Europeans vs. Americans: Give a cyclist a break
“I was thinking of truck drivers as the Tour de France got under way this week: the European truck driver, who sees bike racers out training and invites them to grab hold of his rig for a tow; and his American counterpart, who takes pleasure in running cyclists off the road.” 
In this quote, Alexander Wolff, a writer for Sports Illustrated, makes a comparison so interesting it opens a door that would make even the fastest cyclists stop and look more closely.
If one wanted to know the main differences between Europeans and Americans, ‘how they treat cyclists’ would probably not make the list. But perhaps it should.
Sure the lifestyle and interests of Americans and Europeans differ greatly, two things that are hard to look past, but is Mr. Wolff the first writer to suggest that the treatment of cyclists is entirely different, “across the pond”?
Wolff explains that like boxing in the United States, bike racing is a sport for members of the working class trying to make something of themselves. There is a lot of respect for cyclists in Europe. Unlike in the U.S., Europeans see cycling not just as a hobby, but instead as a lifestyle. And the riders are not afraid to do whatever it takes to be the best.
Drugs in the form of pills, shots, and drinks, which keep cyclists going harder for longer periods of time, are the norm in Europe. In 1967, French five-time Tour winner Jacques Anquetil commented that anyone who thought drugs were not essential for cyclists was, “an imbecile or a hypocrite.”
On the other hand, in the U.S., if an athlete in nearly any sport is caught using drugs to better his/her game, that person is out of the race; and if he or she is in the professional arena, the penalty may be much harsher.
It is no surprise that the front page of a European newspaper might outline the biking events of the previous week, while in the U.S. an article titled “Driver Faces Murder Rap in Bike Crash” detailing a drunk driver who killed a cyclists is a short column story no where near the front page.
So the distinction that makes cycling a whole different story in Europe is the way the people look at cyclists. In Europe a cyclists represents the hardships faced by middle-class working citizens, and the journey of doing everything it takes to gain a better life. While in the U.S. people think cycling is a hobby, for talentless athletes who want a leisurely activity, and can’t grasp the rules and strategies of a real sport.
No wonder the treatment of cyclists is so different. But perhaps there is a happy medium to be sought. If a European cyclist can be the best without the use of any drugs, perhaps that is the real underdog story Europeans expect form cyclists. And if Americans could learn to respect cycling as a sport for athletes with incredible endurance and a great deal of talent all might be well again.
But these two continents do not always see eye-to-eye. So until the tides turn, I want to ride my bike “across the pond” too.
Picture courtesy of SportsBloggo.com
