Ayesha McGowan pushes for more diverse peloton in future Tour de France Femmes

Even though professional cyclist Ayesha McGowan will be watching from home when her Liv Racing Xstra teammates take to in this year’s much-anticipated Tour de France Femmes, she’s already embracing the impact of the inaugural grand tour on her own future.

“Since I’ve been in the sport, I’ve had to inform [people] that there is no women’s Tour de France, like a full-way bike racing tour,” McGowan told On Her Turf. “But now I get to say that we have one, and that I can actually put that on my bucket list of races to participate in. So that’s super exciting.”

But as the first Black American women on a professional road cycling team, the 35-year-old activist and advocate also sees the resurrected race as way to highlight the importance of intersectionality within a traditionally male-led, predominantly white sport.

“From a representation standpoint, I do wish that there was more diversity within the peloton, and I don’t see that happening in this first edition,” said McGowan of the women’s field.

But while it might not be obvious this year in Paris when the Tour kicks off Sunday, she’s optimistic about pro cycling’s future: “There’s just so many opportunities still left to be had, and we’re constantly pushing for change and betterment for the whole process and the whole community. … We’ll get there.”

Her approach starts with a simple, “never-assume” mentality that begins by making sure opportunities are actually presented to communities of color.

“I think there’s a lot of selection that happens before consideration,” said McGowen, who didn’t take up cycling until she was 26 and made her professional debut in September at Tour Cycliste Feminin International de l’Ardeche, where she recorded a seventh-place finish in the sixth