Do ethnic minoritys ride ?

geordiefreerider

Im not being funny it's a serious question, on my ride yesterday while I pondered everything from the creation of mankind to what it would be like to have an invisibility cloak, I came to the conclusion that I cant remember seeing an asian or black guy etc riding mountain bikes in my many years of riding and the more I thought about it, it seems to me its a predominantly white caucasion activity.

Is it just me that thinks this and does anyone have any theorys as to why, I mean in the UK there are massive ethnic minority groups so what is it that mainly attracts whites and not other people ? :roll:

Also I dont think i've ever met a gay rider (roady jokes will no doubt follow) it's not exactly a macho sport like rugby or anything !

Maybe it's just me and I havn't met enough riders but I would like to hear other peoples opinions, maybe it's different in say somewhere like California or something.......

heathy_76

It's a fair point.
I think I've seen only one asian fella (last weekend - Llandegla) and one black girl (last year - Cannock) and that's it. Ever.

alisdairh

One of my riding buddies is black.

I also have a mate who's gay and is well into his cycling but he's a road biker. He's also a massive football fan so he doesn't meet the usual stereotype.

tom34

I'm asian and I love the mountain bikes, motorcycles, tennis. Some of my asian friends do the same aswell.

Not sure where your from but i'm from Sydney where its pretty multicultural.

geordiefreerider

Yeah thats what I thought, I think its probably just the places i've been riding more than anything else, im from newcastle in england but only ever see white folk riding, yet on a night out it's like a united colours of benneton advert !!

Joe_Pineapples

This is a bit of a daft post.
A trip to Glentress on a summer Sunday will have you bumping into all races, creeds and colours.

geordiefreerider wrote:

Also I dont think i've ever met a gay rider

Are gay people supposed to announce their sexuality as they pass you on the trail, or maybe they should wear pink just so you know?

bomberesque

I used to live in Singapore. I often wondered if any white people rode bikes as they all seemed to be asian then I looked in the mirror and realise that I knew at least one....

you're probably right that minority races are under-represented in mountainbiking in Europe generally, in fact I daresay underrepresented in cycling as a whole. Just look at the professional arena. no idea why, perhaps a lack of relevant role models (like, when everyone in the UK starts playing tennis after Andy Murray wins a match and stops again 2 days later when he loses the next one and it starts raining) :roll:

as for gay folks, there's a very large gay community here in Brussels (again; dunno why, but I think fully legalised gay marriage has something to do with it). I know a lot of gay people here and you're right; none of them ride bikes as a hobby (beyond some commuting) Maybe I'll ask them and see.

Dirtydog11

Im not being funny it's a serious question, on my ride yesterday while I pondered everything from the creation of mankind to what it would be like to have an invisibility cloak, I came to the conclusion that I cant remember seeing an asian or black guy etc riding mountain bikes in my many years of riding and the more I thought about it, it seems to me its a predominantly white caucasion activity

It seems you could be right . I can vaguely remember watching a program about just such a thing.

Its not just mountain biking its all countryside activities.

Outdoor pursuits are predominantly the reserve of the middle classes.

Its a fact!

geordiefreerider

Joe_Pineapples wrote:

This is a bit of a daft post.
A trip to Glentress on a summer Sunday will have you bumping into all races, creeds and colours.

geordiefreerider wrote:

Also I dont think i've ever met a gay rider

Are gay people supposed to announce their sexuality as they pass you on the trail, or maybe they should wear pink just so you know?

Not at all mate just all the gay people I have met have never been in the least interested in mountain biking, I dont want this post to be taken as some kind of slur against gays or minoritys it's merely my curiosity, like I say it's probably more to do with where im riding as you point out at glentress !

Joe_Pineapples

Dirtydog11 wrote:

Its not just mountain biking its all countryside activities.

Outdoor pursuits are predominantly the reserve of the middle classes.

Its a fact!

Bollocks.
Drive through any deprived area anywhere in the UK and you'll see kids on bikes or playing football.

