Black girls do bike.

After not noticing many in real life or the media, bicyclist Monica Garrison of Pittsburgh started a Facebook group by that name in the summer of 2013.

The group (www.blackgirlsdobike.com) has boomed into what’s soon to be 58 chapters around the country, plus one in Antigua. The Pittsburgh chapter, which wasn’t even the first, has more than 200 members in its closed Facebook group.

This time of year, they meet at least once a month for group rides organized by leaders they call “sheroes.” The local rides draw 15 to 40 riders and always several new ones. Many members wear their BGDB cycling jerseys, which further help build camaraderie and raise awareness. The group is doing what its founder hoped it would do.

“We try to focus on getting women on bikes and removing any sorts of barriers and obstacles to that,” says Ms. Garrison.

While the group focuses on A