The Run Club - Where Runners Run

Ro and Alysia chat with Ayesha McGowan , first African American Professional Cyclist about her journey, her advocacy for people of color in Cycling and how she created space for herself in this sport as well as celebrating the differences in the cycling world. Molly is off werkin out. 6- Ayesha’s Background: how she got into sports and cycling-into track, field hockey and basketball Went to school in Central New Jersey-Piscataway 9- Ayesha’s mission to diversify road cycling. She recently became Pro w contract w Liv (she is Category II). Also fighting for representation in the cycling industry espn article 14-womens cycling is being restructured-Women still only just now mandated to be paid at top level of cycling! She is not on team as it may limit her autonomy/ability to do advocacy work 17- Ayesha’s influence in making space in the world as a black woman : Serena Williams, Kittie Knox 21- her piece on people for bikes 24-Cycling has such diverse participants: performance based cyclists, commuters, recreational cyclists. There feels to be judgement between groups. 25: “I think the hardest thing about my work is trying to encourage people to learn how to celebrate differences instead of using them as tools for division and judgement and negativity. ...I don’t want you to not see that I’m a black woman. ….I want you to embrace that I’m a black woman and understand how that’s a good thing for this community and understand how that can be an asset to pushing the sport forward and growing cycling. But instead it becomes a negative thing. I feel like that’s how humans have learned to look at differences in general...I feel like cycling is this micro version of the world because you have people from all over...doctors and delivery workers...the range is massive...people from all different cultures and colors and whatever and so it’s a big reflection of the world and it feels like a huge opportunity to teach some of these larger points that extend beyond cycling but use cycling as that commonality” 28-barriers Ayesha has faced-understanding the confusing structure herself ,ignorance of others in regards to her humanity, explaining diversity, getting into a community’s bubble, angry people , people who are upset to be told they’re doing things wrong 31-Double Consciousness, W.E.B Dubois “How much of myself can I be?” 35- Ayesha-wants to create more opportunities for other people this year Follow these accounts! @Allmountainbrothers @pedal2thepeople Ayesha doesn’t just want a black person to be used as an inclusivity project -she wants to show the diverse people who already come to the sport/ to show the people who are doing their thing already. She doesn’t want to be THE diversity. She wants a broader representation of black people. Where to find Ayesha: blog www.aquickbrownfox.com Podcast - Quick Brown Fox instagram/twitter- @Ayesuppose<