Name: Ayesha McGowan
Category: 3 Road/ 4 Track
Race Age: 28
Current team: Ride Brooklyn
Day Job: Pre-School Music Teacher/ InTandem Director of Programs

How you got into cycling: I’m lazy, and cheap. I wanted to get to class faster and spend less money doing so. Bikes were the obvious solution. I took my mom’s old Schwinn to a random shop in Boston in 2007. I’ve been rolling ever since.

How you got into racing: I did a lot of local racing in NYC, alleycats, Park Sprints, Gold Sprints. I figured since I didn’t suck, I should try sanctioned racing. I was a chicken about it for at least a year. A friend asked me to join a team he was developing, so I did!

Favorite local course and why: The lazy person in me says Prospect Park since it means i get to sleep in a little later before races. It’s about a 10 minute ride from my house, I know it like the back of my hand, and with new potholes developing year round, it always feels like a new course!

Greatest achievement racing: I showed up for the White Plains Crit last year expecting to get my butt handed to me. I walked away with a State Championship. I always do a dance after I win a race, but that victory dance was particularly bouncy.

Worst memory of a race: My first organized race was Red Hook Crit Brooklyn No 7. It was freezing, raining, awful, I got lapped, involved myself in a horrible crash, and I didn’t finish. The good thing is, when that’s your first race, every race afterward seems like paradise!

Goals/Aspirations: I’m working towards becoming the first ever African-American female professional road athlete. There isn’t one yet, so I think it’d be pretty cool to be the first! I’m tracking my journey on my blog! http://www.aquickbrownfox.com

What’s the most fun thing you missed out on in order to do a bike race: I feel like it’s usually the other way around. I hate missing bike races to do other things. I have however missed a few friend outings and such, but I usually suck it up and go to a life event if it’s important. FOMO is real, but loved ones are more important.