This North Miami group is creating a new generation of cyclists — and they want podiums
Kadafie Riche is tired.
The 16-year-old just biked more than five miles and he’s dripping with sweat. Nicknamed “Black Cheetah,” the 16-year-old is one of the poster boys of the Break the Cycle program, which aims to cultivate a new generation of cyclists and call attention to issues plaguing Black and brown communities. But to Riche, BTC is much more than that: the program has given him a hobby, a healthier body and, according to BTC founder and executive director Maurice Hanks, a real chance at going to the Tour de France.
“I feel confident,” Riche said, describing what it’s like when he rides, both for fun and competitively. “I set a goal for myself every time: try to get podium.”
Founded in 2021, BTC offers an alternative outlet for Black kids to develop physically and emotionally. Through rides, accountability lessons and building genuine relationships, the kids have transformed to real cycling aficionados. As Break the Cycle founder and executive director, Hanks just wants all of the kids to know that their current circumstances don’t have to dictate their futures.
“All we knew was just go to school and get a job,” Hanks said. “My thing is to let them know that there’s multiple ways of making money and getting ahead in life.”
Hanks, who has been riding for nearly a decade, came up with the idea for BTC amid the pandemic. The first ride was held during Easter Sunday 2020 and hundreds of people showed up. From there, Hanks and his team just kept building — rides to Zoo Miami, rides to Palm Beach, rides to Orlando — and before long, he decided to do a summer program for kids of all ages.
“My goal is to make cycling like basketball and football,” Hanks said. Break the Cycle will even be hosting its first race, the Break the Cycle Cycling Classic on Nov. 13 in Doral, which will give his team another chance to show what they have learned.
BTC’s marketing director Janae Turner says Hanks has become more than a mentor.
“Maurice invests a lot of time with the kids,” Turner said.
A graduate of Edison High, Hanks was born and raised in Miami-Dade County. His parents weren’t really around so his grandmother primarily raised him. This background — coupled with his decision to skip college for a career in promotion and eventually financial advisement — is something that allows him to better relate to the kids, he says.
“No disrespect to the ministers and the churches but the churches aren’t in the streets with the kids,” Hanks said. He emphasized that the program mainly focuses on kids from single-parent households where a male role model is needed.
Now two years in, however, Hanks believes he made it.
Or, more accurately, Hanks believes “we” — as in he and his Break the Cycle proteges — made it. His evidence is rooted in how tournaments have gotten a bit stricter ever since he and his team of Black cyclists started entering.
“When we first started riding, they knew us as Break the Cycle with the good, pretty uniforms,” Hanks recalled. “Now, they’re checking everybody’s name, making sure they’re the right age for the race and going through all information to make sure we don’t put nobody that’s not supposed to be there.”
This wasn’t always the case but to Hanks, it’s just one of the perils of success.
How to Help
Break the Cycle welcomes donations and partners. Bikes and helmets are always welcomed, though you should reach out to them for more info. There is a donate button on the website, breakthecycle.info. You can reach out about volunteer and sponsorship opportunities at BreakTheCycle2020@yahoo.com. Information about the Break the Cycle Cycling Classic race on Nov. 13 at miamicyclingassociation.com.
This story was originally published October 26, 2022 at 4:30 AM.
