Cycling is too white

@Adam - good point regarding Colombia being a hub for non white riders. I actually think that it is one of the national sports over there and there still is a conveyor belt of quality climbers coming out of the country. In terms of the lack of black cyclists I concur with the comments made by Tim about opportunity and coaching. However, drawing parallels with running for example doesn't work to my mind. In essence I think you will find potential cycling champions in every race, creed and colour. The barrier with cycling though is that it is not as easy to discover that potential because of the equipment involved. Take sub Saharan Africa for example where a high percentage of people ride bikes as their primary mode of transport. I know from experience the sorts of distance they cover on bikes that I'd struggle to make the pedals go round on or even keep straight. The boda boda bike taxis in Uganda are also testament to the strength some of these riders have. However, identifying any one individual as a potential cycling champion doesn't come easy because of the barriers created by the equipment required. If you consider say the runners of East Africa it is pretty easy to ascertain who the fastest are because putting on running races is hardly cost inhibitive. Identifying potential is therefore easy and you can build from there. Cycling by definition doesn't offer the same simplicity and hence in terms of racing can only really be viewed as an elitist sport in the developing world.

Wow Sean, thank you for such a wonderful insight into the challenges faced by cyclists from Africa. Here's hoping we see improvements in the standard of living for all Africans in our lifetime. Then hopefully we will see some more African cyclists succeeding around the world.

I have often wondered this myself but I am sure it is just a matter of time. How much TV coverage does cycling get in Africa? Related to this is the fascinating story of the Cafe de Colombia team of the 1980s which spawned top riders like Lucho Herrera and Fabio Parra. These guys were certainly not white yet challenged for victory in the Grand Tours of France, Italy and Spain.

Interesting debate here, thanks for all the opinions. I'm rather amazed to hear someone claiming whites are genetically predisposed to cycling, when there are so many disciplines to the sport. If the sport reached out and appealed to more black youngsters, for example, might we not find some great riders across all disciplines? As has happened in athletics? It may well be that people of sub-Saharan African descent are predisposed to sprinting, and to playing basketball. It may also be the case, as with boxing and with the music industry, that, traditionally, black people were 'allowed' to succeed in these areas, as opposed to areas such as business and finance (lack of access to a decent education), or politics for that matter (kinda hard to be a politician when you can't vote, I reckon). It may be a combination of the two. But the world of athletics has many disciplines, and in some white people do ok, as do Asians, as do South Americans. I'm reminded of the old belief from American football, which was that black players made great running backs and linesmen but not great quarterbacks. That idea has been thoroughly discredited. Similarly, black baseball players were thought to be unsuitable for the Majors until Jackie Robinson proved everyone wrong, and then some, in the 40s and 50s. Brian makes an excellent point, one I stressed, that if you look at the other mainstream sports in Europe and America you will see a multicultural and multi-ethnic mix of people playing those games. The England soccer team had no black players til Viv Anderson broke through in 1978, yet now has seen black players in every position. France won a World Cup and more with a team that represented the diversified races that live within its borders. (The great shame about the England football set up, and here it is similar to cycling, is that there has never been an Englishman of Indian or Pakistani descent that has represented England at the highest level, nor, to my recollection, has one ever played in the English Premier league. Go around the parks in the UK and you'll see a lot of these kids playing the game, but they tend to play together, mindful of the racist seam that still exists in football. As an alternative, look at cricket in the UK, where these youngsters are encouraged to play, to join in and to express themselves). In England, the sport of road racing remains largely white yet many black kids and kids of Indian and Pakistani descent ride BMX. Why do so very few ride road or MTB? I'm not saying everyone in cycling is racist, just that we have to be more inclusive, to reach out to these communities and to get more people on bikes. It's good for the environment, good for the bike business, and good for the sport. It won't be too long before a very good Asian rider starts to make waves in the ProTour. Yukiya Arashiro has already put in some very good performances, most notably at the Giro in 2010. I race the UCI Asia Tour and trust me, there is a wealth of talent here. There are signs too, as Sean says, that the sport is growing in Africa, but it's not exactly the UCI that can be credited with that growth. The bike doesn't recognize color, we do. And just as we have to work harder to make cycling more appealing to women, so we have to do the same for people who aren't white. Kids need role models to bring them into sports, and right now, if you are not white and not from the Far East, there aren't exactly that many out there. It's time we asked why. If a well-respected scientist comes along and declares that he's discovered that all non-white people are definitively NOT predisposed to cycling, and has the data to prove it, well, fair enough...!

