Great story and great sentiment - nothing like feeling like you have made a difference for someone - given them a leg up or support that they wouldn't otherwise get.
The Cycling News forum is still looking to add volunteer moderators with. If you're interested in helping keep our discussions on track, send a direct message to
In the meanwhile, please use the Report option if you see a post that doesn't fit within the forum rules.
Thanks!
RDV4ROUBAIX said:Cycling just doesn't have the gangster element that football and basketball has in the US, and our sport is marketed to white 30 somethings with money. The majority of gifted black athletes come from very meager means growing up, and couldn't fathom spending more than it costs to buy a ball to play with on a court or field, let alone a race bike.
180mmCrank is right on with the comment:
Cycling is a European sport, and what I'm going to say next might offend some people, but what the hey, I'm as European as it gets aside from living there. Europeans are some of the most racist and prejudiced people I've ever met, and it's not just with people of strictly African decent, it's every hue of not white, and Jews. I've been traveling to Europe for my whole life as I still have family there, tons of friends, and now my job takes me there twice a year for the last seven years. Some of the nicest people I've met in Europe have really disappointed me after really getting to know them, and some are in the bike industry, amazingly.
jaylew said:What exactly does gangster rap have to do with black cyclists? Trust me there are many, many, many, many black kids(and athletes) that go through the US school system who don't act "gangsta" or get into sports because they have a gangsta element. Trust me, I know - I'm one of them and I know many others.
rhubroma said:I think your views on European racism are, frankly, rediculous. Europeans are no more or less racist than Americans or anybody else. And they certainly haven't had the history of slavery, the KKK, etc. Ok Nazi-Fascism was a huge sinister movement, though not an exclusively racist one (but a nationalist one still living in a XIX century mentality), whereas a "fascist" mentality still exists in the minds of some in the US too just as in Europe. As far as jewish racism goes, naturally the discorse changes. Here, however, we ar talking about a sub culture of Christian Western Civilization which predates the Enlightenment and so can't be classified within a mere contemporary historical context. And many jews confuse, for ideological purposes, political criticism of Israel with antisemitism. But returning to the blacks. In France it is well known that blacks have never been treated badly by the mass french culture: to the contrary, they have been loved in the early 20th century for their jazz music for example. I live in Italy and, sure, racism exists, but I think what makes things a bit different in Europe is that they never had a history of black slavery and then Civil Rights to inform the masses about anti-racism. These things in the US have, consequently, created a culture where open racism is taboo, but in which private racism still thrives beneath the surface. In this sense then Europeans are just at greater "liberty" to talk in a racist fashion, since the pressures to not do so from society are less severe than in the US where, by contrast, often one maintains a more or less politically correct public demeanor, but privately remains a racist at heart. If anything the Europeans are thus less hypocritical in their behavior. Having said that, in Italy (which I can personally talk about) there is a strong anti-racist culture among the left wing, whereas at the extreme right things tend to become increasingly racist. But this ideological picture seems to me to be accross the board whever you go around the globe.
RDV4ROUBAIX said:Nonsense! Europeans who colonized North America brought slaves with them. You tought us all about it. England created the Nazi Skinhead. US created KKK. Current right wing European political parties are the most racist in the world. We've just had different experiences I guess, and possibly schooling. Fact remains that Nationalism and right wing extremism is huge in Europe.
rhubroma said:I fully understand the problems with right-wing natioanlism in European politics. That Europeans traded in black slaves takes away nothing for its abhorent continuation by Americans in the post US birth of the nation era. But this is historically comprehensible since the US nation was Europe's child. Look all I said was that Euroepans are no more or less racist than Americans (and in this sense your panning them out to be so was riddiculous because its wrong), just that, among some racist Europeans they can be less hypocritical than their American counterparts for the reasons I mentioned. As far as political extremism goes, after 8 years of Bush and the Republican Neo-cons I ask: from which pulpit do you preach?
Susan Westemeyer said:Enough politics....... back to cycling!
Alpe d'Huez said:Yeah, getting off track. Let me see if I can get us back on.
Well I don't think I was getting off track, because the commentor's response identified racism in Europe as behind why we don't see more blacks in cycling. An idea which I found to be critically off base and that, furthermore, promoted a conception of European society which didn't treat the issue in its entirety and complexity and, therefore, distorted reality. In any case, issues brought up in the form are open to be dealt with is in my case.
TRDean said:OK, I'm going to sound really politically incorrect here...but why the big drive to have all cultures into cycling?
ingsve said:What's up with these types of posts? Is cyclingnews.com worried about content other than cycling being discussed for legal reasons or something?
It's normal in discussion forums for some topics to wander slightly off-topic. It a natural part of a discussion to broach the meta environment surrounding a topic.
Frankly I find these attempts to kill discussions that wander slightly off the cycling topic in poor taste. I guess we should just stick to discussing doping instead. At least that's a cycling discussion.
Ibanez said:I agree the forums should be split up more, keeping the doping and racing discussion seperate.
Ibanez said:I agree the forums should be split up more, keeping the doping and racing discussion seperate.
TRDean said:I am more about growing the sport period rather than meeting some racial quota. This is happening all to often in the US these days. Example, a year or two ago a major african american group urged professional baseball to make efforts to recruit more young black children into the sport because their numbers were falling in the majors. Apparently they didn't like the hispanic players from central and south america coming in and taking those spots...even thought they were better players.
RDV4ROUBAIX said:I don't think my mind needs to be changed, but I will read the book. Ask any black athlete about who paved the way for them, and I bet you not a one will say Major Taylor. Chronologically yes, he was one of the first ever, but in a dead sport. Baseball took over as America's pastime before Taylor made his mark.
Power13 said:At the time, cycling was NOT a dead sport. In fact, it was probably the #1 sport in the country.
Angliru said:Is the reasoning that you state behind this groups push for recruiting young black children into baseball from your own assumptions or is it fact? Did this group say that they felt Hispanic players were taking spots that blacks used to fill?
This was indeed stated by the group...I am not sure which group it was. I am definitely not trying to start a race war here...if any youngster who I come into contact with wants to get into cycling I would welcome it with open arms. I am just against pointing out that not many athletes in any sport are from one racial or ethnic group or not. That being said...to the original poster...that is indeed a great shot of Mr. Bahati. I have seen him race and field sprint and he is without a doubt a very fast man!!
RDV4ROUBAIX said:Wrong. You can take what I said out of context all you want, but the fact remains that Major Taylor is far less recognized due to the fact that baseball had already been the #1 sport in the US for almost 50 years by the time anyone heard of him. Do your homework.