US elite criterium champion Justin Williams was on the fast track to cycling's top level when he joined Axel Merckx's Livestrong development team in 2010, but the rider from South Central Los Angeles soon realized he was not prepared for the lifestyle of an international professional cyclist.
Williams thought his run at racing might be over, but he discovered life outside of the European cycling circuit exists and has thrived on the US criterium scene. Now he's created his own Los Angeles Legion elite level amateur team as a platform for other riders who want to thrive and development outside the traditional pathways and as a way to make cycling more accessible to more people.
"Hopefully, in the future we have more people who feel more comfortable joining the sport," Williams tells the inCycle crew in the video above. "You never know what's going to happen if you make something accessible and acceptable, you never know what's going to happen with the talent that could potentially join the peloton."
Watch the video for Williams' take on diversity in cycling and what he's trying to do to promote it.
Video content created by inCycle. More videos at https://www.youtube.com/user/inCycleTV
