Welcome to Ostroy / NYC Velo
Ostroy / NYC Velo Racing & Development is the largest women/trans/femme (W/T/F) racing and development team in New York City. We aim to make cycling & racing accessible to new riders and racers with an explicit emphasis on diversity and inclusion: gender, race/ethnicity, and financial accessibility.
Born late in the 2020 pandemic, we snowballed into a collective of 86 (and counting!) riders and racers in a matter of weeks. The team has become a network of w/t/f riders who, for the most part, were strangers only months ago, but who now swap resources and gear recommendations and have a pool of folks to ride with, always. We’re really proud of what the team has collectively built in just a few months and look forward to sharing our energy and new excitement about the sport with you.
We’re thankful to our sponsors for making our dreams a reality: Ostroy NYC, NYC Velo, Domestique Foundation, Peloton Executive Coaching, BASE Performance, UNDRBUDR, Finish Line Physical Therapy, and Fortius Physical Therapy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the team’s mission?
Cycling is a sport that maintains a high barrier to entry. There’s jargon, etiquette, expense, safety… it can be intimidating to anyone, but particularly to those who are underrepresented in the cycling world: women, trans, femme, non-binary, and BIPOC riders.
We intend to break down these barriers to entry. We want to make cycling accessible to these riders. We aim to make commuters into recreational cyclists, and recreational cyclists into racers. We focus on developing new riders and welcoming them into the community by building a safe and supportive space.
All of us on the team contribute to building this team into the community it is today. We do not turn away riders for speed or skill: we develop our riders, and give back. We are constantly learning. We believe in building the team we want to be part of. We believe cycling is for everyone, and all cycling is welcome. We believe Black lives matter, we stand in solidarity with AAPI folks in the face of hate, we fight for trans and queer lives.
Why is your team called women/trans/femme (W/T/F) and what does that mean?
Our team is interested in diversifying cycling, which is a male-dominated sport. We welcome cisgender women, trans women, femme-identifying riders, non-binary riders, and riders of other marginalized genders. This means we try to take care to announce our pronouns, refer to riders as singular they until we are sure of their pronouns, and use gender-neutral terms when speaking about our riders (e.g., not using gendered language like “women’s team”, “girl gang”, “ladies”).
While many (most) of our current members do identify as women, and/or use she/her pronouns, not all do. Several riders use multiple sets of pronouns (e.g., she/her and they/them). While each individual may have a different relationship with each set of pronouns, generally we use both sets of pronouns interchangeably and equally. Here’s a quick primer on pronouns if you are new to this.
Unfortunately, the dominant culture still requires a binary gender structure. Our racers register however they prefer, meeting USAC and UCI guideline, to determine which field they’ll race in.
How did this team come to be?
In early September 2020, our current team captain had been riding regularly thanks to the pandemic and was searching for a community and a place to improve and grow as a cyclist. She found it challenging to identify which local teams welcomed women, and most programs had gone quiet in the pandemic.
After meeting Alex Ostroy (@ostroynyc) by chance and riding with his MoMA / NYC Velo team (@moma_nycvelo), she learned he was interested in starting a women’s development team and agreed to join the team as its founding and only member. She expanded its focus to include trans and femme riders, and she took to Strava clubs and local cycling groups like Girls Bike NYC (@girlsbikenyc), NightCAP Brooklyn (@nightCAPbrooklyn), and MBR Cycling (@mbrcycling) to recruit. Soon, the group grew by word of mouth and via social media and swelled to 62 riders in its first few weeks.
Because of its size, the team needed to begin formalizing itself. This included setting up pace groups to accommodate all riders from diverse backgrounds -- no rider would be turned away based on speed or skill; setting up sponsorship conversations to support riders; setting up a 501(c)3 designation; identifying core leadership members and ride captains to be point of contact for regular weekly rides; hiring Tara Parsons as a team coach; coordinating with local racers to volunteer as ride leaders and coach the new team on basics of safe group riding practices.
