Personal information | |
---|---|
Full name | Ayesha Rosena Anna McGowan |
Born | Atlanta, Georgia [1] | April 2, 1987
Team information | |
Current team | Liv Racing TeqFind |
Disciplines |
|
Role | Rider |
Rider type | Puncheur [1] |
Amateur teams | |
Apr 2019 | Amy D Foundation |
Aug 2019 | Alp Cycles |
2020 | Liv Racing |
Professional teams | |
2021 | Liv Racing (trainee) |
2022– | Liv Racing–Xstra |
Ayesha Rosena Anna McGowan (born April 2, 1987) is an American professional racing cyclist who currently rides for UCI Women's World Team Liv Racing TeqFind. [2] She is also an activist and advocate aiming to improve diversity and inclusivity in cycling, especially for women and ethnic minorities. [3] She is the first African American woman on a professional road cycling team. [3]
Unlike many professional cyclists who begin racing competitively at a young age, McGowan only started cycling as a commuter student at the Berklee College of Music in Boston. After graduation in 2010, she moved to Brooklyn, where she worked as a daycare teacher and taught private music lessons for five years. [4] [5]
After seven years of commuting, McGowan made her racing debut at the 2014 Red Hook Crit in Brooklyn, the first edition to feature separate men's and women's races. Later that same year, she took her maiden victory in the Category 4 race at the New York State Criterium Championships in White Plains. [5]
In 2019, McGowan made her UCI professional-level racing debut when she competed in the Joe Martin Stage Race and in the Colorado Classic. On the third stage of the Colorado Classic, her attacking efforts garnered her significant attention and won her the Most Inspirational jersey for that stage. [6]
Though McGowan had been a member of Liv Racing for the 2020 season while racing domestically, she made the step up to the professional UCI Women's Team in 2021 as a satellite/trainee rider. This allowed her to make her racing debut with the team after August 1, as per UCI regulations. [2] [7] This debut came in early September, when McGowan was selected for the Tour Cycliste Féminin International de l'Ardèche. [8] McGowan featured in the winning breakaway on stage 6, placing seventh, [9] before eventually finishing 50th overall. [10]
For the 2022 season, Liv Racing, now as Liv Racing–Xstra, retained McGowan, who signed as a full-fledged professional. [11] [12]
Giorgia Bronzini is an Italian former professional racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 2003 and 2017. She won the women's road race in the UCI Road World Championships in both 2010 and 2011 and the women's points race in the UCI Track Cycling World Championships in 2009.
Ashleigh Moolman Pasio is a South African professional road bicycle racer, who rides for UCI Women's Continental Team AG Insurance–Soudal–Quick-Step. She competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in the Women's road race, finishing 16th and in the Women's time trial finishing 24th.
Eri Yonamine is a Japanese professional racing cyclist, who rides for UCI Women's ContinentalTeam Laboral Kutxa–Fundación Euskadi.
Leah Kirchmann is a Canadian racing cyclist, who rides for National Cycling League team Denver Disruptors. She competed in the 2013 UCI women's road race in Florence. At the 2014 Global Relay Canadian Road Championships, held in Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, she won the road race, time trial and the criterium, becoming the first woman to win all three titles in the same year.
Katarzyna "Kasia" Niewiadoma is a Polish racing cyclist who rides for UCI Women's WorldTeam Canyon–SRAM. Among her eighteen professional wins are the Tour de France Femmes in 2024, La Flèche Wallonne in 2024, the Amstel Gold Race in 2019, the Trofeo Alfredo Binda-Comune di Cittiglio in 2018, and the Women's Tour in 2017. She twice finished third overall in the Tour de France Femmes, in 2022 and 2023, taking the Queen of the Mountains jersey in 2023. In 2023, she became UCI Gravel World Champion.
Thalita de Jong is a Dutch racing cyclist, who currently rides for Dutch amateur team JEGG–DJR Academy. In 2016, de Jong won the elite women's title at the Dutch National Cyclo-cross Championships, the UEC European Cyclo-cross Championships and the UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships.
Chad Haga is an American professional road and gravel racing cyclist, who currently rides for the Pas Racing Gravel Team.
Alexis Ryan is an American racing cyclist, who rides for American amateur team L39ION of Los Angeles. She is the sister of fellow racing cyclist Kendall Ryan.
Lauren Michelle Stephens is an American racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI Women's Continental Team Cynisca Cycling. She raced the Team Time Trial at the 2014 UCI Road World Championships.
Riejanne Ockeloen-Markus is a Dutch professional racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI Women's Continental Team Visma–Lease a Bike. In 2022, Markus won the Dutch National Road Race Championships. A year later she won the Dutch National Time Trial Championships, beating Demi Vollering and Annemiek van Vleuten. Markus is the older sister of SD Worx rider Femke Markus, but they are not related to Barry Markus and his sister Kelly Markus. On 21 October 2023 she married Dutch cyclist, beachracer and gravel specialist Jasper Ockeloen.
Urška Žigart is a Slovenian professional racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI Women's WorldTeam Liv AlUla Jayco.
Anna Trevisi is an Italian professional racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI Women's WorldTeam Liv AlUla Jayco. She won the junior road race at the 2010 European Road Championships.
Jeanne Korevaar is a Dutch professional racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI Women's WorldTeam Liv AlUla Jayco. She is the younger sister of the cyclist Merijn Korevaar.
Alison Jackson is a Canadian professional racing cyclist, who rides for UCI Women's Continental Team EF–Oatly–Cannondale. In April 2023, Jackson won Paris–Roubaix Femmes, described as the "biggest win of her career".
Margarita Victoria "Mavi" García Cañellas is a Spanish professional racing cyclist and duathlete, who currently rides for UCI Women's WorldTeam Liv AlUla Jayco.
Eva Buurman is a Dutch professional racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI Women's WorldTeam Liv Racing TeqFind. Before turning to professional cycling, Buurman was a speed skater.
Leah Thomas is an American professional racing cyclist who currently rides for UCI Women's WorldTeam Lidl–Trek.
Tanja Erath is a German physician and former professional racing cyclist,. During her professional cycling career, Erath rode for Canyon-SRAM and UCI Women's Continental Team EF Education–Tibco–SVB.
Teniel Campbell is a racing cyclist from Trinidad and Tobago, who currently rides for UCI Women's WorldTeam Liv AlUla Jayco. In 2018, she won four medals at the 2018 Central American and Caribbean Games. The next year, she won the U23 individual time trial at the Pan American Road and Track Championships. She also won both stages, the general classification, the points classification and the youth classification in the Kreiz Breizh Elites Dames.
The 2022 Paris–Roubaix Femmes was a French road cycling one-day race that took place on 16 April 2022. It was the 2nd edition of Paris–Roubaix Femmes and the 8th event of the 2022 UCI Women's World Tour. The race was won by the Italian champion Elisa Longo Borghini, after a solo break with around 30 kilometres remaining, the second win by a long solo break in succession, after Lizzie Deignan's inaugural edition triumph in 2021.