Bicycling Rabbit Hole – February Edition

By Bike Maryland - February 8, 2024

The next best thing to riding. Consider this a place for tidbits of information to get you curious and engage you in new journeys of bicycling exploration and discovery. 

It’s February so we’ll elevate some topics of Black bicycling history … into the present day:

Marshall “Major” Taylor … Internationally known, American bicycle racing champion and world’s fastest man, during earlier days of enormous popularity for the sport. . 
Major: A Black Athlete, a White Era, and the Fight to Be the World’s Fastest Human Being by Todd Balf (Author) 
Major Taylor: Champion of the Race – is a brand new documentary, premiering on February 26, 2024.

Md. cyclist looks to be first Black woman to compete for Team USA at 2028 Olympics
Maize Wimbush is a 17-year-old junior national champion, who is breaking barriers in the sport, one pedal at a time. She eyeing a spot on the 2028 Team USA cycling team, where she could be the first Black woman to represent the country on the Olympic stage in the sport.

Meet Ayesha McGowan, the first Black American woman in pro cycling: ‘The thing that we’re working for isn’t just existing in a space, it’s thriving’ 

Inclusive Transportation: A Manifesto for Repairing Divided Communities
Veronica Davis, Co-founder of Black Women Bike DC, recently published this leading-edge work on the harmful effects of American autocentricity, particularly within communities of color. Brilliant.

Video of Maryland Bicycling challenges
Black Women Bike DC, an organization that encourages bicycling for Black women and girls, released a video highlighting what riding a bike in Central and Southern Prince George’s County looks like. The narrator points out several challenges from bike lanes that end abruptly, to streets with no bike lanes, to a lack of places for people to lock their bikes.

Ahead of Tour de France, Black cyclists remain rare in the sport
Cyclist Nelson Vails won a silver medal in the 1984 Summer Olympics, but barriers remain: racism, little access to coaching and resources

Women’s Forum Recap: Jenna Burton on Creating Black Bike Culture

Black People Ride Bicycles
Black People Ride Bikes (BPRB) is a Baltimore-based cycling and advocacy organization of black cyclists in every age bracket, from children to adults. Our organization is made up of both casual riders and avid cyclists, who regularly participate in cycling events throughout the country.

This blog is dedicated to exposing people to information. Please use this information for good.   

Your comments are always welcome. Enjoy and share.