Joe_Pineapples

http://www.cycleout.org.uk/

Fully

Joe_Pineapples wrote:

Dirtydog11 wrote:

Its not just mountain biking its all countryside activities.

Outdoor pursuits are predominantly the reserve of the middle classes.

Its a fact!

!

Bollocks.
Drive through any deprived area anywhere in the UK and you'll see kids on bikes or playing football.

I don't think it is bollocks. People in deprived areas generally don't have access to outdoor pursuits in the countryside.

I know a couple of black guys who ride. One of whom is from inner city Birmingham, he reckons that half of the kids in his community don't even know that Cannock Chase exists, and that many of them have never even seen much of the countryside. Sad really as there are some beautiful areas within 20/30 miles of brum.

geordiefreerider

^^^ It seems to me that this group automatically segregrates gays from the straight riding community, and I quote from the page "As a Gay cycling group we believe that it is the company with whom you ride with as much as the route that makes a good cycle ride. " - whats wrong with riding with straight people, from my experience we are a friendly open minded bunch !

Raymondavalon

At Swinley I've seen serious mountain bikers of all races. When I say serous, I don't mean some person on a Sunday ride on an Apollo bike.

Dirtydog11

+1 Fully.

The countryside is for the reserve of the middle classes.

Most working class families will spend the weekend in Brighton, Blackpool, Scarborough, Skegness etc etc.

I'm not being stereotypical its a fact!

Joe Pineapples

Most of the kids you see around here on mountain bikes are drug dealers / gang members.

Your totally out of touch! Has Falkirk got an inner city?

Come and stay with me for a week and I'll introduce you to the local "mountain bikers" LOL

MacAndCheese

Riding around the Brighton area I can't remember the last time I saw someone from an ethnic minority, althought there were many on the London to Brighton charity ride, as for gay or straight- I've never asked any riders, not sure how I could shoehorn that into a conversation. The thing that supprises me is the lack of African nations at the top of the sport, given that kenyans dominate long distance running( similar strains as the tour de France surely?) and jamacans dominate the sprint world at the moment. Just a thought.

bomberesque

Dirtydog11 wrote:

I'm not being stereotypical its a fact!

I think you meant to say you're not stereotyping but your lack of command of the English language got in the way. In doing so you hit the nail right on the head;

you are being stereotypical ... you're being a stereotypical bigot, is what you are

1. not all minority race individuals live in inner cities, yes there are even some living in Falkirk (was up that way 2 weeks ago)
2. the working classes do not mostly spend the weekend in Brighton or skegness etc, these places wouldn't be able to hold them all anyway, they are, after all, the working classes and there's rather a lot of them
3. Your contention that "Most of the kids you see around here on mountain bikes are drug dealers / gang members" is prejudiced in the extreme. I don't care where you come from, you're speaking from ignorance and bigotry unless you have confirmed the identity and profession of each and every person you're claiming is a drug dealer/gang member. Take it somewhere else please.

paul.skibum

I think to generalise the majority of riders are white but then the majority of people in the UK are white too so not sure that helps. I rarely see other riders let alone other coloured riders on my trails but in general they are white.

Occassionally see other ethnic groups at swinley but probably still more kids than adults.

Same is true of skiing - a very white sport and probably falling into the middle class bracket too. I have taught a few ethnic minorities but not many and only one who was specifically on holiday and not a BC resident (excluding a tour group of Mexicans who weren't really interested).

Dirtydog11

Your contention that "Most of the kids you see around here on mountain bikes are drug dealers / gang members" is prejudiced in the extreme. I don't care where you come from, you're speaking from ignorance and bigotry unless you have confirmed the identity and profession of each and every person you're claiming is a drug dealer/gang member. Take it somewhere else please.

I'll rephrase it then..... A lot of the kids you see around here on mountain bikes are drug dealers / gang members.

When did you move to Utopia?

