Cycling, like many outdoor sports, has long had a demographics problem. In the UK and US, participation in cycling skews heavily white — not because people of colour don't want to cycle, but because the sport's culture, infrastructure, and access have historically not been designed for or welcoming to everyone.
This is changing. And the people driving that change are worth knowing about.
The structural barriers are real
Understanding why people of colour are underrepresented in cycling requires looking honestly at structural factors rather than individual preferences. These include:
- Infrastructure inequality: Cycling infrastructure — safe lanes, paths, bike-share schemes — is disproportionately concentrated in wealthier, whiter areas. Communities with less investment in cycling infrastructure cycle less, unsurprisingly.
- Policing and racial profiling: Black cyclists in particular have documented experiences of being stopped by police while cycling — an experience that makes recreational cycling in public spaces feel less safe and less welcoming.
- Cultural barriers: When cycling culture is represented as white, middle-aged, and male, it sends implicit signals about who belongs. Representation matters for participation.
- Economic barriers: Good bikes are expensive. Cycling kit is expensive. Cycling events and clubs can require significant financial commitment. These economic barriers interact with racial economic inequality.
These barriers are structural and systemic. They're not about individual cycling ability, desire, or fitness. Addressing them requires policy, investment, and cultural change — not individual effort from the people most affected.
The community that's building
Alongside these challenges, there is a growing, vibrant, explicitly inclusive cycling movement. Organisations and communities specifically working to make cycling more accessible to people of colour include:
- Radical Rides — UK-based community supporting marginalised cyclists including cyclists of colour, with group rides in various cities.
- Black Girls Do Bike — US-based organisation with chapters worldwide, creating space specifically for Black women in cycling.
- Major Taylor Association — honouring the legacy of Marshall "Major" Taylor, one of the greatest cyclists of the early 20th century and one of the first Black world champions in any sport.
- Brown Skin Girl Cycling Club — UK community for South Asian and mixed-heritage women cyclists.
- Diversifying Cycling — advocacy organisation working to make cycling more representative in the UK.
Online, communities using hashtags like #BlackCyclists, #BrownSkinCyclist, and #DiversifyCycling are large, active, and genuinely welcoming.
The joy of cycling, without asterisks
None of the above changes what cycling actually is for individuals who ride it: movement, freedom, fresh air, community, the pleasure of getting somewhere under your own power. These experiences are not diminished by structural barriers — they're made more meaningful by the act of claiming them despite barriers.
People of colour who cycle often describe a particular kind of joy in it — the joy of being in a space that wasn't designed for you and claiming it anyway. Of being visible on the road. Of finding community with people who share both the love of riding and the experience of navigating a sport that hasn't always made them feel welcome.
If you want to start cycling
Seek out the communities listed above, or search for local groups in your city that explicitly welcome diverse riders. These groups provide practical support — knowing what routes feel safe, which shops are friendly, what to expect — alongside the social dimension of cycling with people who share your experience.
You belong here. Cycling belongs to everyone who wants it. The gatekeepers don't get to decide otherwise.