black tour de france

A history of Africans at the Tour de France

Since Tunisia's Ali Neffati paved the way in 1913, Africa has been under-represented at the Tour, and a lot of history is yet to be written

No Briton had started the Tour de France before Charles Holland and Bill Burl in 1937. Martin 'Cochise' Rodríguez was the first Colombian to line up in 1975, and Jonathan 'Jock' Boyer was the first American in 1981 – and let's not forget Canada's Pierre Gachon in 1937, even though he didn't complete the first stage. 

So it's wrong to believe that Africa's under-representation in the world's biggest bike race results from a lack of history and culture. They ride the Tour well before riders from these so-called 'new countries', who have won the race in recent years.

Ali Neffati has remained in the history books as the first African to have ridden the Tour de France in 1913. It's kind of true, as he was from Tunisia, but in 1910, three natives of North Africa had already started the Grande Boucle : Raphaël Galiero, born in Blida, Emile Godard, born in Algiers, and Frédéric Vaillant, born in Mustafa. 

All those three cities are located in Algeria, which was a department of France from 1834 to 1962, and therefore their nationality was French, whereas Neffati hailed from Tunisian capital Tunis, which was a protectorate since 1881, and he entered the Tour as a Tunisian.

He was one of the 'isolated' riders who didn't get the support of a team. He had been noticed by Henri Pélissier – the only French winner of the Tour de France from 1911 to 1930 (in 1923) – who crossed the Mediterranean to race Tunis-Sousse in the spring of 1913. Impressed by the 18-year-old Neffati, Pélissier convinced him to sign up for the Tour, and a group of famous Tunisian sportsmen organised a charity gala to finance his trip. 

Because of his youth, his very dark skin and the fez he constantly had on top of his head – rather than the cap used by the other cyclists – he became the blue-eyed boy of race head honcho Henri Desgrange, who made sure he'd line up again in 1914. 

Neffati abandoned on stage 4 and stage 8 of his two participations, respectively. He kept racing in France during World War I – being a Tunisian, he didn't have to serve in the French army, unlike the Algerians – after which he rode four successful Six Day campaigns in the USA, where his skin colour again bolstered his popularity. 

Get The Leadout Newsletter

The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!

Unfortunately, he often lost most of the big money he made in card games on the boat back from New York to Le Havre, so Desgrange offered him a job as a dispatch rider at the office of his newspaper L'Auto – now L'Equipe – when he retired from cycling in 1930. Neffati married a piano teacher from the Polish nobility, and their daughter Gisèle became a ballerina at the Paris Opera.

The regional teams of the post-war Tours

It was only after World War II that other North Africans took part in the Tour de France. It was the time when national teams and French regional teams filled the start list. 

From 1947 to 1955, there were always North Africans on the start line: Algeria's Ahmed Chibane in the South East team (abandoned on stage 6 in 1947), Algeria's Abdel Kader Zaaf, also in the South East team (abandoned on stage 1 in 1948) and Morocco's Custodio Dos Reis in the Centre-South West team (54th overall in 1949). 

Their constant knocking at the door inclined later race director Jacques Goddet to welcome a team from North Africa as one of the regional squads. Cycling was a very popular sport in the French Algeria.

Zaaf and Dos Reis were united in the six-man team in 1950, along with Max Charroin from Morocco, Ahmed Kebaili, Marcel Molinès and Marcel Zelasco from Algeria. Indigenous Arabs and descendants of white settlers from Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia were equally considered North Africans and benefited from French nationality after it was promised in 1944 by the government of Free France ( La France Libre ) led by Charles de Gaulle. 

So the big question is: was Molinès, born in Algiers in 1928 but definitely a French citizen after the second World War, the first African stage winner of the Tour de France? Or is it Robert Hunter, the first South African participant to the Grande Boucle in 2001, who claimed stage 11 to Montpellier in 2007? 

In both cases, it happened in the same southern region of France on a very hot day. 

On July 27, 1950, Molinès and Zaaf formed a leading duo with a 12-minute lead at the half-way mark of the stage. Zaaf tried to ride his teammate off his wheel, but crashed, got back on his bike and then took off in the opposite direction. Spectators sprayed him with wine. He was almost unconscious when journalists arrived. Because of the smell, they reported that he'd drunk wine, but this seemed unlikely because he was a Muslim.

