Introducing: Omar Santiago

Welcome to CCC Introduces, our series spotlighting the incredible contributors who give their time and energy to Cycling Culture Club.

Today we head to Boulder, Colorado, meeting Omar Santiago. From Oaxaca, Mexico, through Northern and Southern California, and now building a new chapter in the mountains. Omar writes about imposter syndrome, identity, and the moment he realised cycling could be a place where he finally belongs.

Follow Omar on Instagram: @omar.wingsit

Words: Omar Santiago

Tell us about yourself

I am Omar Santiago. I started cycling about 10 years ago.

My first bike was a 10-speed Motobecane from the ’80s that I bought for $50. At first, cycling was simply a way for me to get to school and work.

As I continued my studies, cycling slowly snowballed into a hobby that was taking up more and more of my time behind the scenes. During my final years in university, I worked at a bike shop to help pay for school while also feeding my growing obsession with bikes.

After graduating, I decided to pursue a career in cycling, and today I work for Giant Bicycles USA.

What do you love about cycling?

I love the bicycle because it’s so simple, yet somehow incredibly complex. Two wheels, a frame, and a drivetrain and from there, you can go as deep as you want. You can nerd out over the most expensive, blinged-out components, or you can keep it simple and enjoy the bike for what it is.

It keeps you fit, it’s an incredible way to commute, and for me, it’s also been a huge part of improving my mental well-being.

What barriers have you faced in cycling?

I think back to my teenage years, walking past bike shops and looking at the bikes displayed behind the windows. I never really felt comfortable walking inside for a number of reasons. One of the biggest was seeing the price tags on those bikes. But another was that I didn't see many people who looked like me inside those shops.

Tell us about your personal experience of diversity in cycling

Being a cyclist has taught me the importance of diversity in all spaces.

At the end of the day, you're shoulder to shoulder or wheel to wheel with people from completely different backgrounds who happen to share something with you. There's something really eye-opening about learning who someone is, where they come from, and what brought them to the same sport you love.

It wasn't until I moved to Southern California that I realised just how many other Latinos shared the same love for cycling that I did. I never really experienced that growing up in the small town where I lived in Northern California.

Why were you interested in contributing?

Meeting people who shared similar cultural backgrounds and upbringings made me feel more connected not only to other cyclists, but to myself.

And then there's the other part of my story.

I'm an immigrant, and that experience has contributed to a lot of the imposter syndrome I've carried throughout my life. Growing up, there were times when I felt like I didn't deserve to be happy. I felt like a fraud, and I lacked the confidence to recognise or talk about my own strengths, especially in social settings.

Even now, I'm still working through a lot of that and trying to reconstruct the way I see myself.

Cycling has been one of the tools that has helped me do that.

It's given me confidence. It's given me community. And it's given me a place where I can show up as myself and connect with people without feeling like I have to prove that I belong.

Where are you from: Oaxaca, Mexico. Grew up in Northern California, spent years in Southern California.

Where do you live: Boulder, Colorado

Are you part of a club/team: Not currently, but happy to share this space with people from all walks of life.