Ayesha, the first African American professional cyclist

And at some point Ayesha McGowan she asked herself: Why not? Why not? Why not give it a try? It happens in the life of each of us: there is a moment in which we have to decide which path to take. So: he tried. It was 2014, he was 27, he worked as a music teacher in a nursery in Brooklyn.

Life went by quietly, Ayesha was happy, but evidently: not enough. He kept a dream. A little dream kept secret since childhood. And it’s never too late for dreams.

So she got on her bicycle, her beloved bicycle, and said to herself: now let’s get serious.

Today, seven years later, Ayesha McGowan is the first African-American woman to race as a professional cyclist with a real contract. It is an epochal turning point for a world that has always been marked by machismo. His team is there Liv Racing World Team, Ayesha in recent weeks is training on the streets of Tuscany. And rewinding the film of his life makes you think of a film. Ayesha was born in Decatur, in the countryside of Georgia. When he was five he got on a bicycle for the first time. And he feels happy. “The joy I feel when I pedal is not comparable to anythingHe said recently. At 13 she decides that she will be a cyclist. But he has neither a team nor a horizon. An African American girl who rides a bicycle is viewed with suspicion.

So Ayesha dedicates herself to her other passion: music. He plays the violin and at the end of his excellent schooling he graduates from Berklee College of Music. Become a music teacher. He begins to work in schools, alternating with private lessons. And when he can he rides a bicycle. Take part in the first races. He wins a major one, in New York State. He understands that perhaps that is his way.

He understands this – as we said – seven years ago. At 27 years old. In 2014. Since then Ayesha has been running like the wind. Its slogan: “A bicycle can take you anywhere”. You bring as a dowry the precious asset of those who, as activists, work to improve diversity and inclusiveness. In life. And in cycling, of course.

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