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Disrupted

Changing Gears: Meet the women expanding representation in cycling

By Kevin Chang Barnum,
Wayne Edwards, Khalilah Brown-Dean, Meg Dalton, Catie Talarski
Published August 16, 2023 at 11:44 AM EDT
A photo of Katie Walker sitting on a bicycle on a cycling track wearing her team USA uniform and a helmet
1 of 3  — Katie Walker, 2023 UCI Track Cycling World Championships
Katie Walker just finished competing at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships and is currently training for next summer's Paralympic Games. Katie says that growing up, she didn't have many role models who looked like her.
Casey Gibson/USOPC
A photo of Leta Highsmith standing next to a bicycle in front of a brick building
2 of 3  — Leta Highsmith
Leta Highsmith after an 80-mile group ride from New Haven to North Hampton, MA. Leta is the first Black woman to become a League Cycling Coach with The League of American Bicyclists. Leta remembers one of her students saying, "Oh my goodness, you look like me," upon learning Leta would be teaching them.
A photo of Hannah Ross wearing a white shirt and standing in front of a store window with a bicycle behind it
3 of 3  — Hannah Ross Headshot Credit Plume 2023.jpeg
Hannah Ross, author of Revolutions: How Women Changed the World on Two Wheels, says that for women, riding a bike has always been political.
Plume

This hour, we take a look at representation in the cycling world. Connecticut-based bike instructor Leta Highsmith talks about being the first Black woman to become a League Cycling Coach with The League of American Bicyclists. Hannah Ross discusses her book Revolutions: How Women Changed the World on Two Wheels. And Katie Walker, who just finished racing in the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships, explains what it's like competing at the highest level as she prepares for the Paralympic Games next summer.

GUESTS:

Special thanks to our interns Carol Chen and Stacey Addo.

Disrupted is available as a podcast on Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, Google Podcasts, TuneIn, Listen Notes, or wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe and never miss an episode.

Disrupted
Kevin Chang Barnum
Kevin Chang Barnum is a producer for Connecticut Public Radio’s weekly show Disrupted. Kevin grew up in Connecticut and started his radio work at his graduate university’s radio station, KUCI. He has also worked for HRN, a network of food and beverage podcasts.
See stories by Kevin Chang Barnum
Wayne Edwards
Wayne Edwards is a freelance producer at Connecticut Public contributing to multi-platform productions, including ‘Disrupted’, ‘Where Art Thou?’, and ‘Cutline in the Community’.

See stories by Wayne Edwards
Khalilah Brown-Dean
Dr. Khalilah L. Brown-Dean is an award-winning scholar at Quinnipiac University, author, and host of 'Disrupted' on Connecticut Public.
See stories by Khalilah Brown-Dean
Meg Dalton
Meg Dalton is the deputy director of storytelling for Connecticut Public. She previously worked for The Takeaway from WNYC, in collaboration with GBH and PRX, and Mobituaries with Mo Rocca. She's also reported and edited for the Columbia Journalism Review, PBS NewsHour, Slate, MediaShift, Hearst Connecticut newspapers, and more. Her audio work has appeared on ‎WNYC, WSHU, Marketplace, WBAI, and NPR. She earned her master's degree from Columbia Journalism School in 2017, where she specialized in audio storytelling and narrative writing, and has taught audio storytelling at Columbia Journalism School, UnionDocs, and public libraries.
See stories by Meg Dalton
Catie Talarski
Catie Talarski is Senior Director of Storytelling and Radio Programming at Connecticut Public.
See stories by Catie Talarski