Cycling must act to address racism
Across the entire men’s WorldTour, there are five black cyclists. That’s out of 543 professionals at the elite level, or 0.9 per cent. The smaller Women’s WorldTour peloton has no black riders. It becomes really stark when you look at photos of WorldTour teams: the lack of diversity really stands out.
The Black Lives Matter movement has become a global message in the wake of the death of George Floyd on May 25 in police custody in Minneapolis, and as the world takes a fresh look at race and societal structures, cycling can hardly be exempt from the debate. The divide is clear.
Cory Williams, a black professional rider from California, posted a statement on Instagram which read: “I’ve struggled in my career. I’ve been one of the top cyclists in America, even the best at my age at one point. I’ve been national champion, won a stage race overall, won a green jersey, won over 20 state championships and been top 20 at national road races as a junior and never been able to represent America on the national team.”
Dr Marlon Moncrieffe, a senior lecturer at the University of Brighton, has spent time researching black professional cyclists on the British scene for his upcoming book Black British Champions: Desire, Discrimination, Determination. “How come Britain hasn’t been able to produce a black Tour de France rider?” he asked Procycling. “Riders are marginalised in that respect. It seems strange that this wasn’t being looked at before.
“I went to ask the black champions I knew about their experiences of engagement with the national body, when it came to Olympic or World Championship selection, and there were a variety of stories of explicit discrimination or being overlooked consistently. That is why cycling in terms of representing GB is so white, because black cyclists have been completely overlooked.
“One could argue that if Maurice Burton or Russell Williams had become the Daley Thompson of cycling, then maybe that would have inspired other black people to get into cycling, and become the next crop.”
5 The number of black cyclists in WorldTour teams
Dr Moncrieffe said that the situation has become worse in the last decade: “There’s a sense of snobbery that came into cycling since 2012, which has been an issue for new black people coming into the sport. People are put off by that, the funding, the social capital... If you’re black and you come from a certain social background you’re going to feel even more oppressed or sidelined by those new middleclass people coming into the sport.”
Jonathan Vaughters, EF
Pro Cycling’s manager, told Cyclingnews: “Fundamentally, there is a lack of opportunity, mentorship and coaching that’s available early on for black riders that’s foundational. That’s an issue we as a community and industry need to solve.”
The UCI, cycling’s governing body, released a statement which said: “Cycling is a universal activity, and we must continue our commitment to ensuring that it is similarly accessible at all levels and in all its forms across the globe. While the death of George Floyd has resulted in a wave of indignation worldwide, riders’ testimonies explaining they have been subject to racism because they have black skin sends us a message concerning our responsibilities.”
The UCI has done some work to alleviate the disparity in the sport, for example through its World Cycling Centre, which helped riders such as Merhawi Kudus and Daniel Teklehaimanot, but it is clear more needs to be done.
Kévin Réza was allegedly racially abused by Michael Albasini in 2014 and Gianni Moscon in 2017. Moscon escaped a UCI sanction. It obviously takes more than representation to challenge racism and discrimination in cycling, but it is a place to start. Dr Moncrieffe said: “They need to work on access to youth cycling, and the system needs to be turned on its head, otherwise it will become even more exclusive. It’s just going to get worse, isn’t it?
“What people of colour in the sport need to do is to take up leadership roles more, be more in positions of authority.”
Sport should be open to all, no matter someone’s race, but it is clear that the gatekeepers of elite cycling fail at providing equal access. Things need to change in professional cycling.
“Fundamentally, there is a lack of opportunity, mentorship and coaching that’s available early on for black riders that’s foundational” Jonathan Vaughters, EF Pro Cycling manager