Molinès won solo in Nîmes, but the first-ever North African stage victory was overshadowed by the extraordinary story of Zaaf's withdrawal. So was the double-up on the following day, when Dos Reis and Zelasco made it a 1-2 in Toulon with the native of Rabat, Morocco (from Portuguese parents but turned a Frenchman) in first position.

In 1951, two of the eight starters of the North African team (Charroin again, plus Kebaili, Zaaf, Zelasco, Marcel Fernandez, Manuel Mayen, Abdelkader Abbès and Vincent Soler, all from Algeria) completed the race, with Zaaf making the headlines again, this time for finishing last with the lanterne rouge . 

In 1952, Kebaili, Zaaf, Zelasco, Fernandez, Soler, Mostefa Chareuf, Gérard Guercy and Henri Paret composed the last-ever North African team. Chareuf didn't make the time cut on stage 1 and would later be killed during the Algerian war, in which he fought for independence. 

Two Algerians rode the 1953 edition for the South East of France team: Kebaili and Zelasco. Kebaili joined the same team again in 1954, while René Remangeon from Morocco entered the team of the South West. Fernandez was the last North African from the French colonial time to take part in the Tour, again with the South West team in 1955.

Algeria gained independence in 1962. Youcef Reguigui, born in Blida in 1990, went close to becoming the first Algerian national to ride the Tour de France. 

After winning the Tour de Langkawi in 2015, he made the long list at MTN-Qhubeka, the first-ever trade team from Africa to compete in the world's biggest bike race, but the management eventually selected Tyler Farrar for the ninth spot available. 

Reguigui's dream vanished, as well as the hopes of cycling fans in his country and the desire of race organisers to attract the attention of the estimated five million French people who originate from North Africa, and mostly follow football.

Although Yohann Gène, from Guadeloupe, a French island in the Caribbean, is recognised as the first black participant, having ridden the Tour de France seven times for Europcar and Direct Energie from 2011 to 2017, history was made in 2015 when MTN-Qhubeka featured Eritreans Merhawi Kudus and Daniel Teklehaimanot, the latter wearing the polka-dot jersey until the first Pyrenean stage.

MTN-Qhubeka was a Professional Continental team granted a wildcard at the time, renamed Dimension Data and now NTT Pro Cycling.

The charity actions through Qhubeka remained, but the squad changed with the upgrade to WorldTour status and the recruitment of Mark Cavendish in 2016. In 2015, MTN-Qhubeka had a 23-man roster with 13 riders from North (Algeria), Central (Rwanda) and South Africa. Their nine-man Tour de France team comprised five Africans. In 2020, NTT Pro Cycling has only six South Africans and one Eritrean in their 29-man roster.

Since 2015, the African presence at the Tour de France has been constant. Ethiopia's Tsgabu Grmay has ridden it for three different teams (Lampre in 2016, Bahrain-Merida in 2017 and Trek-Segafredo in 2018) after he left MTN-Qhubeka. 

Eritrea's Natnael Berhane, also a former Dimension Data rider, rode the 2019 Tour de France for Cofidis. Various teams from Australia, France, Italy, Bahrain, the USA and Kazakhstan have welcomed black Africans in the past decade, but they're yet to post outstanding performances in the WorldTour. 

Two years ago, Rwanda's Joseph Areruya was set to be the next big thing from Africa after he won the Tropicale Amissa Bongo in Gabon and the Tour de l'Espoir in Cameroon but his stint in the pro ranks with Delko-Marseille is already over, and he is now racing as an amateur in the Caribbean.

Chris Froome's switch of nationality is perhaps the biggest regret for the African continent. He was a neo-pro from Kenya in 2008 until he opted for a British licence in May that year, just two months prior to starting his first Tour de France in Brest. However, he wouldn't have been the first African to wear the yellow jersey as Daryl Impey preceded him by two days in 2013. 

Today, there are 14 male African professionals, 11 of whom are riding for WorldTour teams, while Ashleigh Moolman is flying the flag in the women's peloton as the current South African national champion. 

The 21st century has so far represented a new era for African riders but, especially when it comes to the Tour de France, a lot of history is yet to be written.

