Choose The Bear Tour Press Release
Laura Killingbeck on Grizzly, her adventure touring bike.
Choose The Bear Tour:
Solo Cyclist to Ride Across Michigan for Women’s Safety and Autonomy
A cross-state journey transforms a viral conversation about women’s safety into a movement to end gender-based violence.
MICHIGAN — This summer, solo cyclist and award-winning storyteller Laura Killingbeck will pedal over 1,000 miles across Michigan to advocate for women’s safety and autonomy. Along the way, she’ll meet with frontline organizations that help women recover from abusive relationships and gender-based violence. Killingbeck will document her journey through writing, interviews, and social media.
The Choose The Bear Tour was inspired by Killingbeck’s widely shared 2024 essay, A Woman Who Left Society to Live with Bears Weighs in on Man or Bear, which unpacked the viral social media debate where women said they’d rather encounter a bear in the woods than a man. Killingbeck’s essay explored the emotional and cultural roots of gender-based violence, and called for more compassionate, nuanced conversations about safety and agency.
““People often ask if I’m afraid to bike or camp alone because I’m female,” said Killingbeck. “This question shows how normalized gender-based violence really is—people expect that women who travel independently might be threatened, harassed, or assaulted by men. The Choose the Bear Tour explores those fears and realities, looks at root causes, and advocates for real-world change.”
The eight-week tour is supported by orsa credit union, a Michigan-based, for-impact, member-owned financial institution. The partnership is rooted in a hard truth: gender-based violence is often enforced through financial control. Research shows that nearly 99% of intimate partner violence survivors experience some form of economic abuse–undermining their ability to leave the relationship and build a safer future for themselves and their families.
“Most gender-based violence actually happens within existing relationships,” said Killingbeck. “It’s enforced through physical, emotional, spiritual, and financial control. This means that financial autonomy—the ability to make choices about one’s own resources—isn’t just an economic issue, it’s a safety issue."
The Choose the Bear Tour is part of orsa’s broader Choose the Bear initiative, built to strengthen survivor support services across Michigan and to spark the community conversations that lead to lasting change.
"We walk, and now with Laura we ride, with our members through both the bright and dark moments of life—and that means showing up for survivors. This tour is our commitment, in action, to every woman in Michigan who deserves to control her own future. We believe credit unions can activate freedom and options for women and those who love them." Tansley Stearns, president and ceo of orsa credit union.
The journey begins in the Upper Peninsula on May 20 and ends in Detroit on July 20. Killingbeck will then donate her expedition bicycle—a Kona Sutra LTD provided by Kona—to another woman preparing for her own life-changing journey.
About Laura Killingbeck
Laura Killingbeck is an outdoor adventurer and award-winning storyteller. Over the past two decades, she has biked and hiked thousands of miles around the world, often solo. She documents her journeys through longform narrative journalism that blends grit, humanity, and a deep belief that stories can change the world. Connect with Laura on Instagram, Facebook, or via her free adventure newsletter, Laura’s Stories.
About orsa credit union
orsa credit union is a for-impact, full-service financial institution headquartered in Plymouth, Michigan, with 15 branches across Michigan, more than 340 employees, and $1.5 billion in assets. For 75 years, the credit union has been rooted in relentless care and courage with purpose—existing to create joy and ignite Michiganders’ impossible dreams by delivering innovative products and dependable support through both bright and dark moments of life.
Through its Choose the Bear™ initiative and partnerships with nonprofit organizations across the state, orsa supports survivors of domestic violence and economic abuse by expanding access to safe, inclusive financial tools and resources.
Media Contacts
Laura Killingbeck
Cassie Cotton
avp corporate communications
orsa credit union
517-231-9636
Laura Killingbeck bikepacking Michigan’s North Country trail in 2024.