Sean, let's hope you do produce a TdF champion! I agree with Tim's arguments about coaching and funding appropriate programs. Funding sports and getting kids involved from a young age is so important but it requires a lot of dedicated work and of course, time. It's important to consider that for people in developing countries who are poor, lacking in education and employment prospects, it can be hard to consider, let alone dream about a career in sports. Often children in poverty are the bread winners or primary care givers for their families. This is where time and money is so important when talking about sports programs in developing countries. Lee, I think this is a really important article and thanks for writing it. Cultures can be changed/developed and let's hope we see more successful riders from non-traditional cycling countries.

Hi Joe, yes I know about Major Taylor, I've written about him a few times, great champion and a huge star in France at the time. Thanks for noting him, he's gone but not forgotten.

Why aren't there more African riders in the pro-peloton? Simple - a complete lack of opportunity and a little thing called survival that comes first. My wife is an African lady and as such I have spent a fair bit of time in Africa. The lack of cyclists coming from Africa has nothing to do with lack of talent. Right across Africa people ride bikes, everyday. Often it is their only form of transport. Often their bikes are loaded down with goods and produce they are taking to the market to sell. Every market has several stalls dedicated to bike parts - wheels, brake cables, spokes, tyres, tubes, seats, pedals etc, such is the importance of the bike to everyday life. The fact is, that young athletes in third world countries do not have the luxury of state funded institutes of sport or training programs. The people work, often long hard hours, often performing backbreaking work, not just to earn money, but to actually survive. There is nothing left over to spend on 'luxuries' such as racing bikes or racing kit. There is no social security fall back. If you don't work, or scrape up enough of your own produce to eat or sell, then you starve. Survival is the priority. The talent is there, don't you worry. I have seen wonderfully versatile athletes that could turn their hand to any sport given the opportunity - but helping to support your family, or finding a way to serve up your next meal takes priority. Add to this often corrupt governments more concerned with lining their own pockets than improving conditions for their own people, and you are pushing the proverbial up hill! Cycling's profile is growing in Africa though. The Tour of Rwanda gets coverage in cycling mags and the Tour of Burkino Faso also rates a mention. Eritrea are beginning to produce promising cyclists - Daniel T. being only one in a line of young cyclists starting to emerge from that country. It will take time, but eventually one will break through to take significant wins. Tim has said, that with proper coaching we could see an African TDF champ in 20 years. My own son will be 27 by then and just entering his prime - who knows ; )

Maybe they can ride at the back of the peloton at least? Geez..

The point is that the East African gene pool (which is by far the most diverse on Earth) has a whole lot of individuals and groups who are perfectly suited to endurance sports like running and cycling. The problem is the lack of opportunity in cycling, compared to running/soccer etc. This goes partly to your point about cycling culture, but I think it's far more about poverty and lack of coaches/bikes/resources, and I agree with Lee that the cycling world could and should do a lot more to improve this.

No, I stand by my argument. I was merely expanding on my opinion. It's another line of thinking, sure, but ultimately, the two are intertwined [that's my opinion]. And you're selling Australian cycling short if you think we don't have a cycling culture. Look at the history of bike racing in this country. Sydney used to enjoy bike races that finished in the city centre. A lot of our country handicap races are well over 50 years old. And, as an aside, Italian bicycle frame builders came to Australia to learn the art from local welders. Our cycling culture is rich and steeped in its very own history. And despite the prevalence of corporate people on expensive bikes at your local cafe, it has always been a predominately working class sport. Just look at the home town names of some of the champions at the recent Track nationals. That's what I'm talking about. Culture & genes. It's in the DNA of a certain blessed few. Telling us that 'we can do what ever we want, as long as we put our mind to it', has to be the biggest lie ever told to mankind. And let's take your comment; "Let’s hypothesise that after the likes of Abebe Bikila and Kip Keino emerged in the 1960′s, coaches began to realise that there was a lot of untapped talent in Ethiopia, Kenya etc. Programmes were started. Talented kids were identified and coached into champions, and they knew it was a way of getting out of poverty." Do you honestly think we can ignore my gene pool theory in those words alone?!

