On August 22nd, 2020, over 100 cyclists road from Seneca village in Manhattan, NY. These cyclists were part of the group Ride to DC, and over six days, they would bike 300 miles–from New York to Washington D.C. Now a nonprofit, Ride to DC started as a movement to recognize the existence and significance of Black lives. On August 28th, they landed in DC to take part in the Commitment March on Washington and demand justice for Black lives. In this episode, I chat with two of the leaders of Ride to DC, Erin Poland (@erin_poland) and Roberto Godinez (@robertoagodinez).

Ride to DC website and mission

Washington Post article on Ride to DC

Also discussed in this episode:

• The bicycle as a symbol of protest
• The history of bikes as a symbol of protest
• Using bikes as a barricade against the police: “bikes block batons”
• The role of bikes in NYC protests
• The white, male-dominated culture of cycling
• Kévin Reza, the sole Black cyclist in Tour de France
• Commitment March on DC
• Underground railroad bike ride: Alabama to DC
• Photo of Ride to DC on the steps of the Lincoln memorial
• The Black National Anthem, Lift Every Voice and Sing
• NYC Census Ride

Follow Ride to DC:

• Instagram: @ridetodc Facebook

Follow Social Sport:

• Instagram: @socialsportpod
• Facebook: @socialsportpod
• Twitter: @emmamzimm

Quotes:

• “I always find my voice through biking” -Erin
• “The phrase that came out is ‘a ride to recognize the existence and significance of black lives,’ so we had to constantly be grounded in that…people never lost focus.” -Roberto
• “The bicycle, in America, is a protest within itself” -Roberto
• “How I look at cycling is that you just gotta keep pedaling. No matter how slow you go, you’re just pedaling and pedaling. And I think that’s just like in life, you just gotta keep moving forward and eventually you’ll get to the top of that hill.” -Erin Poland

*Photo by @daye_photography