Why are there no black or asian riders on the Tour de France?

Dunno if this has ever been covered here......

racist

they asked, but shin and me were busy.

This is a question me and my housemate were discussing while watching yesterday's stage. You see a lot of Black long distance runners yet very few competing in cycling - Surely cycling doesn't demand much more than marathon runners, apart from higher power to weight ratios, but then again those runners are always super thin and can last lots of hours...

Cycling demands loads more than long distance running, both in terms of generating power, and extremes of endurance. There's also a difference between the bonk/knock in cycling, and the wall in running, because cycling tends to start eating into the glycogen reserves that are earmarked for the brain, so there's more psychological torture involved.

That's got nothing to do with ethnicity though. It's more of a cultural thing. There have always been non-white non-European riders out there, but they don't necessarily have the resources behind them to compete on the European circuit. The ethnic diversity is greater in races like the Tour of Langkwai, and there are loads of South American riders who've pissed all over visiting Europeans when competing at altitude on home soil.

might the cost of amazing road bikes be enough to limit the number of guys in Africa from riding, as well as pretty shitty roads?

According to Andreas at Velorution it's because all the dark-skinned folk don't ride bikes and have tinted windows instead.

it is a little odd, though, the complete absence in the Tdf.

France has a huge morrocan/algerian population, hasn't there been a couple of algerian riders?

i also would have thought that the USA would have produced some afro-american riders over the years..

I don't want to generalize to the point of racism, but France doesn't have the best reputation as far as rights and egalité for its immigrant population.

might the cost of amazing road bikes be enough to limit the number of guys in Africa from riding, as well as pretty shitty roads?

I would concur with that.

A lot of the talented African long distance runners seem to be from quite modest rural backgrounds, some not even accustomed to running shoes.

Everyone can run, it requires no special equipment or resources.

However you can compare it to sprint running, where athletes would need hard formal gym training and rich diet to build powerful large muscles. Also usually a special shoes and a track to practice.

So again you dont really get many sprinters from these kinda backgrounds?

And then you have France & Italy etc. These countries have hundreds of miles of idyllic road, a long tradition of cycling and money to spend on expensive hobbies like competitive/club cycling for their children.

In terms of this country, most Black & Asian people tend to live in the centres of Big cities. Club cycling doesnt seem to be a big scene in these areas, which requires money for bikes and enthusiasm from parents.

In these areas I think if any kids had any athletic ability they would put it towards,

Football first and foremost.

Then consider other things like Cricket or Basketball.

Then fighting sports.

Then track & field athletics. With Running being number 1.

Cycling is something waaaay down low, something most black & asian kids wouldnt even consider.

If they did, it would not be road cycling. But MTB, BMX, Trials or 4x etc

+1 to most of what skeletonboy said.

This could actually be (shock > horror) two questions (asians / blacks), or even more. Yes there's an economic reason, but that's not all.

Generally speaking, the Asian physique doesn't lend itself well to riding professionally. Shorter legs make it tough to keep up. Culturally sport is not big in the middle east and the indian subcontinent, and where it is it's usually team sports (yes, I know road racing is a team sport but it's not exactly percieved as a team sport). I think that the reason track cycling is big in Japan is because of the parallels with zen / discipline, that make the sport socially respectable.

It's a bit of a generalisation to say that africans excel at long-distance running - specifically this is limited to the Kalenjin's from Kenya. Again, culturally, cycling is not recognised as a sport that young people aspire to.

interestingly there are no african or asian UCI professional teams.

[ame]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_UCI_Professional_Continental_and_Continental_Teams[/ame]

• I think that the reason track cycling is big in Japan is because of the parallels with zen / discipline, that make the sport socially respectable. ]
  
  

Heh..come off it! that's the silliest thing i've ever heard! zen my arse.

ZenJS

Generally speaking, the Asian physique doesn't lend itself well to riding professionally. Shorter legs make it tough to keep up.

asia is massive. so you cant really generalise. unless of course, by saying asia, you mean subcontinent (asians in uk are just that...and the rest are chinese!). even if you mean just the subcontinent asians, saying they're short, dunno about that. i know a few who are over 6ft.

I think that the reason track cycling is big in Japan is because of the parallels with zen / discipline, that make the sport socially respectable.

well, i dont think it's that. the 'other' asians are into gambling. been to macau?

Heh..come off it! that's the silliest thing i've ever heard! zen my arse.

I'm serious. Zen buddhism in japan is unique, for historic reasons. It is based more on the discipline of meditating for long periods of time, to force a sudden realisation (awakening). IMO, there are parallels between zen buddhism, japanese marshall arts (highly disciplined), and Keirin. Think about bowing ceremony before the race starts, the strict NJS rules, the riding discipline involved in racing at 70kph, and trying to clap with one hand at the same time.

Of course, I could be talking bollcks, and it's popular because the japanese can bet on keirin.

i've never met a japanese with the slightest interest in zen or discipline.
but they do like to smoke and gamble..

As I understand it, Keirin exists due to gambling. Kind of like greyhound racing.

There are lots of cycling races in Africa, however, African teams do not yet have the level to compete a Tour de France but they are working on it and hope that it will be the case in a few years .
http://www.afrik.com/article7858.html

There are a few people in the French teams that are not white Said Haddou (his parents are Algerian), Yohan Gene and Rony Mathias are from Guadeloupe
http://www.equipebouyguestelecom.fr/home/pages/ebt/v4/l3/s18/riderlist_lng3_spo18_sitebt.shtml

With anything your culture and your background will determine your interests. In an interview Said Haddou who used to live in a council estate outside Paris says he became interested in cycling when his neighbours took him to watch a race when he was 6 and later they suggested he joined a cycling club. He says that there is no racism in cycling but it is a very conservative sport. Because of his background it was more difficult than for others as no one around him knew the first thing about cycling.

North African: Richard Virenque (think Algerian parentage....not sure)

I see a fair few black guys out on the roads around Paris so I don't think its a 'French' thing any more than an 'English' thing. Its like asking why are there no black swimmers ? As VeeVee says I think its more to do with upbringing than race.

Generally speaking, the Asian physique doesn't lend itself well to riding professionally. Shorter legs make it tough to keep up.

Yes, that's why Marco Pantani was so crap. Oh, and Victoria Pendleton.

Culturally sport is not big in the middle east and the indian subcontinent, and where it is it's usually team sports (yes, I know road racing is a team sport but it's not exactly percieved as a team sport).

And you could say this of the UK too! There are a few outstanding athletes, but the general population doesn't even get off the sofa to change channels. (Unless of course you're talking about spectator sports like football - but then, of course, cricket is HUGE in the Indian subcontinent. Much bigger than football is here.)

Anyway, I don't think this is just a race issue - it's all about class, privilege and accessibility, and it just so happens that these issues all intersect with race. And of course, the absence of Black and Asian cyclists is far more noticeable than the absence of white riders from socially deprived backgrounds - or just from sectors of society that don't put a premium on physical achievement.

And why are there no women in the Tour de France?

i think its cultural, in Europe at least to aspire to complete the TDF some day because it's such an epic endurance event with prestige beyond all else.

Somehow i don't think the buzz of the TDF permates into asian/african cultures.
Don't ask me why i think that, it's just off the top of my head tbh.

Women have their own league and races. They are not allowed in Le Tour.

Hear Hear

It's a bit of a generalisation to say that africans excel at long-distance running - specifically this is limited to the Kalenjin's from Kenya. [URL="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_UCI_Professional_Continental_and_Continental_Teams"][/URL]

Some of the Ethipians are pretty handy as well, I heard that Haile Gebrselassie could get a bit of a move on when he wanted to