Quite recently, I found myself in Italy for work, supporting one of our brands on the launch of a new bike. The trip had all the marks of a well-organised press camp, good roads, good weather, and good company.
Despite all this 'perfect' - that I'm lucky enough to call work - something still stopped me in my tracks.
As I landed and got acquainted with the team, I couldn't help but notice a solitary black face amongst the group. A group made up of the brand, ambassadors, professional riders and journalists. By this point in the 21st century, I shouldn't have noticed. In fact, this should not have even been something that crossed my mind, but there it was, plain as day.
Worse than that, the following thought actually wandered through my consciousness; "wow cool, there is another black person here" What a novelty.
Now I should stress, that this wasn't the particular brand's fault, this is an industry-wide issue that exists across all sectors; Marketing, journalism, manufacturing etc.
But why is it still a novelty? Let's dive a little deeper, shall we?
Now you'll hopefully forgive me for coming across as a little frustrated, but I'm simultaneously as frustrated with myself as much as with the system. How have I not noted, that something that is so intrinsically important to my identity, is completely missing from my day-to-day experience? How have I managed to leave this so buried in my subconscious that I had barely acknowledged it till that day in Milan? Cycling has a diversity problem and it's very very real
Now I've covered this already in my piece on representation, but more specifically, the cycling industry has a diversity problem. On a call recently with a member of the Bicycle Association diversity board, I found, when asked, that I could count on one hand, the people of colour that I knew working in the industry. Now I think back. I'm sure I've been aware of this below the surface. Walking the halls of trade shows, events (mostly outside of London), races (in person and on TV) and hundreds of video calls a year. Are all largely devoid of adequate representation. Ultimately this means that it's highly unlikely that more people of colour will find their way into the industry.
This is why Cycling Culture Club is so important in my view. The industry won't solve its diversity problem on its own, it must be addressed by those within it so that we attract new people to the sport and the industry, keep them here and allow them to thrive. I'm lucky enough to be able to name fellow marketers among the contributors here, something that I'm proud of but that I know needs to keep moving forward to make any real difference. Hopefully, when I revisit this post in a year's time, that list will have grown further.
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