Thank you for reading 5 articles in the past 30 days*

Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read any 5 articles for free in each 30-day period, this automatically resets

After your trial you will be billed £4.99 $7.99 €5.99 per month, cancel anytime. Or sign up for one year for just £49 $79 €59

Try your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

Nothing to lose: What can Mathieu van der Poel achieve in the Ardennes Classics?

'Unless I'm in an ambulance, I'm finishing this race' – Cyrus Monk, the last man home at Paris-Roubaix

How to watch Amstel Gold Race 2024

Most Popular

By Dan Challis April 08, 2024

By Josh Croxton April 07, 2024

By Will Jones April 07, 2024

By Dan Challis April 07, 2024

By Will Jones April 06, 2024

By Stephen Farrand April 05, 2024

By Fabian Cancellara April 05, 2024

By Will Jones April 05, 2024

By Tim Maloney April 05, 2024

By Tom Wieckowski April 04, 2024

• Live on Sky
• Get Sky Sports
• Sky Mobile Apps
• Kick It Out
• Black Lives Matter
• British South Asians in Football

More Sports

Kevin Reza: 2020 Tour de France's only black rider on racism and being a voice for diversity in cycling's peloton

Speaking in his native French, Kevin Reza, the only black rider competing at last year's Tour de France, calls on cycling's governing body the UCI to tackle cases of racism with the same vigour as doping cases

By Mathieu Wood

Tuesday 13 April 2021 21:47, UK

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Kevin Reza's facial expression remains serious as he describes his newfound freedom in discussing racial inequality in cycling and society at large. "It's not something that weighs on me today."

Amid cycling's muted response to the Black Lives Matter movement last year, in the wake of George Floyd's death, one voice in the sport emerged loud and clear at the rearranged Tour de France.

Reza, the only black rider out of the 176-strong peloton that started the race in September, called for greater solidarity in the peloton as he addressed the historical issue of diversity in a series of interviews.

His words resonated. At the start of the final stage, Reza rode at the head of the peloton near the race winner Tadej Pogacar and the other classification leaders. Riders also sported coronavirus masks which featured the slogan #NoToRacism beforehand.

Reza, born on the outskirts of Paris in a family from the French overseas region of Guadeloupe, said after the finish on the Champs-Elysees: 'There is a lot of work left to do.'

✊🏻✊🏼✊🏽✊🏾✊🏿 #notoracism #BlackLivesMatter #TDF2020 pic.twitter.com/Cc8HtnNioE — Tour de France™ (@LeTour) September 20, 2020

Now, six months on, Reza explains in his native French to Sky Sports News why speaking up in the hope for progress towards improved inclusion is so important.

"Since last year, it's been a kind of release and opening that was given to me," he says. "I grabbed it with both hands.

• UCI condemns online racist abuse of Bouhanni

Geoghegan-Hart to tackle cycling diversity 'problem'

"It's just something that makes me want to be able to share and interact with people, those who may or may not be racist, but at least we can have a proper exchange and I can share my ideas and thoughts.

"And that's something that I enjoy since it's a subject that remains taboo and that we aren't used to talking about openly. I've been able to do that since the 2020 Tour de France.

"It's not like I couldn't do that for years, but I was given the opportunity to do it on the biggest race in the world. This is something that makes me happy and that also allows us to spark debate."

Reza rides for French side B&B Hotels p/b KTM, among the second-division UCI ProTeams, and he will be targeting a fourth Tour de France this summer after his team were invited to take part for the second year running.

The 32-year-old, into his 11th year as a professional, is acutely aware he is among a minority. There are only five black riders competing in this season's WorldTour - the highest division of professional road cycling.

In May 2017, Gianni Moscon, then of Team Sky and now with Ineos Grenadiers, was suspended for six weeks for racially abusing Reza at the Tour de Romandie and sent on a diversity training course.

But the Italian rider was not disciplined by the sport's governing body, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI).

"I've known racism since I was young," says Reza as he reflects on his experiences of discrimination.

"I am destined to know it by my birth and my origins, it is like that. Unfortunately, it is painful and degrading. But we are used to living like that and it should not be a habit."

Reza concedes to not having all the answers to cycling's question around diversity but is in no doubt at how the UCI should tackle racism in the sport.

