The story of Roxy Bombardier—an Iraq veteran amateur cyclist who risks losing her closest relationships to be her true self and transition at age 51.
Roxy’s leadership and commitment to the gravel community have made her an icon in central Vermont. When she plans routes, pulls in new cyclists, and puts everything on the line for her training goals, a quiet joy eases over her face. But off the bike, Roxy is coping with the impacts of military service, and planning gender-confirming surgeries that she was convinced she could never pursue after being raised in a transphobic family.
On a crisp April morning in the Northeast Kingdom, Roxy clips in to tackle the 60-mile, 7,000-vertical-foot Rasputitsa Dirt. It’s the opening race in a summer leading up the Vermont Overland, a grueling event where hundreds of entrants quit or do not finish. As the demands of her cycling season build, Roxy makes the decision to live the second half of her life as a woman, confronting the fallout in her marriage and family, and embracing the possibilities of an unknown future.
At a time when transgender rights have become a political football, little media attention is paid to the expansiveness of individual lives. An intimate and relatable portrait of coming out despite all odds, Claim the Lane spotlights the universal choices and conflicts of seeking truth in ourselves and our relationships— struggles shared by everyone, regardless of identity.
Join the ride and help bring Roxy’s story to audiences everywhere.
