Philippa York will make guest appearances on Zwift during the month of June after the online cycling and running platform announced that it would be supporting the charity Athlete Ally during Pride Month. Along with a donation of $25,000 to Athlete Ally for a second consecutive year, a number of online rides have been set up for June, with events taking place on Tuesdays and Saturdays.
Athlete Ally is a charitable organisation that works within the sporting landscape campaigning for reform and more inclusivity, and York has joined forces and will take part in rides throughout the month. A number of other sports personalities are also set to take part at various points.
“Normally at this time of year various Pride events would be happening in towns and cities all over the world. However with Covid-19 stopping or limiting outdoor gatherings Zwift's support for the LGBTQi+ community by having Pride On rides on a digital platform is an excellent idea,” York told Cyclingnews.
“Too many people of the community feel that sport isn't for them so it's important to show that's not the case. The Pride On rides are an opportunity to maybe try something new for those that haven't thought of cycling before, interact and feel the support of others. It's all too easy to be socially isolated at the moment so riding with others can help with that. There's no worry about being too slow or struggling with the terrain, they're social rides for everyone, not races.
"I'm just getting into using Zwift myself and I'll be taking part in rides each Tuesday and Saturday throughout June so anyone who sees me online can say hello.”
Zwift co-founder and CEO, Eric Min, echoed York’s words in a press release issued by his company.
“We have a number of core values at Zwift and one of these is ‘One Zwift for All’. We always look to champion inclusivity at Zwift and therefore I’m especially proud to partner with Athlete Ally once again to help support better inclusivity across all sports.”
“This is our second year working with Athlete Ally and they are doing fantastic work to end homophobia in sport and activating the athletic community to exercise their leadership to champion LGBTQI+ equality. I’m looking forward to joining the weekly ride and runs.”
