4 Cycling Clubs Working to Diversify the Roads
More and more, cycling clubs are working to engage members all year round, not just during race season—April to October. Oftentimes within minority communities, cycling takes a backseat to other endurance activities, though the sport yields plenty of benefits beyond improving one’s health, like making lifelong connections with fellow riders.
Here, we spoke with the leaders of four groups across the country to find out exactly what they’re all about and how they’re working to encourage others to ride all year around.
Getting It In Cyclists
Known for its brightly colored cycling kits, Getting It In Cyclists (GII) is changing the cycling community in the DMV area with noteworthy events and philanthropic efforts. You can catch GII cyclists riding every day of the week except on Fridays, around Southern Maryland and Northern Virginia.
But GII didn’t start this way. The infamous club started in 2012 when Lloyd Mason began riding to get back in shape after a close friend suddenly died. Mason, a former Marine, started riding with a group of friends on nearby trails. Within months, Mason’s cycling group grew to 25 cyclists and they shifted from trails to the road.
Today, the club has more than 500 hundred paid members and about 7,000 cyclists on the hosting and organizing platform, MeetUp. These cyclists not only ride together, they also service the community by hosting Adopt-a-Road, winter coat drives, Toys for Tots, and funding an annual college scholarship.
To encourage movement within the African American community, GII offers cycling as an alternative sport for youth and invites competitors into their backyard. Mason and GII leadership hosted the first Backyard Boogie event in 2022, a three-day event that includes a cycling symposium, criterium races, and fully-supported group rides featuring 20- to 100-mile route options.
Backyard Boogie was a resounding success. More than 375 cyclists registered for crit races and another 200 cyclists participated in the road rides, panel discussions, and skills competitions.
Though Mason helped start GII he tells Bicycling, “GII is not my club. It’s the people’s club.”
To give the people what they want, GII will host the second iteration of Backyard Boogie this year from August 11, 2023 to August 13, 2023 with tickets going on sale online starting May 1, 2023.
Metro Atlanta Cycling Club
Inspired by historical rides like the nationally acclaimed Sea Gull century ride on the eastern seaboard, the leadership of Metro Atlanta Cycling Club (MACC), a Major Taylor-associated cycling club based in Atlanta, decided to host its own cycling events. In 2005, MACC hosted the first One Love Century ride to raise funds for youth-focused organizations across Metro Atlanta. Since then, MACC’s century ride has grown in size and scope and the organization has donated more than $225,000 to the community.
Though MACC is relatively small in membership numbers—only about 110 paid members—the club aims to have a big impact. Senior member, Greg Masterson says MACC members prioritize “not what MACC can do for them, but rather what you can do for MACC as far as helping within the community.”
Over the years, the One Love Century event has grown and is often called “the best charity bike ride in the Southeast.” The five-day Labor Day weekend extravaganza features an inner-city training ride, fish fry, the annual One Love Century ride, and recovery rides. The event attracts upward of 1,800 cyclists from across the U.S., the U.S. Virgin Islands, St. Croix, Kenya, and the United Kingdom.
This year’s One Love century festivities will start on August 31, 2023. Like most previous One Love century rides, the 2023 event is anticipated to sell out quickly. Ticket sale information will be announced later this summer on the MACC website.
Level Up Cycling
Level Up Cycling is a movement rather than a club, which came to fruition after its president, Erica Elle Gary, attended several criterium races and learned that many minority racers had ambitions of racing at a higher level but did not have a clear path to success. “This is an environment where we serve others first,” says Gary, one of five UCI certified professional riders’ agents in the U.S.
To serve cyclists interested in improving their skills and knowledge, each year Level Up hosts Pedal with the Pros, a weeklong experience in which professional cyclists like Justin Williams, Rahsaan Bahati, and the Miami Blazers have participated. In addition to the educational aspect, the event provides professionals with an opportunity to make deeper connections with cyclists in the community.
Launched in 2017, Pedal with the Pros is intended to introduce health benefits of cycling to minority communities. Also, the event features a bike giveaway that allows younger riders to meet cycling professionals. “That exposure is very important and very intentional," Gary says.
The sixth edition of Pedal with the Pros is scheduled to take place from December 8, 2023, to December 10, 2023, and tickets will go on sale later this year. For more information for this year’s event is forthcoming and will be available on the Level Up Cycling website.
All Clubs LA
With a mission of bringing cycling clubs together to build dialogue and participate in immersive activities on and off the bike, All Clubs LA was founded in 2017 by Kenneth Vinson and legendary cyclists Rahsaan Bahati, Justin Williams, and Charon Smith. To support this mission, All Clubs LA teamed up with the Bahati Foundation to hold the first annual All Clubs Black Tie Gala, a three-day event.
This year’s event was held in January and kicked off with an immersive meet and greet session on Friday followed by a morning ride the next day. Saturday evening, cyclists shifted from spandex to formal black-tie attire for the Gala. Riders also rolled to Drake Park in Long Beach for a day party, and one lucky rider had the opportunity to win a Brompton bicycle.
Vinson says cyclists need to focus on “the strength of our differences as positives and not obstacles.” To foster more environments like this, Vinson says next year he hopes to offer attendees the opportunity to connect with cycling industry experts and leaders from brands like Zwift, Strava, Giant, and People for Bikes, just as they did this year.
As for the next edition of the All Clubs gala weekend, Vinson says he is preparing to host 500 cyclists in 2024. The event date, location, and ticket information will be available later this year. Follow All Clubs LA online for more information.
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