At Surrey Cycling Squad, we strive to be inclusive and promote diversity in cycling. We are all enthusiast cyclists, but let’s not pretend: this is mainly a sport which is still very much dominated by white males and we need to encourage greater inclusion for women and people from Black, Asian and and ethnically diverse backgrounds.

Transport for London reports that “regular cyclists are more likely to be men, white, working and non-disabled – 20% of men report being ‘regular’ cyclists compared with 8% of women”. In England, men travel on average 86 miles per year (138km) by bike compared with an average of 23 miles (37km) for women, while in Scotland more than three times as many men than women commute to work by bike: 2.1% compared with 0.6% (Table DC7101SC) – cyclinguk.org, 2017.

Cycling is a great way to keep fit both mentally and physically; we are all about being inclusive and wanting to open these benefits to those who feel a lack of confidence. We want to help promote a safe place for cycling to be enjoyed and to flourish.

CLUB AMBASSADORS

We want to provide a friendly, welcoming, inclusive environment for all cyclists from various backgrounds. We want to ensure that the club represents the views and backgrounds of all our club members. As such, we think it’s important that appointing club ambassadors who will promote diversity, will ensure we continue to develop our diversity strategy and make an impact on cycling in the local community. Keep an eye out for more details.

COMMUNITY INITIATIVES

We will also seek opportunities to form ties within the local community through fundraising initiatives and working with local charities and youth organisations to promote cycling as a sport with young people from diverse backgrounds. Check out our social media for details in the coming future as we develop this strategy.

MEMBERSHIP REPRESENTATION

We believe it’s important that we start to see female representation within our membership and our ultimate aim is to become gender equal with a 50/50 split of male and female members. We also want to see an uplift in a more diverse membership and have a target of 25% of our members coming from Black, Asian and ethnically diverse backgrounds, a step towards parity with the ethnic makeup of our local borough.

DIVERSITY IN CYCLING

Diversity In Cycling was published in 2022, which includes updates and expanded commentaries. You can read the report here.