Ayesha McGowan Could Be the First African American Woman to Go Pro

Ayesha McGowan is well on her way to making history and inspiring others along the way

Brooklyn’s Ayesha McGowan is well on her way to making history. She aspires to be the first African-American female professional cyclist while juggling a busy life working part-time as a teacher, producing her own podcast, working for non-profits like InTandem, and writing for her blog, “A Quick Brown Fox.” She also works to empower others to get stoked on cycling through projects like her virtual ride series, called “Do Better Together.” (Inspired to train harder? Check out Bicycling’s Maximum Overload for Cyclists Training Program.)

Cycling came naturally for Ayesha as she started racing ally cats, then transitioned to criterium races.

“In 2007, I borrowed my mom’s bicycle—may it rest in peace—from our basement. It still had a baby carrier attached to it, for my sister, who is eight years older than me.” said McGowan in our 2015 interview with her.

In only her second year of racing bikes, she took home the 2015 New York State Cat 3 road-race championship.

“The day before the New York State championships, I decided I wanted to win. I was nervous since I haven’t done a lot of climbing. But I’m mentally tough—that’s what I have going for me. If I decide I’m going to do something, I manage to pull it off.”

This year, Ayesha raced as a Cat 2 level and had the opportunity to compete in professional races. She’s at the level where she could very soon be …

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