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

Shazney Read is black, from a poor background, and the best bmx racer, and one of the best track racers around today. Its about exposure to the sport. I doubt many in Africa, the near or far east have heard or give a sh1t about the TDF.

Go to Marseille or the port in Niece and the North Africans there want to be Zidane, not Eddie Merckx. Same in Holland, they want to be Frank Riikard or Ruud Guillit.

My main passion in life is snowboarding, but you hardly ever see a black or brown face on the slopes (you do get lots of asians), primarily because they come from a social demographic where it is of no interest/relevance to them and financially beyond their means.

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.

I totally agree with this, before Lewis came along people would say the same of Formula one, but race has little to do with it, cycling as a sport is one of the most expensive for a child and their parents to support and of course motorsport even more so....

there is zero chance of a black, working class kid from a Stockwell housing estate becoming a formula one driver... and a white kid form the same estate has the same chance.

And what about Ice Hockey?

I've not read the thread but I imagine its in part to do with professional cycling being a predominantly white european sport (and as a result ppl of white european origin - Americans, Aussies etc...)and ultimately to do with economic possibilities for some of these ppl.

http://www.majortaylorassociation.org/who.htm

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

I know, I know (I'm playing devil's advocate here), but why can't there be parallel competitions within the same event - as happens in Wimbledon, for example. Is there any reason (apart from Tradition) why women and men couldn't ride in the same race, and be awarded yellow, green, polka dot and white jerseys of their own?

(Perhaps this is a discussion for another thread...)

I know, I know (I'm playing devil's advocate here), but why can't there be parallel competitions within the same event - as happens in Wimbledon, for example. Is there any reason (apart from Tradition) why women and men couldn't ride in the same race, and be awarded yellow, green, polka dot and white jerseys of their own?

(Perhaps this is a discussion for another thread...)

i agree, and think it's a good point. it needs to happen in a lot of sports.

And what about Ice Hockey?

hah.. was waiting for this to come up.

98% of ice hockey players in the NHL are white.. and its all to do with money and geography.

1. hockey is bigger in Canada/sweden/northern parts of the US = not many non-whites
   
2. Large numbers of black American athletes come from inner city projects, where basketball/running is cheap and popular. local colleges/schools spend all their sporting budget on baskball/american football, leaving people to have to buy their own ice hockey kit, which costs £1000 or so.
   
   

of the 5 black ice hockey players i can think of, 4 are Canadian anway.

why must we assume that everyone wants to play a certain sport. how many black rowers/polo players do you know (granted, how many rowers/polo players of any colours do you know).

hmm, i feel my /rant has lost any direction. good night

Shazney Read is black, from a poor background, and the best bmx racer, and one of the best track racers around today.

shanaze read is indeed pretty amazing, but like I said BMX & MTB etc is by far a preference to black/asian inner city 'yoots than adorning the lycra, shaving the legs, wearing some padded underwear and asking your mum for a £2k bike that you cant even wheelie on.

• They don't want to participate in the Tour de France because they don't want to take drugs.

• You will find that French people don't play cricket, because it is a shit game ;)

• And to play boules you have to be white and over 53

aaaargh I am so wrong!

http://www.theafricancyclist.com/The%20Idea.html

I know, I know (I'm playing devil's advocate here), but why can't there be parallel competitions within the same event - as happens in Wimbledon, for example. Is there any reason (apart from Tradition) why women and men couldn't ride in the same race, and be awarded yellow, green, polka dot and white jerseys of their own?

(Perhaps this is a discussion for another thread...)

There is La Grande Boucle Feminine, and the women's Giro.

http://www.theafricancyclist.com/The%20Idea.html

read pretty much every word of that website,

good stuff. cant wait to see the result!

Would be cool if they showed up the softie europeans & their carbon fibre by riding some steel bikes too.

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/osm/story/0,,1830595,00.html#article_continue

Oh my gosh - look what I found (through a highly technical process of putting 'India' and 'cycling' into Wikipedia)!

http://www.bikeszone.com/forum/ It's an Indian cycling forum, just like this one. Have a look on the 'Cycle Models and Brands' board - there's even a fixie thread!

EDIT: On reflection, this isn't likely to be of much interest to anyone but me (I spend lots of time in India, and have been fruitlessly searching for a cycling fraternity for years). Apologies - I haven't slept since Friday (went to Dunwich), and am a bit spaced out.

Interesting question, which has already been answered intelligently by those who say that exposure is a main factor. It is also about expectation and perception.