After a short pause to consider his answer, Reza replies: "I have reflected and thought for a long, long time about this and as you say, this is the biggest and most important organisation in cycling.

"They manage to ban cheaters who take drugs, which is normal... I think that racism and discrimination in general must be on a par with these kinds of acts. I do not see any other action that can be taken against racist acts.

"As a minimum, you would expect to see a racist get punished like a doper. I think this is one of the best solutions. It would show they're taking a strong stance in terms of supporting action against the various forms of discrimination within sport."

In a statement provided to Sky Sports News , the UCI said: "The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) firmly condemns all forms of racism and discrimination.

"On the contrary, via its Constitution, its Code of Ethics, its Regulations and its programs, it upholds the principles of inclusion and the respect of others."

Sky Sports News also contacted the UCI for an on-camera interview but is yet to hear back.

As racism continues across social media in sport, some football clubs and players have opted to stop taking a knee because they believe it has lost power - a feeling echoed by Reza.

"I do think that it's a strong gesture and that remains the case now, but will it be enough to make a big difference and change certain people's thoughts?" he asks.

"I don't think so because people are starting to get used to seeing it and don't take as much notice as when we first saw it on TV. It is becoming a habit and we get tired of habits quite quickly."

In a bid to increase racial diversity in cycling, Britain's Giro d'Italia winner Tao Geoghegan Hart revealed in February that he will sponsor a young rider in partnership with his former development team Hagens Berman Axeon .

In an Instagram post, the Ineos Grenadiers rider said: "Cycling has a problem with diversity and inclusivity. This is a fact."

Reza was prompt to praise the initiative, describing the 26-year-old Londoner as a "gentleman".

Plus qu’un coureur, un gentleman ! 🙏🏾 https://t.co/1CTJBNTudC — Kévin (@KevReza) February 19, 2021

"It's strong, it's a very good start and then it also encourages young people who cannot afford financially to be able to reach the highest level," he says.

Reza believes the start to a more unified peloton begins with his fellow cyclists taking a more active interest in wide-reaching societal issues, as Geoghegan Hart has displayed.

"Now, I find that there is a little less solidarity, less support between the riders, and even less between the teams," he adds.

"So I don't really have a solution for what the peloton can do. It is up to everyone to follow their own debates, their own thoughts and their ways of speaking, saying and doing things.

"It's up to the riders to know what each one wants to do. It's complicated, but for example, a peloton for a single race may be 200 riders.

"Among the 200 riders, there will not always be the same opinions, so it is difficult to tell everyone to stick together on sensitive issues like this."

Highlighting the efforts by global sports stars such as Lewis Hamilton to implement positive change, Reza knows action, and not just words, needs to be forthcoming across the sport.

"I am not going to lead a fight with my two arms," says Reza. "I'm not strong enough for that. Besides, I'm not as powerful as some others in top-level sport."

The issue of diversity and inclusivity in cycling is not unique within sport. However, a decade after Yohann Gene became the first black rider at the Tour de France, one form of progress is athletes like Reza being compelled to find their voice from within the minority.

How to watch Premier League, EFL, WSL, The Masters and more

• Stream with NOW

• Upgrade Now

• Skip to main content
• Keyboard shortcuts for audio player

Goats and Soda

• Infectious Disease
• Development
• Women & Girls
• Coronavirus FAQ

They're The First Black Africans To Ride In The Tour De France

Eritrea's Daniel Teklehaimanot competes in a 13.8 km individual time trial, the first stage of the 102nd edition of the Tour de France cycling race, on July 4 in Utrecht, The Netherlands. Eric Feferberg/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

Eritrea's Daniel Teklehaimanot competes in a 13.8 km individual time trial, the first stage of the 102nd edition of the Tour de France cycling race, on July 4 in Utrecht, The Netherlands.

Few places are as rich in cycling lore as the Col du Tourmalet, the brutal 6,939-foot pass in the French Pyrenees that has been a mainstay of the Tour de France since 1910. This is where history is written and legends are made.

