TWR now has 259 members, and continues to grow. “Over the past four years, we have seen a surge in new cyclists riding with us, many of whom are people of colour,” says Francis.
The number of clubs striving to improve diversity in cycling has increased significantly over recent years, and others such as Black Cyclists Network and Brothers Who Bike also provide platforms for elevating the presence and voices of black, Asian and other less represented groups across club cycling.
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Groups like Cycle Sisters, Evolve and Hop-On create pathways are providing spaces to cater for different gendered religious or cultural requirements. “I know Muslim women, including many who wear the hijab, who were brand new to cycling five years ago, now doing big sportives and investing in the latest cycling kit, be it road or gravel,” says Diversity in Cycling report author, Andy Edwards.
Cycle Sisters has expanded from a single group to operate in nine boroughs across London, with over 1,500 women in their network and over 100 trained volunteer Ride Leaders. ”We are demonstrating that women from all backgrounds can cycle confidently, normalising cycling for Muslim women and other underrepresented groups,” outlines Deryn Ellis from the club.Bellavelo is in good company, with other clubs such as Velociposse and Kent Velo Girls also seeing increases in membership in recent years.“Velociposse began as a women’s track cycling team in 2015 with about 15 members. In 2017 we reformed as a club – open to all women, non-binary and trans people, and now have over 100 members,” says Karen Fodor, club chair.
For those seeking a welcoming, but not single-sex, space, clubs like London Dynamo have also stepped up their efforts to improve gender diversity, developing roles such as women’s captain. “We’ve grown from strength to strength, with a particularly strong representation of women riders. Earlier this year we celebrated reaching a club milestone of having 100 women members and are focused on supporting more women in cycling,” says Ellie Cousins, the club’s Women’s Captain.
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