Ethnicity and the Cycling

lost_in_thought

I saw a black lady riding through shepherd's bush on the way home!

It's one of those things - now I'll notice all the ethnic minority cyclists...

Bassjunkieuk

White British here..........

Now I have to decide where to start, having sorta digested 7 pages of posts with my youngest asleep on my lap :-)
I can't honestly say that I really pay much attention to the ethnic backgrounds of the other cyclist I see and it's only during the daytime that I can normally tell people apart once you have them wearing helmets/gloves/long sleeved jackets etc.

The area of Croydon I live in has a rather large population of black and asian people and I have seen a few on bikes and they did look like enthuastic cyclists, the two that spring to mind immediately are the Pinarello riding black gentleman and the devastatingly fast asian guy I encountered near Streatham Common once, who also headed up towards Thornton Heath before heading off down a side road. Also earlier this week I had a black guy on a Kron roadie giving it large in Streatham.

As I get closer into town and find more cyclist I'd have to say tho that the mix does appear to tip towards a white majority, again this is only based on my own observtions and I generally only pay attention to any riders who I'd consider fair game as far as SCRing is concerned (I pretty much ignore hyrbids and MTB riders!)

Anyhow........Jamey if your interested I'd me more then happy to try and get out for a few rides, PM me if your interested or you can get me on MSN! I'm down the road from the Palace footie ground if that helps for any routes! Personally I've never really understood why Croydon got such a bad rep, sure it's not the flashiest of area's but it certainly has variety and some damn good cycle shops!

EricaR

Half english-white, half brasilian (no, not there )

This is a really interesting post - i have to say this humble commuters column has had some pretty philosophical discussions (often starting from something unrelated)

Tyne and wear isn't anywhere near as diverse as london or the south east but oddly out of the 'proper' (casual / leisure) cyclists I know, or at clubs I do see more black / asian than the generall population. However the majority of cyclists on the road tend to be white (generally charvers)

Personally, I think that the most significant barrier in the UK is class.

I think Passout has a good point about class, along with lots of other sports, cycling is a reflection of demographics rather than races. Many white-dominated sports tend to be expensive to participate in and you may not be exposed to them unless you went to a private school. Also, the middle classes are more white.

For example you don't need much to play or practice football but for tennis, many schools don't have courts or the equipment and especially for cycling if you were a good cyclist how would you get 'noticed' when you are young?

What we are clearly underepresented in though, is women! Although you can hardly use a lack of role models as an excuse now can you... (but it is getting more popular amongst girls I'll grant that )

DiggingDeeper

Yes sometimes I wonder whether there are a disproportionate number of cyclists (commuters) from ethnic minorities.

White-English - Born in Cheltenham, now live in London

Cast your mind back to the horrible weather early in the week and who in their right mind would cycle in that - that'll be us then (forum members)

The only dude I interacted with on the worst day was a black guy who had soaking cold feet like me, in Walthamstow (where we were) I would expect to see a black guy as much as a white guy there, but on a bike, good question.

The non white cyclists you see/talk too seem to be pretty committed imo.

DDD can't answer your question, cycling is a good way to keep fit (it aint cheap unless you do it cheap - I don't) so why does cycling not appeal to ethnic minorities. Take skiing, swimming (stuff I do, struggling to think of other sports) that ethnics do not seem to partake massively in. It can't be cultural, the Chinese must own more bikes than the rest of the world put together except India? maybe)

Is it just a stats thing - ethnic ratio to whites UK, compared to cycling world, the figures are actually the same. Is it simply that, rather than some deep meaning thing, I don't know, you tell us us. Most people that know me think I am bonkers for cycling the mileage I do in London. Maybe ethnics are more sensible than me as regards personal safety

iain_j

joe1983 wrote:

Interesting thread, I was wondering the very same thing a while ago during the olympics. Track and field was disproportionately black athletes and cycling disproportionately white athletes.

I was about to post the same (then I read the thread).

My commute goes through the Princes Park region of Liverpool which had the highest proportion of mixed-race residents in the 2001 census (clicky) - it's definitely noticeable from the people walking around and queueing at bus stops - yet I only ever see white cyclists.

I only recall seeing one black cyclist around here, and I've not seen him for a while actually. He stood out not because he was black but because he had the full Euskaltel-Euskadi team strip - dayglo orange - and even a bike that looked the part. You'd swear he was on the team.