Eugene Christophe, for example, famously broke the fork on his bike in the 1913 Tour de France but, rather than quit, jogged 6 miles down the mountain carrying his bike on his shoulder until he found a blacksmith's shop in the village of Sainte-Marie-de-Campan. He fired up the forge, repaired the damage himself, filled his pockets with bread from the local bakery and rode on, still managing to finish in seventh place when the race concluded in Paris two weeks later.

As the peloton snaked its way over the Col du Tourmalet this afternoon, on the 188-kilometer stage between Pau and Cauterets-Vallée de Saint-Savin, two equally indomitable riders were writing themselves, their country, even their continent, into the rich history of Le Tour.

Eritrean riders Daniel Teklehaimanot and Merhawi Kudus are not only the first black Africans to compete in the tour but are also racing for the first-ever African-registered team to compete in the race, the South Africa-based MTN-Qhubeka.

Although Africans have been competing at world-class levels for decades in distance running, poor roads and the high cost of racing bicycles were barriers to the sport of cycling. And there was a social stigma to riding a bicycle as well. "There is a perception in Africa that if you own a bike it means you're too poor to own a car," says Douglas Ryder, the founder of MTN-Qhubeka. "So you'd rather walk."

In Eritrea, however, because of its Italian connections from colonial days, cycling — at least racing — had a certain cachet. Teklehaimanot grew up watching the Tour de France and fantasizing about riding in the peloton one day. He was talent-spotted by officials at the International Cycling Union in 2009 and sent to Europe to learn to ride like a pro. After stints with a Canadian team and an Australian team, he signed on with the African-based MTN-Qhubeka and found himself in the peloton at the Tour de France, this afternoon pedaling up the iconic Col du Tourmalet in the wake of all the great names of cycling he heard as a child.

Neither he nor Kudus is there to fill out the field. Until yesterday Teklehaimanot held the iconic polka-dot King of the Mountains jersey — awarded to the best climber in the field — while Kudus, at 21 the youngest rider at this year's tour, already has significant palmares — the cycling term for wins, places and accomplishments — earned in races in Rwanda, Malaysia and Spain. Already the two have acquired a fan base; a smattering of red-blue-and-green Eritrean flags have been seen fluttering among the crowds lining the course (although Eritrea's government has come in for criticism in articles about the race).

Former UCI @WCC_cycling trainee @DanielTeklehai1 makes @letour history. Read the full story http://t.co/XCrdWIS2Ur pic.twitter.com/d9UwSDZ6Z4 — UCI (@UCI_cycling) July 10, 2015

Their team, MTN-Qhubeka , presently in fifth place in the team classification, hopes this year's race will be just the beginning and that Africa will turn out to be as dominant in cycling as it is in long-distance running. Certainly the talent is there, according to Nairobi-born-and-raised English rider Chris Froome, the current race leader and 2013 winner of the Tour de France.

"I believe riders from East Africa are potentially the best endurance athletes in the world," he said in an interview with the Mail & Guardian Africa last Saturday. "At the moment the biggest problem they are struggling with is infrastructure, roads to train on and equipment."

Noting some of the cycling initiatives that have started up around Africa, he said: "I don't think it will be too long before we see some real results coming out of East Africa."

To that end, Teklehaimanot's team, MTN-Qhubeka, is working with a global nonprofit organization called World Bicycle Relief to raise funds to buy and distribute 5,000 bicycles to African schoolchildren as part of a campaign called Bicycles Change Lives.

The Cycling World May Soon Bow Down Before Nairo Quintana

Qhubeka — which means "to carry on" in the Nguni language — hopes it will not only usher in a wave of talented new African riders in the peloton but also make cycling a cool form of transport back home.

• Daniel Teklehaimanot
• Tour de France

Here’s What You Need to Know About French Pro Cyclist Kévin Reza

Reza, a 10-year pro riding in his third Tour de France, is the only Black cyclist in the peloton this year.

• Nationality : French and Guadeloupean
• Specialty : Sprinting

French cyclist Kévin Reza has spent ten years in the pro peloton and is a true veteran of the sport. His name might not ring a bell for many cycling enthusiasts, especially in the United States, but his presence in the pro peloton is nonetheless noteworthy—Reza is the only Black cyclist in the Tour de France this year.

Despite the continued diversification of the sport of cycling, that fact alone shows that we still have a long way to go. In a recent issue of Bicycling , Reza detailed two instances when racial slurs were directed at him in the peloton.

