Grow Cycling Foundation was established in the aftermath of the George Floyd protests, when it became apparent to the founders that cycling suffered from the widespread issues of exclusivity and racism that exist across our culture. Grow Cycling Foundation provides community-based solutions to grow authentic foundations of diversity from within, aiming to create sustainable paths for cycling as a lifelong passion. The organization’s four pillars of access, education, community and opportunity feed into each other, creating solutions that provide entry points at each step of a cyclist's journey. With ears on the ground in these communities, Grow Cycling plans to start in North America and expand globally, because this is a global problem.
“Navigating huge government bureaucracy, a pandemic and a community with no cycling, we are proud to be the first organization to build the very first pumptrack in LA,” says Joi Jackson, president of Grow Cycling Foundation.
Grow Cycling Foundation’s Work
Grow Cycling partners with UCLA for onsite community engagement data collection and analysis. Starting in the community of Inglewood, California, which has been historically underserved in terms of cycling infrastructure, access, and participation, Grow Cycling plans to:
Grow participation at its new pumptrack to 150,000 in its first year of operation.
Bicycles have been banned in public parks in Inglewood for decades, Grow Cycling is lobbying lawmakers to rescind the ban in the largest public park in the South Bay area of Los Angeles by building a safe space to cycle.
GROW is lobbying Caltrans to provide one oversized bike access car on a new public transportation subway line to accommodate almost 50,000 additional cyclists from diverse neighborhoods, especially those too young to drive, so that new cyclists can travel safely to and from the Grow Cycling Pumptrack.
There are 8 middle schools in Inglewood with grades 6th-8th. Grow Cycling will quantitatively measure success by facilitating cycling education and equipment in all eight schools by June 2023. We will then build partnerships to launch competitive cycling programs in Inglewood.
Our ultimate goal is to have every school and every grade in the entire school district engaging in cycling education programs that interact with GROW's pumptrack and outdoor programs within 3 years.
Read our coverage of Grow Cycling Foundation in Pinkbike.