Jay dubbleU

White Norman/French Huguenot ancestry on my dads side, Scottish/Yorkshire on my mothers, married to a Han Chinese lady who regularly cycles and loves it. I actually see quite a lot of Asian cyclists around here, usually commuting to local factories. Serious cyclists seem to be mainly white but again I think that may be an ethical thing - most Asians I know see cycling as a poor man's transport

In answer to DD even the Chinese are now moving away from the bicycle in favour of the car - bicycle ownership in Bejing has gone down 10% over the last five years

biondino

Bassjunkieuk wrote:

White British here..........

Oh I don't think so - British people have VOWELS in their name [/Daily Mail]

crankycrank

American white mutt: English, Irish, German, Lithuanian, Scottish (and some Scotch at the moment).

Rich158

Jay dubbleU wrote:

White Norman/French Huguenot ancestry

Finally I've found someone else with the same ancestry as me that I'm not related to I'm your normal white english mongrel, a bit of everything down through the years.

It's interesting, I live in Gravesend which has a very large Sikh population, and a growing Muslim one, and yet we see very few asians on a bike, in fact I can't remember the last time I saw one. Chatting on a club run last weekend we noted that the majority of serious cyclists are in the 30-40 age group, and that is due to the cost of the equipment. Now looking at my local asian community they stretch across a whole range of incomes and definately aren't overwhelmingly working class, in fact they pretty ,much refelct the white population.

My take on this is that it is a culltural thing, the Sikh community has a very strong sense of cultural identity, and families tend to form larger units with clloser links to the local community. They run football teams, karate, kick boxing etc and also have a very active Banghra group. The focus of all of this activity seems to be centred arround community involvement, and any sports that are individualist are not participated in to any great extent.

tailwindhome

We have our own issues over in Northern Ireland

So I'm ;

Irish

British

British Irish (I think I made that one up)

Irish National but a British Citizen

Ulsterman (though 3 counties of Ulster are in a different country)

Northern Irish (though 1 county of the South of Ireland is futher North than Northern Ireland)

tailwindhome

Sorry about this ITB



Black people are now represented in great numbers in the Premiership, partly due to influx of African and French players.

I don't have any stats to back this next statement up but it seems to be in numbers dissproportionate to the overall population.

My question is this: Why so few black goal keepers?? Only David James springs to mind.

EricaR

Sorry about this ITB

Laughing

Black people are now represented in great numbers in the Premiership, partly due to influx of African and French players.

I don't have any stats to back this next statement up but it seems to be in numbers dissproportionate to the overall population.

My question is this: Why so few black goal keepers?? Only David James springs to mind.

well I think it's obvious wmc. Clearly black people can kick but not catch, and white people must be able to float better, but not run short distances. no other reason!

lost_in_thought

biondino wrote:

Bassjunkieuk wrote:

White British here..........

Oh I don't think so - British people have VOWELS in their name [/Daily Mail]

Yeah Srkrphckyscxp..... Skrzkpcks..... Srkzyzkpkpk.... BJUK.

Bassjunkieuk

biondino wrote:

Bassjunkieuk wrote:

White British here..........

Oh I don't think so - British people have VOWELS in their name [/Daily Mail]

Fair play! The wonderful surname comes (obviously) from my dad's side. His dad was Polish and I believe there was also some Italian on his mother's side!

Also the correct spelling is Skrzypczyk LiT:-)

tailwindhome

A black man called 'Scotland' who plays international football with Trinidad & Tobago scored a goal today for a Welsh team in the English FA cup in Wales

Thats diversity!



Oh yeah SKY News active are currently showing a feature interview with Vicky P

Isnt Valentines day brilliant!

DonDaddyD

WheezyMcChubby wrote:

Black people are now represented in great numbers in the Premiership, partly due to influx of African and French players.

I don't have any stats to back this next statement up but it seems to be in numbers dissproportionate to the overall population.

That's an incorrect assumption.

What you need to do is measure the number of British black footballers against the British population. I think you'll find the numbers disproportionate.

Can't explain the goal keeper thing. But then if your black goal keeper can run faster than all your wingers and strikers and is stronger than your defenders and has more stamina than your outfield players, why put him in goal? LOL.

Clearly black people can kick but not catch

Explain Basket Ball and Cricket? My hand eye co-ordination is similar to that of a cat.

Also the correct spelling is Skrzypczyk LiT:-)

How do you pronounce that?
Always wondered.

Bassjunkieuk

DonDaddyD wrote:

Also the correct spelling is Skrzypczyk LiT:-)

How do you pronounce that?
Always wondered.

Smith........................

Well I've pronounced it as Script-chick, but I have been informed by a few Polish people at work that I should empathize the Z's more so the correct way is: Scriz-chic - my dad puts it down to it be Anglicised when his father first got over here during the war.

