THE MOST CREATIVE PEOPLE IN BUSINESS 2021
Justin Williams
PRO CYCLIST AND COFOUNDER, L39ION OF LOS ANGELES
Pro cyclist Justin Williams cofounded the cycling team L39ION of Los Angeles two years ago with a purpose: to bring accountability and diversity to the approximately $2-billion-a-year sport. Williams, who grew up in South-Central Los Angeles and became a Junior Track Cycling national champion at age 17, had long chafed against the sport’s “fratlike” culture, where, he says, “If the guys on a team like you, then they’ll hire you.” L39ION (pronounced “legion”), an homage to 39th Street in L.A., where he and his brother Cory grew up, consists of a 10- man Continental team and a 7-rider, mixed-gender USA Domestic Elite team. (L39ION’s total roster of 17 includes 8 men of