When Paris Wallace fell in love with cycling, he knew he wanted to reduce barriers for Black people and individuals of colour to get involved in competitive racing.

So, with his partners, he created the National Cycling League, bringing the 2023 NCL Cup to the masses for a series of four races with 10 teams and a prize pool set at $1 million.

“I saw an opportunity to reinvent the sport I love, to bring the passion and excitement of cycling to the next generation of fans,” Wallace, the co-founder and CEO of the National Cycling League, said in a statement on the league’s website. “I wanted to reduce the knowledge barrier of becoming a fan by adding a scoreboard and creating a league structure that mimics most other professional sports. I also wanted to reduce the time investment by making it shorter, faster, and more action-packed. And that is how the NCL was born.”

The first race of the NCL Cup occurred on April 8 in Miami Beach, Florida. The second will happen on May 14 in Atlanta, while the third race is happening on August 13 in Denver.

According to its website, the last race will take place on Sept. 17 in Washington, D.C.

What sets the league apart, its founders say, is the NCL’s ability to include men and women in a team format wherein the two groups work together toward a common goal. It promotes diversity in a sector where few racialized professionals exist.

“There are millions of Black and brown cyclists around the world. In fact, they are the fastest-growing group of cyclists in the U.S.,” Wallace told AfroTech in an email. “We plan to give these cyclists an opportunity to consider a professional career path in cycling and give them a sport to be proud of and to root for.”

According to a report from Crunchbase, the league announced a $7.5 million seed round raise with investments from Miami Dolphins’ Jalen Ramsey and Washington Wizards’ Bradley Beal in December 2022.