Why no Ethnic Riders in Tour de France?

I was just wondering about this. How come there are no riders in the
Tour de France who are from a non-European ethnic background?

I thought that there were Japanese riders and some other Asian riders
who could make the cut.

Just wondering......


--
dannyfrankszzz

"dannyfrankszzz"
wrote in message
...

I was just wondering about this. How come there are no riders in the
Tour de France who are from a non-European ethnic background?

I thought that there were Japanese riders and some other Asian riders
who could make the cut.


This was posed in the T de F commentary and apart from our ex colonies (SA,
NZ, OZ, USA etc), there seem to be only Columbians and Venezuelans (with
Spanish names) and an Asian Kazakh (with a Russian name). Probably the same
reason why there is a lack of white heavyweight boxers.

--
Simon M.

On Sun, 25 Jul 2004 03:07:49 +1000, dannyfrankszzz wrote:

I was just wondering about this. How come there are no riders in the
Tour de France who are from a non-European ethnic background?

Because there are none who are either good enough, or want to live in
Europe to get a contract.Cycle racing is only big in Europe,a little bit
in Aus., and a little in the US, everywhere else it is a very minor
sport.
More to the point, why are there no British riders in it? (I know, because
there are none good enough, and it is a small minority sport here!)

Alan.

--
To reply by e-mail, change the ' + ' to 'plus'.
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A.Lee wrote:

: More to the point, why are there no British riders in it? (I know, because
: there are none good enough, and it is a small minority sport here!)

I think there's quite a few brits who would be pros if they were from Belguim.

The problem is that too much cycling in the UK consists of the total waste of
time activity of plouging up and down dual carriages at 3am....

Arthur

--
Arthur Clune http://www.clune.org
"Technolibertarians make a philosophy out of a personality defect"
- Paulina Borsook

dannyfrankszzz wrote:
I was just wondering about this. How come there are no riders in the
Tour de France who are from a non-European ethnic background?

I thought that there were Japanese riders and some other Asian riders
who could make the cut.

Just wondering......

I think it stems from the fact that few young people with Asian or
Afro-Caribean background ride bikes as a serious pass-time. Here in West
Yorkshire there is a large Asian population yet I can't recall seeing any
Asians riding bikes (apart from bombing around cities on BMXs and MTBs). I
think its because ethnic groups don't ride bikes for sport as much as
whites - therefore since the chance for any cyclist actually being good
enough to get a ride in the TdF is small, for a minority group it is very,
very small indeed.

I think it stems from the fact that few young people with Asian or
Afro-Caribean background ride bikes as a serious pass-time. Here in West
Yorkshire there is a large Asian population yet I can't recall seeing any
Asians riding bikes (apart from bombing around cities on BMXs and MTBs). I
think its because ethnic groups don't ride bikes for sport as much as
whites - therefore since the chance for any cyclist actually being good
enough to get a ride in the TdF is small, for a minority group it is very,
very small indeed.

As a school teacher in a Bradford school, of 1800 predominantly white
pupils, I am aware of only one competitive cyclist - he does not know of any
others in the school. her's a white kid of Hungarian descent. Some of the
reasons are almost certainly cultural - amongst the asian lads, if they want
to participate in sport they go for cricket but from their late teens they
have a fixation on fast cars and Max Power magazine. The Afro-Caribbean
contingent are keen on footie, cricket and body building to accommodate the
bling bling they hope to wear. A simplistic view I know but there is really
little or no interest in cycling amongst the majority of kids irrespective
of racial heritage.

As a darkie, I can not give an insight as to why my interest and involvement
with cycling has such a strong grip on me. I never competed as a youth
despite the entreaties of a chap from Spartan Wheelers cycling club from
Darlington trying to recruit me as a member. I was not a team player and
prefered one on one competion and enjoyed destroying one or two junior
members of the club on long rides. I am used to being the sole non-white in
many of the hobbies that I participate in - skin colour hase never been an
issue with club/society members. My latest potential interest will challenge
many pre-conceptions - bag pipe playing :-)

One also needs to remember that the recruitment pool for ethnic minority
sportsmen is a small percentage of the UK and probably European population.
If once scales from how many successful white cycling youths are migrating
to teams from the white populations and then apply that to the ethnic
minority population you may well end up with a fraction of a single rider
:-)

"vernon levy" wrote in message
...
Some of the
reasons are almost certainly cultural - amongst the asian lads, if they
want
to participate in sport they go for cricket but from their late teens they
have a fixation on fast cars and Max Power magazine.

This is common amongst most young lads. As soon as they reach 16, the bike
is thrown away and they get a moped, a car at 17 and so it goes on from
there. Anyone who doesn't follow this path is a dork amongst their peers.

Amongst my work mates I am considered a kind of nutcase since I cycle in
all year round, but just lately our "Green Office" team has been coming out
with lots of "new ideas" such as why not cycle to work and keep fit and
don't damage the environment etc and yet I'd *love* to be able to tell you
the lengths I have had to go to to try and get my leds lamps allowed on
site, it's been dragging on for 3 years, but I'm afraid I can't, not on a
public forum that is.

--
?

Martin 'MSeries' Newstead wrote:
dannyfrankszzz wrote:
I was just wondering about this. How come there are no riders in the
Tour de France who are from a non-European ethnic background?


I think it stems from the fact that few young people with Asian or
Afro-Caribean background ride bikes as a serious pass-time.

The New York Fixie scene is at least partly influenced by the Carribean
track racing scene.

From http://oldskooltrack.com/files/home.frame.html

"And then, at least on the East Coast, you've got the Caribbean influence.
For over half a century, the everyday ride for kids in the Caribbean would
be a "fix" or a "track." Maybe they raced nationally or internationally. And
then they brought it to the U.S. The owner of New York City's "Second Avenue
Bicycles Plus" tells me that he remembers riding a fix back in Jamaica - in
the 1940's"


Wonder why it never happened over here ?

--
Andy Morris

AndyAtJinkasDotFreeserve.Co.UK


Love this:
Put an end to Outlook Express's messy quotes
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dannyfrankszzz wrote:

I was just wondering about this. How come there are no riders in the
Tour de France who are from a non-European ethnic background?

I thought that there were Japanese riders and some other Asian riders
who could make the cut.

Just wondering......


Why no black swimmers etc.

Anyway, the Japanese riders will be doing keirin if they want to make
serious money.

in message ,
dannyfrankszzz ')
wrote:


I was just wondering about this. How come there are no riders in the
Tour de France who are from a non-European ethnic background?

There is one who is clearly of north African extraction. I noticed him
particularly because, as you say, he's such an oddity. Sorry, can't
remember his name.

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;; a barrier of obscurity and secrets around the tools you
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;; innovation. - Waffle Iron Slashdot, June 16th, 2002