Ayesha Rosena Anna McGowan (born April 2, 1987) is an American professional racing cyclist who currently rides for UCI Women's World Team . She is also an activist and advocate aiming to improve diversity and inclusivity in cycling, especially for women and ethnic minorities. She is the first African American woman on a professional road cycling team.

Early life and amateur career

Unlike many professional cyclists who begin racing competitively at a young age, McGowan only started cycling as a commuter student at the

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cours ...

in Boston. After graduation in 2010, she moved to Brooklyn, where she worked as a daycare teacher and taught private music lessons for five years. After seven years of commuting, McGowan made her racing debut at the 2014 Red Hook Crit in Brooklyn, the first edition to feature separate men's and women's races. Later that same year, she took her maiden victory in the Category 4 race at the New York State Criterium Championships in White Plains.

Professional career

In 2019, McGowan made her UCI professional-level racing debut when she competed in the

Joe Martin Stage Race Joe Martin Stage Race is a road cycling stage race held annually in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is part of the UCI America Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing competitions which were introduced in 2005 by the ...

and in the Colorado Classic. On the third stage of the Colorado Classic, her attacking efforts garnered her significant attention and won her the Most Inspirational jersey for that stage. Though McGowan had been a member of for the 2020 season while racing domestically, she made the step up to the professional UCI Women's Team in 2021 as a satellite/trainee rider. This allowed her to make her racing debut with the team after August 1, as per UCI regulations. This debut came in early September, when McGowan was selected for the

Tour Cycliste Féminin International de l'Ardèche Tour Cycliste Féminin International de l'Ardèche is a women's staged cycle race which takes place in the Ardèche region in southeastern France. The race was rated by the UCI as a 2.2 race, until 2018 when it was promoted to 2.1 status. Fo ...

. McGowan featured in the winning breakaway on stage 6, placing seventh, before eventually finishing 50th overall. For the 2022 season, , now as , retained McGowan, who signed as a full-fledged professional.

References

External links

* 1987 births African-American sportswomen American female cyclists Living people Sportspeople from Atlanta 21st-century American sportswomen 21st-century African-American sportspeople 21st-century African-American women Cyclists from Georgia (U.S. state) {{US-cycling-bio-stub