Ayesha McGowan Presents Thee Abundance Mini Grant and Micro Grant Programs

Wednesday, March 9, 2022

Ayesha McGowan, the first African American female professional road racer, launches two programs aimed at uplifting elevating Black and Brown women who seek to further themselves in the sport of competitive road cycling.

In its second year, Thee Abundance Mini Grant Program will provide entries, housing, transportation, a food stipend and several additional resources for awardees for four major road races - Tulsa Tough, Tour of America’s Dairyland, Intelligentsia Cup, and Gateway Cup. McGowan is also announcing Team Abundance, a Cat 3/4 composite team, born out of the 2021 awardees. Last year, the program received over 160 applications and supported eight adults and one junior with all of the above for The Tour of America’s Dairyland.

Thee Abundance Micro Grant Program p/b SRAM will provide entry fee and a day license for one local race, with the goal of accommodating 400 total race days for the year. Though not formally titled, the micro grant program was able to provide race day fees and licenses to several of those who applied to the mini grant program in 2021. 

“I know from experience how valuable it is to race in more competitive fields as a category 3 and 4 women. There’s nothing quite like the speed and intensity of summertime Midwestern crits,” said McGowan. “The participants from last year want to keep going, and I’m happy to create this pipeline to getting more Black and Brown women to the pro field!” 

Thee Abundance Project, A Quick Brown Fox’s core programming, includes Thee Abundance Zwift Training Series, Thee Abundance Summit, and The Abundance Mini and Micro Grant Programs. Registration for the summit is now open, and the training series begins March 21 and culminates in a 90 minute Zwift Race announced by McGowan herself and Shequaya Bailey, a member of The Black Foxes.

Applications for both programs open March 7, 2022. To learn more and apply, visit www.aquickbrownfox.com. 

About Ayesha McGowan

Ayesha McGowan is a professional road cyclist for Liv Racing Xstra and an advocate for better representation of people of color in cycling. Her work on diversity and inclusion in cycling inspires people to ride more, and to challenge their ideas of who counts as a “cyclist.”  For more information about Ayesha visit www.aquickbrownfox.com.

Source:

https://www.liv-cycling.com/global/news/ayesha-mcgowan-presents-thee-abundance-mini-grant-and-micro-grant-programs/26781