Black Lives Matter: Ayesha McGowan is the first Black American woman in pro cycling
CNNCNN — A bike can take you a long way quickly. Finding her feet McGowan says it’s her stubbornness that has pushed her to become the first Black American woman in pro cycling. Bonnie Tu, who is the founder of the women’s cycling brand at Liv Cycling and Giant Group chairperson, has spoken of her dream “to encourage more women in the cycling industry and to encourage more women to cycle.” Despite industry-led efforts to encourage greater global participation in the sport, McGowan quickly became aware of bike racing’s gender disparities when she started cycling. As she recently wrote in an essay for the US-based cycling firm SRAM, “You can’t fight for women and not fight for Black women, trans women, disabled women, or any of the other intersections where any one who identifies as a woman resides.” McGowan has used her platform to create a space where people from marginalized backgrounds can exist in their fullest capacity, without minimizing parts of their identity. “We see the power of collective community, and so there’s usually a push to organize not just Black women, but everybody to work together to make things better for everyone,” says McGowan.
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