June 25, 2025
The Black Girl Joy Bike Ride takes Black women cyclists on weekly, guided rides to explore Philadelphia.
Since 2023, Black women have been gathering weekly in Philadelphia to participate in the Black Girl Joy Bike Ride. As the group grows, creator Iresha Picot says it’s become something bigger than she ever dreamed.
The bike ride is a guided 4- to 5-mile journey through the city. For Picot, it’s all about joy, community, and Black women putting themselves first. “As Black women, we’ve been conditioned to put everybody else’s needs before our own,” she told CBS Philadelphia. “A lot of us are dying from stress-related diseases, from preventable diseases.”
The Black Girl Joy Bike Ride creates a space for women to connect on and off the bikes. The cyclists build friendships and have an opportunity to see the city and embrace the peace of the outdoors. One Black Girl Joy rider said she enjoys being around other Black and Brown women “having self-care for each other.”
Another rider said riding with the group makes the “bad things” about the city “beautiful.”
For riders without a bike, Indego Bikes and Philly Bikes provide a bike on a first-come, first-served basis. Over the next two years, Picot is excited to gift 24 Black Women their very own bikes due to a substantial community grant from the Pennsylvania Environmental Council. In a June 22 Instagram announcement, she thanked the council for its commitment to making trails “more welcoming, accessible and fun” for historically underserved communities.
“I’m grateful that I get to continue to be a vessel in addressing the equity issues in cycling for Black Women in Philly and actually being able to do something about it,” she said.
On June 19, Picot was grateful to see so many riders participate in the Juneteenth Black Girl Joy Bike Ride in North Philly. The women gathered at 10 a.m. at 33rd and Diamond before they headed out on a scenic route on the legendary boxers’ trail. “It was a hot one but also a good one,” she said.
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