He also described to Bicycling what being a Black cyclist means to him: “Because I feel like a cyclist in my own right like any other cyclist, whether white, Black, or yellow, there’s no problem. On the other side, it’s recognition because there are so few of us in the peloton, and in that sense I can be very proud of my origins and of my goal that I reached— becoming a professional in this sport, because it’s still a mostly white sport.”

This year marks Reza’s third time riding in the Tour de France. The previous two times, Reza competed alongside teammate and fellow Guadeloupean Yohann Gène , who was the first Black cyclist ever to compete in the Tour de France in 2011.

Early Accomplishments and Going Pro

Reza, whose parents are both from the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe, was born and raised in Versailles just outside of Paris. He got an early start riding a bike at four years old, thanks to his father , who’s an avid cyclist. He attended the CSM Puteaux cycling school as a kid (his three siblings also attended cycling school when they were young) and quickly showed promise. Reza went on to become the French National Champion in his category (“poussin,” which translates to “chick”) twice, at 7 and 8 years old.

Reza’s family moved out of the city to the Vendée department in the Pays de la Loire region, where he still lives. There, he attended the sports school Notre-Dame du Roc before joining the development cycling team Vendée U. In 2010, Reza, then 22 years old, rode as a “stagiaire” for the professional level of the team, Bbox Bouygues Telecom.

In 2011, Reza signed his first pro contract with Team Europcar (which was essentially the former Bbox Bouygues Telecom team) and was with them for four seasons. Since then, Reza signed with team FDJ for three years before joining his current team, B&B Hotels-Vital Concept, in 2018.

A highlight of his early accomplishments includes placing third in the road race at the French National Championships in 2014. He’s also been a successful track cyclist, winning the scratch race at the French National Championships in 2015.

Grand Tours

In his ten years as a pro cyclist, Reza has competed in six Grand Tours, including this year’s Tour de France . This is his third time at the Tour; he placed 73rd overall in 2014 and 134th in ’13. Despite those rankings, Reza made a splash at his debut Tour de France during Stage 5 when he and one other rider held off the peloton in a breakaway that lasted over 220K, getting caught only 5K from the finish.

Reza plays the supporting role of “domestique” within his team, mentoring younger riders and using his sprinting ability to lead out team leaders during final sprints. He hasn’t won any road races as a pro cyclist—yet. But he’s come close quite a few times, grabbing second or third place in numerous stages and races over the years.

When she’s not out riding her mountain bike, Jessica is an editor for Popular Mechanics . She was previously an editor for Bicycling magazine. 

.css-1t6om3g:before{width:1.75rem;height:1.75rem;margin:0 0.625rem -0.125rem 0;content:'';display:inline-block;-webkit-background-size:1.25rem;background-size:1.25rem;background-color:#F8D811;color:#000;background-repeat:no-repeat;-webkit-background-position:center;background-position:center;}.loaded .css-1t6om3g:before{background-image:url(/_assets/design-tokens/bicycling/static/images/chevron-design-element.c42d609.svg);} Culture

She’s on a Mission to Bring Cycling to Kids

The One Big Reason to Ride Faster

72-Year-Old Cyclist Founded a Community Bike Ride

NYC's Bike-Powered Delivery Workers vs Big Tech

Dear Cav, Your Comeback Has Made Me Eat My Words

Indoor Cycling Helped This Woman Get Her Life Back

Riding Against All Odds in Northern Mexico

To My Fellow Cyclists: Quit the E-Bike Hate

If I Could Ride With Anyone...

You Don’t Need Dura Ace

La Brillante Trayectoria de Peter Sagan

'I'd love the first black Tour de France yellow jersey wearer to come from L39ION': How Justin Williams plans to change the future of cycling

Williams' team L39ION of LA features more black riders than all three Grand Tours of 2020 put together - here's how they plan to develop

• Sign up to our newsletter Newsletter

This year at all three Grand Tours we were treated to a fantastic spectacle of racing. Each one went down to the final weekend, with the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France being decided by a time trial and the Vuelta a Españ a won by just 26 seconds.

The Grand Tours of 2020 are ones to celebrate, how three-week-long bike races could happen during the current global pandemic is phenomenal.

