Black Girl Joy Bike Ride Welcomes Black Women to Cycling

Now in its second season, the bi-monthly group ride in Philadelphia offers Black women a free way to start biking.

What does it take to get more Black women on bikes? Research shows that 66-81% of shared micromobility riders are men and people of color only account for about 19% of all bicycle trips on both personal and shared devices. Black Girl Joy Bike Ride was started in Philadelphia as a space for Black women to build community and interest in biking by focusing on accessibility.

Iresha Picot, founder of Black Girl Joy Bike Ride, dreamed up a group ride where Black women didn’t have to worry about having their own bike.

“They could just show up and ride the city [bike share] bikes, which is Indego, for free in a group setting at conversational pace as an act of community care with other Black women,” says Picot.

The rides started thanks to funding from the Deeply Rooted grant program, a community academic collaborative that uses the healing power of nature to promote health and well-being in Black and Brown Philadelphia neighborhoods. The funding was used to purchase Indego bike share discount codes and helmets to remove barriers to entry. 

The group meets twice a month near an Indego station and the Indego operations crew works with Picot to ensure the station is equipped with available bikes for the participants. The hour-long loop ride currently takes participants through Fairmount Park, but Picot hopes to expand to other areas of Philadelphia. A truly grassroots effort, Picot shares the details of the ride on her Instagram page, @ireshadahoodtherapist, beforehand and uses the page to connect with those interested and in need of a bike or helmet. As a mental health professional, Picot believes movement is medicine. 

“Black women die at high rates of preventable diseases like diabetes and high blood pressure,” says Picot. “To be able to help Black women do this for the greater good, not only in the name of community but for themselves to get them active and moving — a lot of women tell me this has propelled them to want to do more cycling on their own.” 

Shauna Johnson, a resident of Southwest Philadelphia, has been riding with the group since its inception in 2023 after Picot recruited her at a local YMCA. Before the rides, Johnson wasn’t much of a biker. Since joining the rides, however, Johnson says she’s utilized Indego to get to and from work now that she knows it’s an available option. 

Johnson says community-building with other Black women has been a valuable part of her experience along with the physical and mental health benefits.  

“Biking with the women is so fun, and I hope we can get more women to learn how to ride bikes and to come out and join our team,” says Johnson.

Picot has goals for expanding the impact of Black Girl Joy Bike Ride, including purchasing personal bikes for some of the regular participants, hosting a bike mechanic workshop to help participants learn to fix their own bikes, and starting up a gear library with gear like helmets and bike racks. She also hopes to grow Black Girl Joy Bike Ride beyond just herself.

“I would like to help make some of those women ride leaders too. I started Black Girl Joy Bike Ride, but I am not gatekeeping this,” says Picot. “I started this, but it’s a community effort.”

The final Black Girl Joy Bike Ride of 2024 will meet on Sunday, October 6, at the Belmont and Parkside Indego station in Philadelphia.