Some paths are linear. Others are collages.
Ayesha McGowan’s journey into professional road cycling was never about following a prescribed route. She taught herself how to ride a bike in her grandparents’ garage out of curiosity and grit.
“That’s just how my brain works. I’ll get these ideas, then decide to do them. If the idea isn’t big or scary, it’s not interesting to me.”
Before World Tour pelotons, Ayesha raced alley cats—scavenger hunts on bikes that reward instinct and creativity. Cycling found Ayesha in the right place at the right time, but as she rose to the top, she noticed what was missing. She didn’t see diversity represented fairly.
“It’s not a lack of talent. It’s a lack of access, resources and information,” she explains. Chasing this dream became about more than just racing. It was an opportunity to create representation in a space that needed it.
Artist and herbalist Alicia Fairclough met Ayesha in Boston years ago and now lives in São Paulo, Brazil. She views Ayesha’s story as beautifully non-linear, as Ayesha took so many paths to get where she is today. It’s why collage was the perfect metaphor—assembling various materials into something stronger, more resilient and totally unique.
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