However, something else happened in 2020 which brought focus to another fight - a fight the world has to make together.

In America a dispute broke out over the purchase of a packet of cigarettes, the store worker claiming the $20 used for payment was fake, the police were called, and an arrest was attempted that ended in the death of George Floyd.

The Black Lives Matter movement gained pace, the sporting world took notice and when sport was making its way back into life after lockdown, gestures were made. Footballers took a knee, Lewis Hamilton led the charge in Formula 1 with fellow drivers standing by him, and it seemed as if the rest of the sporting world was following...all except cycling.

Kevin Reza was the sole black rider at the Tour de France in 2020 and on the final stage of the three-week race, in the media pen and in the neutralised zone riders wore face masks with #EndRacism and #BlackLivesMatter on them. However, such was the farce of it “it was probably better had they not even bothered at all,” says Justin Williams of the L39ION of Los Angeles team.

“The peloton actually put on more of a stand and protest to a stage which they felt was too long in the Giro d’Italia. It makes a joke of the whole movement, it’s embarrassing. To ride a Grand Tour is incredibly hard, Kevin Reza did an amazing job and he deserved more from the UCI and his peers.”

Get The Leadout Newsletter

The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!

Justin is a former Continental Pro Tour rider, riding for Livestrong back in 2010 and completing the Tour of Oman and the Tour of Qatar, before leaving the European racing scene and moving back to America en route to becoming one of the most successful criterium racers in America, if not the world.

Yet in 2017 Justin left a team in which he and his brother Cory were prolific, with Cory taking eight wins in a row. It seemed as if these two riders were the guys to build a team around. That team, Cylance, thought not, and Cory finished the year without a contract, with Justin leaving the team shortly after.

Out of this brought a need for change, and Justin created L39ION of Los Angeles, which has more black riders in it than all three Grand Tours of 2020 put together.

“In 2019 the team started out of necessity. Obviously, we’re black and there’s a diversity aspect to that but I think people are forgetting that we were the best sprinters in America, and we couldn’t get a fair paying job,” Williams tells Cycling Weekly.

It’s difficult to make change and to try and drive social diversity in cycling when you look around you and quickly realise that finding someone of colour in the sport is incredibly difficult. For all three Grand Tours which were completed this year, less than one per cent of the peloton was a black rider.

L39ION, who are currently sponsored by British kit manufacturers Rapha, has a plan for the future, this year they’ve launched their first Continental team in the US and have also signed stand-out female riders Skylar Schneider and Kendall Ryan, who will be taking on the criterium across the US. But what next for the West Coast-based team?

“100 per cent I’d love the first black rider to wear the green jersey in the Tour de France or yellow jersey in the Tour to be a L39ION rider,” Williams says.

“There’s a crossroads at about year five of our plan where we have to figure out what we want to do and where we want to go. Are we going to put a team on the WorldTour and develop a Conti team in the US? Do we even want to go down that route? There are big question marks at year five about how we want to proceed.”

For all their hard work so far, it would seem unfair that at year five the team still doesn’t know the best route to take. A lot would depend on the quality of riders the team is blessed with. It almost feels as if Williams is carrying the weight of the black cycling community on his shoulders and everyone is asking him or putting it to him to drive the change.

On this Williams says: “It’s a lot of pressure, when you start doing this thing, everyone wants it to be done overnight. The sport is over 90 per cent white, so it’s hard to find people of colour who are at the level that we’re at. We win the biggest races in the States, so we have to uphold that standard. People want us to move a certain way, but it doesn’t matter what they want.

“We’ve started with this vision in mind and this end goal in mind and we’re going to work to achieve that.”

By his own admission Williams is worried about going to and racing in Europe for this reason: “ASO have their own good thing going on, I don’t know if they and the UCI want to change, they don’t have to, just to continue racing, they don’t. Maybe we build something which is the equivalent to the ASO just for American racing.”

“I could probably create and run a full American season league off of what it costs to run one ProTour team. Everyone getting paid, less races, with more value to partners for what you get out of a ProTour Team,” Williams adds, explaining why the attraction of racing in Europe is not always the golden ticket which it is perceived to be.

