McGowan, known to be the first female African American cyclist to ride for a professional team on the women’s World Tour, said: “There is a lack of black women at this race. “I’ve been [at the Tour de France Femmes] for the past few days, and I have seen less than 10 black people, let alone women, and I have known probably around half of those before I got here. “It’s a problem, and that does not mean black are not capable, are not qualified… or do not desire to be part of this space. McGowan says the peloton at this year’s race looked “quite homogenous”, urging that a “deliberate effort” is needed to improve minority representation in professional cycling. Reactions were mixed in the comments, with some arguing that black women do not gravitate towards the sport, while others pointed to a lack of safe streets to develop skills in the USA.