London-based cycling club the Black Cyclists Network have surpassed their £10,000 fundraising goal, which will go towards setting up the first British domestic racing team for black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) riders in the 2021 season.
Set up last week, the GoFundMe fundraiser has reached over £12,000 and is still rising. As well as setting up a racing team, the money will also be used to develop an outreach program to encourage beginners to take up the sport and to fund events to raise awareness about diversity.
The club thanked their backers in an Instagram post on Tuesday, adding that details on their future plans will be on the way.
"Thank you. Through your donations we were able to reach our target," read the post. "Your donation will go a long way to supporting us to achieve our goals. Bringing more diversity to an incredible sport by creating more opportunities for riders from BAME backgrounds.
"We hope to return to what we do best in the coming weeks, now that restrictions on group rides have been relaxed. We will be sharing and updating via Instagram and social media. We're very excited."
Founded in 2018, the Black Cyclists Network currently boasts over 100 members "including white members and supporters of diversity". The club's stated mission is to connect and encourage cyclists of colour and the wider community to take up cycling.
Currently, the club's race team consists of nine riders, including one at Elite level and four in the second category. For 2021, the aim is to add one further rider for a 10-man race squad.
Click here to see the Black Cyclists Network GoFundMe page, or for more information check out their Instagram, Facebook or Twitter pages.