I think you meant to say you're not stereotyping but your lack of command of the English language got in the way. In doing so you hit the nail right on the head;

How so? 450+ posts and thats the best you can do.

geordiefreerider

From my experience most drug dealers roll in mk4 golf gti tdi's with audi tt alloys not mountain bikes

Dirtydog11

geordiefreerider wrote:

From my experience most drug dealers roll in mk4 golf gti tdi's with audi tt alloys not mountain bikes

They're not very good for escaping the police on housing estates though!

Not with the introdution of the helicopter.

geordiefreerider

No, as everybody knows the mk4 was underpowered and handled shite, your far better off with a mountain bike - they leave no heat trace when you dump them ha ha !

carbonfiend

I live in inner city London in Newham which is the most multicultural borough in the UK. I have Epping Forest on my door step, Redbridge cycle centre(hog hill) and numerous BMX parks which my kids ride. I can tell you I can count on one hand the amount of riders of any colour or ethnicity I see in any of the above places. My friend and I have a not too PC running ironic joke between ourselves about the fact that 'theres no blacks riding again' at any races we do or training rides. Is this a social and economic issue I suspect so as I live in a place where I am the white minority yet in over 10yrs of riding and racing I have seen little in the form of diversity in the our sport. My feeling is that from what I see in my community racing or riding bikes isn't something thats seen as aspirational. Driving an X5/ Range Rover sport or Suburu impreza is and riding a bike doesn't get you one of these, being an estate agent a famous rapper or getting the hell out of the 'ghetto' by going to uni is a better option. Two interesting anecdotes, I once asked a friend of mine who was muslim as why there are so many muslim & asian lads play football round my way yet none ever cross over to the pro or even top amatuer level he told me it was 'family' football isn't seen as a profession that is worthy of respect - doctor, lawyer carrying on working with the family business etc etc is. Also at a criterium a friend of mine did he told me that he heard some riders complain about a dangerous rider in the peloton when after the race this was reported he said the commisionaires first response was ' was it the black'

geordiefreerider

^^ True, yet I aspire to own a nice vehicle and have a good job etc etc however I find time for interests and hobbys such as mountain biking, going out and what not so if the ethnic minoritys dont ski, mountain bike or do any kind of extreme sport (in general as gathered from this thread) just what do they fill their spare time with ?

Dirtydog11

geordiefreerider wrote:

^^ True, yet I aspire to own a nice vehicle and have a good job etc etc however I find time for interests and hobbys such as mountain biking, going out and what not so if the ethnic minoritys dont ski, mountain bike or do any kind of extreme sport (in general as gathered from this thread) just what do they fill their spare time with ?

Geordiefreerider.......Your observations are correct. Countryfile covered the exact same issue in one of their episodes a few months back.

bails87

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Heh 8)

heathy_76

Interesting thread.
Unfortunately I don't think there'll be any conclusive answer(s).

Stu T

It true in the outdoors industry in General if I'm walking or climbing I don't see many ethnic minorites either unless as part of an orgainised group.

But then again I've stood on top of a lot of the highest mountains in Wales, climbed Welsh Sea Cliffs and riden at Welsh Trail centres and not heard many Welsh Accents either

The Spiderman

It seems that gay people do ride.I went on an mtb coaching day a year or so back.My instructor told me that she had been booked to run a course for a lesbian group called "Dykes on bikes."

Always dangerous to sterotype people.3 lads in my year turned out to be gay in later life.2 of them weren`t a surprise,one in particular was camper than Dale Winton,but the third was into high adrenalin pursuits, fast cars,sailing and flying .He later became a pilot.

You`re right though,it would be good to see,bike riding generally as a sport that was seen as being for all and not being the reserve of the white middle class.

I`m noticing more and more ladies getting into cycling so,I`m hoping that it is being seen as open to all.

DVV

Maybe if MTB'ing is associated in general with white middle class this in itself puts people off.

geordiefreerider

I dont think it's projected as being associated with any class though, I know riders from poor, middle class and rich backgrounds so I dont think thats the answer !