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I think it'd be awesome if Eritrea were to produce some pro cyclists. Right now, the pro peloton is, within a rounding error, entirely Caucasian - which I think

by DC-3 8y ago

I think it'd be awesome if Eritrea were to produce some pro cyclists. Right now, the pro peloton is, within a rounding error, entirely Caucasian - which I think is something of a shame. To take some examples - while the famously cycle-friendly nation of the Netherlands is extremely strongly represented, China is not - despite the latter state also being known for its embrace of bicycles. I imagine this is almost wholly down to lack of opportunity, with the majority of pro cycling teams being based in Western Europe or America. Would the Kazakh flag be as common a sight in pro cycling were it not for the influence of Team Astana? I doubt it. Hopefully one day we may see Eritreans compete alongside the best in the Grand Tours - if nothing else, it would hopefully stamp out some of the uglier attitudes in the peloton (see: Moscon).

angled 8y ago
There was a Tour of Beijing[0], with pollution as one of the concerns[1][2]. Perhaps in the next decade, once China has made more effort to clean up its air and traffic congestion, this will return. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tour_of_Beijing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tour_of_Beijing [1] http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/riders-fight-against-pollution-at-the-tour-of-beijing/ http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/riders-fight-against-polluti... [2] https://sports.yahoo.com/news/tour-beijing-stage-slashed-over-air-pollution-000729381.html https://sports.yahoo.com/news/tour-beijing-stage-slashed-ove...
godfried 8y ago
There are Eritrean pro cyclists and some have competed in the grand tours. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sport_in_Eritrea https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sport_in_Eritrea
- DC-3 8y ago
  Only domestiques so far, to my knowledge.
  - Robelius 8y ago
    I think this is true for all Eritrean athletes too
thaumasiotes 8y ago
> while the famously cycle-friendly nation of the Netherlands is extremely strongly represented, China is not - despite the latter state also being known for its embrace of bicycles. I imagine this is almost wholly down to lack of opportunity I wouldn't imagine that. I'd consider two factors first: - China isn't known for "embracing bicycles". It's known for people being too poor to have cars, such that bicycles are the fastest transportation they have. Bicycling is not a prestige activity. - China also isn't known for athleticism. The Chinese government really likes winning medals; the Chinese people seem much less enthused. A meme went around a while ago about how China has ~20% of the world's population and ~0% of the soccer players.
benj111 8y ago
Your comment makes me think of African domination of long distance running. There is a lower barrier to entry for running, I don't know if there are other reasons why they do particularly well though.

by DC-3 8y ago

angled 8y ago

There was a Tour of Beijing[0], with pollution as one of the concerns[1][2]. Perhaps in the next decade, once China has made more effort to clean up its air and traffic congestion, this will return. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tour_of_Beijing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tour_of_Beijing [1] http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/riders-fight-against-pollution-at-the-tour-of-beijing/ http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/riders-fight-against-polluti... [2] https://sports.yahoo.com/news/tour-beijing-stage-slashed-over-air-pollution-000729381.html https://sports.yahoo.com/news/tour-beijing-stage-slashed-ove...

godfried 8y ago

There are Eritrean pro cyclists and some have competed in the grand tours. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sport_in_Eritrea https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sport_in_Eritrea

DC-3 8y ago
Only domestiques so far, to my knowledge.
- Robelius 8y ago
  I think this is true for all Eritrean athletes too

thaumasiotes 8y ago

> while the famously cycle-friendly nation of the Netherlands is extremely strongly represented, China is not - despite the latter state also being known for its embrace of bicycles. I imagine this is almost wholly down to lack of opportunity I wouldn't imagine that. I'd consider two factors first: - China isn't known for "embracing bicycles". It's known for people being too poor to have cars, such that bicycles are the fastest transportation they have. Bicycling is not a prestige activity. - China also isn't known for athleticism. The Chinese government really likes winning medals; the Chinese people seem much less enthused. A meme went around a while ago about how China has ~20% of the world's population and ~0% of the soccer players.

benj111 8y ago

Your comment makes me think of African domination of long distance running. There is a lower barrier to entry for running, I don't know if there are other reasons why they do particularly well though.