USA Cycling to Hold Second Virtual Inclusion Conversation 

This week, USA Cycling is holding its second of four planned discussions about how to make cycling a more inclusive sport. This time, the theme is “Unpacking Race, Gender, and Socioeconomic Status.”

Shannon Jolly, a diversity equity and inclusion professional, moderates the panel comprised of Massimo Alpian, global media relations manager for Cannondale and GT Bicycles; Elyse Rylander, manager of diversity, equity and inclusion at Quality Bicycle Products; and Rahsaan Bahati, founder and CEO of the Bahati Foundation.

The second installment of the conversation series will occur Thursday, October 7, 2021, from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and will dive into how race, gender and class have an impact on most every experience, down to the smallest interactions like introductions.

The conversation is open to all to watch on Zoom. Registration can be found here. And more information can be found at usacycling.org. You can also replay the first conversation, which includes opening remarks from USA Cycling president and CEO Rob DeMartini and an opening keynote called “The State of DEI in Cycling,” by David Lipscomb, head coach at CIS Training Systems.

USA Cycling is working with sports impact consultancy The Inclusion Playbook to oversee oversee the organization and delivery of the conversation series. The overall goal connecting all four installments is to find ways to be more inclusive of underrepresented communities in cycling, namely BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, disabled athletes and women. The panelists represent stakeholders from across cycling, including bicycle and component companies and foundations aiming to get more of these groups on bikes.

The next two conversations will take place on Thursday, November 4, 2021, and Thursday, December 2, 2021, and will be titled “Leveraging Research & Data to Increase your DEI Impact,” and “Implicit Bias Training,” respectively. Registration and further information can be found at usacycling.org