Claim the Lane: Becoming Roxy

An Iraq-veteran cyclist training for Vermont’s most grueling gravel race risks her closest relationships to come out, transition, and be her true self at age 51.

Roxy Bombardier’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 51-year-old 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 and culture.

On a crisp April morning in the Northeast Kingdom, Roxy rolls out in the first wave of riders 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 the possibilities of an unknown future.

Filming is wrapped for Claim the Lane, and our team is fundraising to complete the editing and post-production phase of the project.

Director - Jesse Huffman

Jesse Huffman is a multiple-award-winning writer, director, and producer with over a decade of experience crafting emotionally impactful and socially relevant documentary and branded content. His work includes projects on LGBTQ+ rights, DIY powerwalls, climate justice, Olympic athlete burnout, and musical subcultures. From the mountains of Japan to street protests and hospital rooms, Jesse’s empathy and clarity allow him to create intimate profiles of people who embody human change.

Editor - Steve Stevenson

Steve Stevenson is an editor, producer, and director for the BBC, Channel 4 and National Geographic, including 2 award-winning Equinoxes. Stevenson occasionally self-shoots environmental films for BBC World & UNESCO. He lectures on The Grammar of Film Editing for the MA course in Documentary Practice at Brunel University, and ran weekend seminars on the subject for the Documentary Filmmakers Group.

Instagram: @claimthelanefilm

Learn more: www.claimthelanefilm.com