Five Minutes with the Long Run Club

This piece first appeared in the April edition of BikeBiz magazine – not subscribed? Get a free subscription to BikeBiz.

BikeBiz speaks to Lily Rice, Director of The Long Run Club.

Launching a business during an industry downturn is a bold move. What specific opportunities did you identify that made you confident in The Long Run Club’s success despite the challenges?

We knew that launching was going to be a challenge, but we also felt confident that there was a real need for better custom kit. So many brands are set up as retail first, custom second, which means it’s always a bit of an afterthought.

We wanted to really shake up the market and create the most ethical custom kit on the planet. Allowing businesses, teams and even individuals the opportunity to wear custom kit that really represents their values. Plus, any excuse to talk kit, bikes and coffee all day should always be taken!

In your experience, would you say the sportswear industry has historically been male-dominated? How have you navigated this landscape during your career, and what changes would you like to see that would create more opportunities for women in leadership roles?

There aren’t many industries that haven’t been male-dominated and sportswear is no exception. I’ve always been quite vocal both in terms of sharing my thoughts on design but also in trying to create space and roles for other women. I think we need real top-level change to allow more women into leadership roles, flexible, remote working for both genders, for example. 

I think some of the responsibility falls to men too. I am very lucky to be supported both at home by my husband, and also by my co-founder, Guy, but we still get some contacts who make it very clear they want to speak to “a man”! 

I love that articles like this are happening, though. Representation in the industry is vital, and we need to shine more light on women and underrepresented groups within cycling. If you go to an event and it’s 99% male attendees or speakers, collar the organisers, what are they doing to encourage more women to attend? Support female-run events and businesses. If you can’t buy from them, share their content, spread the word. More diversity in cycling will bring more talent and make the sport better for everyone. 

Many industries are seeing women lead the charge in more ethical and sustainable business practices. How has your experience as a woman in the sportswear industry shaped your approach to building The Long Run Club? 

I think women can bring a more holistic point of view to sustainability and an attitude of exploration, what if we tried this, have we looked at this option etc. We’ve built the Long Run Club to be the ethical custom kit brand, meaning that every decision we make is based on sustainability and ethics first, budget and logistics become secondary because where there’s a will, there’s a way. Probably an attitude honed from years of working in a male-dominated industry!

We like your ‘If you want to go fast go alone, if you want to go far go together’ philosophy. How does this translate into your relationships with your suppliers, customers, and the wider cycling community?  

I’ve been very lucky to be surrounded by strong, talented women for my entire career, but I have also gone out of my way to seek relationships and mentoring from other women I admire. I think it’s really important to get to know everyone within your business and only (where possible) work with those you like and respect, male or female.

This eliminates the Sunday scaries but also allows you to build a more authentic brand that you can be truly passionate about. We visit our factories in person, attend events to see our customers and generally get involved in as much and share as much as we can. 

What makes you different from others offering custom cycling kit?

No one else is looking at custom kit like us. Our passion is disrupting the industry with better kit. Better for the teams we serve and better for the planet. We are B Corp certified, 1% for the planet and a member of the Better Business network. From fibre (ours are made from post-consumer recycled plastic bottles) to fabric (spun in Italy) to being crafted in our sustainably powered factory in Europe, every part of the supply chain is considered for as little environmental impact as possible whilst performing to a really high standard.

Design-wise, we create garments that will be worn and worn again, working with clients to encourage them to consider longevity from the start. We carbon offset every order and issue an impact certificate so you know exactly what you’ve saved for the planet. We keep getting asked if we will do retail, and you can never 100% say no, but I love how much positive impact we can have, for example, one of our event customers switched from virgin non-sustainable garments to us and so now that’s 3000 less s**t jerseys in the hands of cyclists. 

We convinced them to refine the design and keep all the sponsors on the back, which a) looks great for the sponsors but b) means the event participants wear the jersey again and again because it looks so good. We also work with the event to try and educate the cyclists on ways to be more environmentally friendly, and so the positive impact just continues. 

You mention your mission is to create sportswear that’s better in every sense. The most sustainable, highest performing and ethically produced clothing you can buy anywhere. How are you able to do so, and does this have a big impact on cost?

Everyone thinks sustainable = expensive, but I think our quality and price point match some of the big boys. You have to remember when ordering from them, you’re covering the cost of their huge overstock, glamorous marketing campaigns and fancy offices and teams. We’re intentionally lean, every garment we make is made to order, so we have no waste. That being said, you won’t be finding £5 jerseys in our offering anytime soon. 

I think they’re a really interesting discussion point though. If your morning cup of coffee on the way to the office is costing almost as much as your team wear, logically, you know your supply chain isn’t being paid properly. Modern-day slavery is rife, and we think to create better sportswear, you need to value everyone in your entire chain.

Talk us through the custom cycling kit? What’s available? How do people work with you?

We have over a decade’s worth of experience working at sportswear’s highest levels, so we’re really proud of our products. We offer different fits for jerseys and bibs, so we can find the right garment for your team. We also offer other garments like winter weather kit, socks, caps and even off-bike garments like recycled t-shirts and organic cotton hoodies, so we’ve got you completely covered!

We can also do garments for BMX and MTB, so it’s not just road. We have the ability to create a completely custom design in terms of the graphics, or if you know what you want, we can work with your design and transfer this to our kit. We always try to be as flexible as possible with our process to help as much as we can! We can be reached online via our website!