Justin Williams: ‘I want a platform that allows a LeBron James in cycling’

I started cycling seriously while living out in Colorado where I witnessed the droves of commuters on two wheels heading to work (especially on Bike to Work Day). Living in New York I’ve caught the buzz again. I recently finished my first Five Boro Bike Tour, where I cruised 44 miles through the city’s boroughs with 32,000 other cyclists. I was hooked.

Two things struck me that day: the colorful display of kits, and something more interesting – the number of Black and Brown cyclists from a wide range of backgrounds. Not that the latter was a complete surprise, during my year in New York, Black and Brown cycling groups orbiting around Prospect Park have become a familiar sight. They include the Good Co Bike Club, a Black-led cycling club formed in 2020 to provide joy for riders of all backgrounds. By creating accessibility and opportunities to cycle, Good Co Bike Club has turned into a community hub for riders of color.

Yet as diversity grows among casual cyclists, the competitive realm is still a work in progress. According to the US Olympic and Paralympic Committee’s 2021 diversity and inclusion scorecards, there were just four Black or Brown athletes in the 58-person USA cycling team. Despite white people making up 61% of the United States population, they represent 85% of all USA Cycling athletes. Something clearly needs to change.

And there are signs that change is on the horizon. I met Belizean-American pro cyclist Justin Williams at Burton’s Culture Shifters. His experiences show what radical inclusivity looks like, and what having colleagues committed to structural change can achieve. Williams shared with me his aspirations to bring a similar energy to competitive cycling, specifically criterium circuit racing.