals to explore this side of cycling.