Hang on, so now it's about culture? A minute ago you were saying it's about genetic predisposition. You've changed your argument, so I'll take that as an admission that it's not about whites being genetically predisposed to being better at cycling than other ethnicities. 50 years ago there were pretty much no African runners at the Olympic level. Now there are thousands, and the Africans dominate. Why do you think that happened? Let's hypothesise that after the likes of Abebe Bikila and Kip Keino emerged in the 1960's, coaches began to realise that there was a lot of untapped talent in Ethiopia, Kenya etc. Programmes were started. Talented kids were identified and coached into champions, and they knew it was a way of getting out of poverty. The same thing could happen with cycling, IF the right programmes were put in place. That is a big if, perhaps. I didn't say we WILL have an African TDF champion in 20 years, I said that we could if the right programme was established. It seems to me that the real question is "Why isn't cycling doing more to make that programme happen?" It's bike racing.Of course you can teach it. You didn't crawl out of the womb knowing how to ride a bike, and neither did the Belgians. Culture is one of the things we love about cycling, but the actual coaching is fundamentally about developing the physiological and psychological attributes and skills required to compete. Many East Africans have the raw attributes required. You think Australia has a "cycling culture"? It has a bloody good coaching culture is what it has.

Please. All of those attributes could apply to any sport and any discipline. And I'll call you on your African TDF champion in 20 years, and raise it to, not in our life time. I take it you've never raced a bike. Cycling is culture. You either get it, or you don't. You can't teach cycling, just like you can't teach running. And I'll be surpised if Teklehaimanot ever wins a bike race greater than a UCI 1.2.

What makes you say whites are genetically superior for cycling? The following attributes are required for bike racing: - aerobic fitness - speed - endurance - power to weight ratio - mental determination - work ethic - skinny arms What about all those world-beating African middle distance and distance runners who have all of these in spades? Get the Kenyans and Ethiopians on bikes, coach them properly, and we'll have an African TDF champion within 20 years. Orica-GreenEDGE has Daniel Teklehaimanot of Eritrea on the roster. Be interesting to see if his presence encourages other East Africans to follow.

With all due respect, that's like saying the 100m run final at the Olympics is too black. To succeed at certain sports, it helps to be genetically pre-disposed. Usually, a certain muscle build. Cycling is white, because whitey was born to to be good at it. Apologies to Major Taylor & Nelson Vails.

There was an African team who entered the Haute Route gran fondo and kicked arse last year. Also, I think it's Mark Neiwand who brings Malaysian riders over to Australia to race - and they are quick. Racism is disgusting, but I'm unsure that it's a major factor in preventing more diverse ethnic representation in cycling. I suspect cycling is just not big in a lot of those countries. You really need a decent level of competition to motivate you to build the form necessary to make the jump to elite overseas teams/races. It wasn't that long ago that Australia was poorly represented in the European peloton - guys like Phil Anderson and Robbie McEwen have inspired a lot of Aussies to take up the sport and some of them have made it to the pros.

Your being unfair to swimming where the Tunisian beat Hackett in the 1500m back in Beijing and where both multiple Chinese & Japanese swimmers starred at the London games. Cycling is predominantly a European sport and when you see the cycling teams of France & England there is a big contrast with those two countries football teams. I have not lived long enough in France to tell you exactly why this is so.

Is Table Tennis is too Asian? Is 100m running too black? Is Curling too Scandinavian? Each assertion is as puerile as the next one. Like it or not different people like different things. Some sports are played by many races and some are dominated by one. There was a time where a good athlete might be held back by his race, but nowadays the only thing that matters in professional sport is winning.

I remember from watching the Olympics that Fencing is very multicultural. I just backed that up by looking at the world rankings and in the epee, the top 25 players are made up of 17 different nations and every continent bar Australia.

Wasn't there a period around the early 80's that the Japanese dominated Olympic Track racing ?

@Bob Johnson How ridiculous! How can it be racism if the writer is of the SAME ethnic group as the athletes he comments on? Who is he being racist against - his own race???? Puh-lease. Was it racist when Michael Moore (a white man) wrote "Stupid White Men" Was it racist for Nick Giannopoulis to write a play called "Wogs out of work" Was it racist for a black rap group in the USA to call themselves "NWA" Think about it, it's not a difficult concept.