Jay dubbleU

Jay dubbleU wrote:

White Norman/French Huguenot ancestry on my dads side, Scottish/Yorkshire on my mothers, married to a Han Chinese lady who regularly cycles and loves it. I actually see quite a lot of Asian cyclists around here, usually commuting to local factories. Serious cyclists seem to be mainly white but again I think that may be an ethical thing - most Asians I know see cycling as a poor man's transport

In answer to DD even the Chinese are now moving away from the bicycle in favour of the car - bicycle ownership in Bejing has gone down 10% over the last five years

This accounts for me being an anally retentive tight fisted miserable old git :roll:

moonio

I haven't yet read the whole of this thread, I'm black, mostly Caribbean but have a white English granddad and mixed race grandmother.

I see a few other black cyclists in my area of South London, I guess about 5% are black, but rarely see Asians (Chinese, Indian, Thai etc) cycling

Steve Kish

Born in Yorkshire 59 years ago, my mum was Hungarian, dad was Romanian and two of my grandparents were Ukrainian.

I still speak a bit of Hungarian but never learned any of the other stuff!

DonDaddyD

moonio wrote:

I haven't yet read the whole of this thread, I'm black, mostly Caribbean but have a white English granddad and mixed race grandmother.

I see a few other black cyclists in my area of South London, I guess about 5% are black, but rarely see Asians (Chinese, Indian, Thai etc) cycling

What part of South London?

TopSpin

I'm mixed race (white asian) and a non national. I can't say I pay a whole lot of attention to the race of my fellow commuters but I would say I see a far greater percentage of white people on the bike than I do on the tube or the bus. I cycle to work cause it's quicker, not for cultural reasons!

DiggingDeeper

TopSpin wrote:

I cycle to work cause it's quicker, not for cultural reasons!

OK DDD this appears to be the nub of it, what's your take on it (the ethnic cycling non thing) The majority of people think getting to work and home is far easier on/in cars/public transport/however they do, but not on a bike.

My earlier post goes on about stats:

Whites Dudes Cycling

---

Total Whites Dudes Comuting

Non White Dudes Cycling

---

Non White Dudes Commuting

(please feel free to substitute non white for the correct phrase

I haven't got the numbers to hand, but maybe the stats are

[a] Not disimilar to the ratial mix
Actually the white white population is actually under represented in cycling

It's conjecture I grant you, but some pucker numbers to substitute into the equations would be interesting.

nicklouse

Wow what a read.

As a non cycling commuter and not based in the UK any more.

But out here almost a 10th are commerinners.

What i will say is what i have seen is more Swedes commute on bike than any other nationality.

Swedes cycle to school. and continue to cycle to work, to football to Ice hockey etc..


So how much does it come down to what is the expected norm.

Oh what an I ? a Yorkshireman with Norman and Norse influences.

bigbelly

Hi, I'm Chinese and commute in London to Canary Wharf. Can't say I've seen many other Chinese commuters in the area... Maybe they're all hiding?...

Jay dubbleU

nicklouse wrote:

Oh what an I ? a Yorkshireman with Norman and Norse influences.

Welcome to the tight fisted miserable git club!!

Jay dubbleU

bigbelly wrote:

Hi, I'm Chinese and commute in London to Canary Wharf. Can't say I've seen many other Chinese commuters in the area... Maybe they're all hiding?...

My wife is Chinese from Qingdao and she commutes regularly - I haven't seen any other Chinese commuters in this part of the world

cjcp

nicklouse wrote:

Oh what an I ? a Yorkshireman with Norman and Norse influences.

In every sense, a "Man of the North"

DonDaddyD

DiggingDeeper wrote:

TopSpin wrote:

I cycle to work cause it's quicker, not for cultural reasons!

OK DDD this appears to be the nub of it, what's your take on it (the ethnic cycling non thing)

I don't know... I think that any perception we have based on the number of cyclists we encounter in the week is going to be a skewed perception because we don't encounter a large enough (representative) percentage of cyclists to make an analysis.

I conclude that there are black minority ethnic (BME I hate that term with all my life) cyclists I just haven't come across many.

That said the only answer I can give is admittingly a limited one made by a black man that can only encompass the thoughts and oppinions I've gathered.

I think the black british culture and social practices may directly relate to the low numbers of black cyclists.

I also think cycling in Britain doesn't appeal or market itself to ethnic minorities.

biondino

Talking of black men on bikes, was that you in Richmond Park at about 9.30 Saturday, DDD? Wearing a red top of some kind and going clockwise? I say you twice, smiled the second time but we whizzed past each other too quickly for me to be sure.