Firstly, there is no readily available pool of coaches or many of the ordinary resources available to turn natural African athletes into cyclists. There are many examples that can correlate a poverty stricken background into an unswerving dedication to training, and later success. Someone has pointed out that Africans make excellent long distance runners. Well this is true, but its also like saying, Americans make the best astronauts. Both are true, but it needs examination, as initially the answer is too sweeping.

There are few if any West African runners that are good long distance runners. Their physique is muscular and heavy, whereas East Africans are slender, and the best of those runners often have lived at higher altitudes. The decendants of the West African slaves have gone on to become the major representatives in heavyweight boxing, and sprinting.

Arthur Ashe, the former black tennis champion wrote an insightful book on how the Black American jockeys came from nowhere to totally dominate the horse racing world just after slavery had been abolished, only to eventually be denied access to this sport, by new rules designed to exclude them. They got the first opportunities by lucky accident, and excelled.

In past decades, swim coaches have howled with derision at the thought of black swimmers. There have been 2 black swimmers of note - one male (Anthony Nesty) and one female (Enith Brigitha). Some swim coaches still say that its pointless to train blacks, due to heavier bones, and their eager ability to sink like a stone.

Apart from expectations, where blacks are considered to be good at sports that require strength or endurance, there are not so many ethnic champions of other, more unexpected sports. There will always be exceptions though, like (in tennis) Arthur Ashe, Althea Gibson and the Williams' sisters. In cycling, at the Los Angeles Olympics, Nelson Vails, formerly a New York city bicycle courier, came second in the cycle sprint final. Lewis Hamilton's achievements in Formula One last year was above and beyond all expectation, and Paul Ince has become the first sole black manager in the history of top flight British football (a fable about opportunity versus ability); though he has his own views about why it took so long for him to be the first.

Therefore, I think that its not physical issues that hold black people back from success, or even entry into the top tiers of cycling - it is something else; and that something isn't very nice. In Britain, I think that Shaznade Reade may start off something that she has no idea about......and that is to open the door to expectation, and imagination.

Hippy's post about The African Cyclist project is a revelation.

Oh, and another link:

http://pakistaniat.com/2007/03/03/tour-de-pakistan-cycle-race/

The event is modeled on the pattern of the well known Tour de France and is expected to include more than 150 domestic and foreign participants, including those from Germany, Canada, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Iran, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh. As of last night most of these teams had already arrived in the country.
So, clearly there's a thriving cycling community in Pakistan: numerically, this is a bigger event than the Tour of Britain. It just doesn't get any publicity - like La Grande Boucle Feminine. Who, outside of cycling enthusiasts, has heard of either?

Right - I'm going to stop posting and go to bed now...

Oh my gosh - look what I found (through a highly technical process of putting 'India' and 'cycling' into Wikipedia)!

http://www.bikeszone.com/forum/ It's an Indian cycling forum, just like this one. Have a look on the 'Cycle Models and Brands' board - there's even a fixie thread!

EDIT: On reflection, this isn't likely to be of much interest to anyone but me (I spend lots of time in India, and have been fruitlessly searching for a cycling fraternity for years). Apologies - I haven't slept since Friday (went to Dunwich), and am a bit spaced out.

I find that equally fascinating.

It seems a lot of people there are from bangalore, which I thought was a mega city full of yuppies. With roads too busy to cycle, im surprised that these middle class folk are riding bikes for commuting and such, in bangalore!

Apparently they had a velodrome in the 80's too. Ive joined up.

bmx = cheap...you can get a bmx, pull wheelies, race your mates for 100 quid or less...how much is an entry level road bike, clothing, helmet, and a year of entry fees and petrol?

Too fecking much!

But how much is a racing BMX and the associated racing fees, body armour, etc?

http://www.bikeszone.com/forum/

It's brilliant, I read a bit of the commuting section, no ranting just happy people :)

They are a bit naughty though!
*
"I go onto the pavement at every opportunity. There has to be some payoff for all the good we are doing to the environment, eh ?

And cops who are generally ready to bust any motorcyclist on a pavement turn a blind eye to cyclists. I actually once nearly ran down a cop on the pavement at Shoolay circle. He reprimanded me with a sharp "Nodkondu oduso lei", and ignored me."*

I totally agree with this, before Lewis came along people would say the same of Formula one, but race has little to do with it, cycling as a sport is one of the most expensive for a child and their parents to support and of course motorsport even more so....

there is zero chance of a black, working class kid from a Stockwell housing estate becoming a formula one driver... and a white kid form the same estate has the same chance.

Not wishing to be pedantic, winston, but Hamilton is of mixed race.

Of course there are always exceptions:

James Bubba Stewart - Motocross
Tiger Woods - Something about balls and sticks, can't remember.

I wonder if theres a white danish guy whos really good at Kabadi.