The team closed membership that winter and began focusing on developing our riders: hosting handling and climbing clinics, organizing a Zwift and Zoom series to introduce riders to other racers within COVID guidelines, and setting up Q&As for each of our sponsors to give riders a chance to meet the sponsors. The team has also grown more vocal as it has amassed a platform to speak about issues of equity and justice in cycling.
Since then, we have continued to attract new riders, taking in another 24 riders this spring: that’s 86 riders, 44 of which have indicated interest in racing. We couldn’t be more proud of the energy and community this team has built together. We look forward to growing the women’s peloton in the New York area and working with other teams to diversify cycling.
What does it mean to join the team?
Full details here. You’ll get a version of this when you join the team, with links added back in.
PUBLIC
No membership fee
No training plan
Keep in touch via Instagram
Attend public rides / events
No team kit
Access to sponsors only at public rides / events
TEAM (CLUB LEVEL)
Membership fee $225/yr ($25 / month * 9 months, Dec - Aug)
Static training plan + option for individual training
Access to Team Slack, site, resources, calendar
Access to weekly team rides, on-bike clinics / coached sessions, + all events
No racing requirement
Team Kit
Access to all sponsor benefits
TEAM (RACE LEVEL)*
Membership fee $225/yr ($25 / month * 9 months, Dec - Aug) plus additional race fees & licenses ($150 - 200)
Static training plan + option for individual training
Access to Team Slack, site, resources, calendar
Access to weekly team rides, on-bike clinics / coached sessions, + all events
Required to race 4x / season
Team Kit
Access to all sponsor benefits
*You may decide to join the race team at any point in the season.
Does everyone have to race?
Not at all. However, everyone is encouraged to participate in events, whether or not they are competitive. Not all events require a racing license, for example, or you can obtain a one-day license for some races. Team-wide race drills and clinics are available to all riders.
A key tenet for our team is making both cycling and racing more accessible. Let us be clear: there will be no strict delineation on this team between the “race team” and the “club team”. We are one team: all of us ride, and some of us also race.
At the moment, our team mostly focuses on road racing, but we have riders who ride track and gravel, and who participate in randonneuring events and bikepacking. The benefit of a large team is that you’ll always find someone interested in what you’re interested in!
What are the requirements to join the team?
When our membership is open in the Fall, you’ll first connect with our new rider team. They’ll set you up with an initial ride at a pace comfortable for you, and introduce you to a ride captain who will be your point of contact. You’ll complete a liability waiver and a COVID agreement. After your ride, you can decide whether or not you are interested in joining the team. Our new rider team will send you an intake form and instructions on paying dues. You’ll participate in a new rider orientation and get onboarded onto our platforms.
Reach out at ostroydev@gmail.com to be added to the membership waitlist and be notified when we reopen membership.
What is a group ride like?
Typically a ride will be announced as a certain pace (A, B, or C). The ride captain should select a route and note if a workout or specific drills are on the schedule as well as whether the ride is a drop or no-drop ride (e.g., whether you should expect to keep up or get dropped, or whether the group will regroup and make sure everyone stays together). Riders are not considered “A riders” or “B riders” or “C riders”; rather, a rider may typically ride A or B or C pace, and a ride is an A-pace, B-pace, or C-pace ride.
Where can I learn more about the team?
This is it! You can follow us on Instagram for latest updates. We’ve talked about the team on NYC Bike Culture (part 1, part 2) and with Social Sport podcast. Our team was also mentioned in this Bicycling Mag featured article about anti-trans legislation in Arkansas. One of our riders, Aliya Tyus-Barnwell, was also featured by NYC Bike Culture and on Social Sport for her non-profit, Ride Up Grades.
Land Acknowledgement (What’s this?)
Our team is based in New York City, and we often ride and race in New York and New Jersey, which is the traditional land of the Munsee Lenape.
What other similarly-minded cycling groups are out there?
We’ve learned a lot from other teams and communities paving the path towards diversifying cycling. Here are a few: