THE CARBON NEUTRAL ZONE
MICHAEL WOODS ON WHY HE’S TRYING TO RACE A CARBON- NEUTRAL SEASON
In the last hours of 2020 I was having a drink with Christian Meier, an entrepreneur and former pro cyclist. Six years ago Christian and his wife Amber opened La Fabrica, a coffee shop in the heart of Girona. This venture seems like a slam-dunk now, but when they opened, the idea of charging two euros for a cup of fairly-traded coffee, in a land where a euro could get you a croissant and an espresso, was an intimidating prospect. However, La Fabrica transformed the trajectory of the ancient city. It is rare to walk down one of its streets without hearing the sizzle of a coasting freehub, or passing a cafe with words like ‘avocado toast’ written on the menu. The town has become a mecca for cycling and coffee shop culture, and La Fabrica, along with Christian’s two other businesses, Espresso Mafia and The Service Course, have been at the forefront of this movement.
Christian has great vision and for this reason
I have always enjoyed picking his brain. So, over our drinks, I asked him what his goals were for the coming year and he told me of his plans to cut down on his impact on the environment, both personally and within his businesses. Like most successful people, Christian laid out these plans unencumbered by fears of failure, and I had no doubt that he would achieve them. I was inspired.
Since becoming a pro cyclist in 2016, I have not lived a hermetic lifestyle, unaware of the world outside of cycling. I was aware of the climate change crisis well before I entered the sport. Christian’s ideas were not new ones, but whether it was the drinks, the fact that I had become a father a year earlier or the clarity with which he presented the ideas, I came out of that conversation deciding that it was time to make serious changes.
Like most athletes, my performance has often been the scapegoat for my environmental impact. However, in a world where a veggie burger can taste as good as the real deal and Tesla is one of the most valuable stocks on the market, the excuse of performance no longer worked. I started reflecting on the significant impact that pro cycling has on the environment: the copious amounts of single-useplastic, the excessive travel and the fleet of vehicles required to support racers. I decided that this season I would reduce these impacts and where I couldn’t, I would pay to offset the carbon my actions created.
Between changing diapers and doing six-hour rides, I jumped on calls with experts in the field of environmental impact and planned how best to approach this subject. It was easy to go down a rabbit hole, and there were nights where I lay awake contemplating the idea of quitting my job, buying a plot of land and living off grid. Running away would in no way ameliorate the problem though. Instead, I decided the best way I could influence change was to use the platform I have as an athlete to inspire others, as Christian inspired me.
I announced in March that I would be doing a carbon neutral season. Yes, I will still take flights to races, and yes, I will still drink from bidons that - due to the UCI’s foolish ban on throwing bidons to fans - are rarely being reused, but I will also take every measure I can to push the sport to change. I’m not a zealot, and therefore the message I want to espouse is that although my actions are small, it is the example that I set, and that cycling sets, that can influence change. It is only when concepts like conscious consumerism and environmentalism are normalised that governments will take action, and that is when real change happens. So, although it may seem trivial, until such policies are implemented, I will refrain from using the plastic cutlery on the team bus, pay for my offsets, and, when the UCI commissaires aren’t looking, throw a bottle to a fan.