>>> Rapha says Chloe Dygert’s apology was ‘insufficient’ after controversial social media behaviour 

If the UCI and the companies which put together Grand Tours can figure out a way to have nine successful weeks of racing between them, after what has been one of the most disturbed cycling calendars ever, why can’t they seem to figure out a way to make cycling more inclusive.

“Cycling doesn’t want to admit that it has a diversity issue, everyone is getting about their business, seemingly, just fine,” says Williams.

“Maybe cycling doesn’t think it has to change because it’s doing okay. We’ll continue to do our thing and when we blaze the trail then maybe they’ll see where they’ve gone wrong.”

Thank you for reading 20 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

Myles Warwood is a cycling journalist, automotive journalist and videographer. He writes for Cycling Weekly, Cyclist and Car magazine.

Like a race bike but more capable and comfortable, the Fray is the kind of road bike most of us ought to be riding

By Anne-Marije Rook Published 11 April 24

The Visma-Lease a Bike rider was set to ride the Italian Grand Tour for the first time

By Adam Becket Published 11 April 24

It’s been some 15 years since we saw such an exciting contingent of American riders in the WorldTour; there’s hope their ember can spark a fire in the hearts of American sports fans

By Anne-Marije Rook Published 29 December 23

Nicola Cranmer reflects on almost two decades of Team TWENTY24’s success.

By Riley Missel Published 13 December 23

2024 will see 18 National Championships across road, mountain track, cyclocross, gravel, BMX and esports cycling disciplines

By Anne-Marije Rook Published 9 November 23

It was an incredible year for American riders on the WorldTour yet road racing in North America is on the decline.

By Tyler Boucher Published 10 October 23

Here's a road season preview for American bike racing fans

By Clara Beard Published 7 March 23

As gravel racing moves to define itself amid worldwide popularity, these early adopters are now carving out a unique professional cycling career. Meet gravel racing's biggest stars.

By Marshall Opel Published 14 February 23

Current US road racing champion Kyle Murphy will race for L39ION of Los Angeles in 2023

By Anne-Marije Rook Published 18 October 22

Making its debut season in 2023, the National Cycling League will be held across four major cities in the U.S.

By Anne-Marije Rook Published 5 October 22

Useful links

• Tour de France
• Giro d'Italia
• Vuelta a España

Buyer's Guides

• Best road bikes
• Best gravel bikes
• Best smart turbo trainers
• Best cycling computers
• Editor's Choice
• Bike Reviews
• Component Reviews
• Clothing Reviews
• Contact Future's experts
• Terms and conditions
• Privacy policy
• Cookies policy
• Advertise with us

Cycling Weekly is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site . © Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.

Tour de France 2020 featured one Black cyclist, Kévin Reza — and a disturbing silence on race

Cycling has a long history of not talking about things. The omerta that covered up decades of doping has deep cultural roots in the sport, and riders who disrupt the status quo tend not to make it very far. It's not just cheating that cyclists don't talk about, though; it's anything controversial. When the Tour de France finished Sunday, there was just one Black rider, Kévin Reza of France .

The omerta that covered up decades of doping has deep cultural roots in the sport, and riders who disrupt the status quo tend not to make it very far.

The tour started with 176 riders this year, with Reza of the French team B&B Hotels-Vital Concept p resented by KTM as the only Black rider. Last year was the first year that a nonwhite rider ( Egan Bernal of Colombia ) won the coveted yellow jersey. Meanwhile, there are just five Black riders on the 743-rider World Tour , the highest tier of professional road cycling. That's less than 1 percent of the riders at the peak of the sport. Despite this shocking lack of diversity, cycling's global governing body, the UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale), and the organizer of the Tour de France have done little to acknowledge the global conversation around race.

This silence isn't new, but in 2020, it's particularly noticeable. This summer, tennis player Naomi Osaka wore masks with the names of victims of police violence at the U.S. Open, Formula One's Lewis Hamilton demanded — while on the starting grid — that the killers of Breonna Taylor be arrested, and NBA games completely shut down in response to the police shooting of Jacob Blake. Even NASCAR took steps to show that racism wasn't welcome . But cycling has done almost nothing. During the final stage of the Tour, Reza was joined by several other riders who wrote anti-racist slogans on their masks. Reza also rode at the head of the peloton near the race winner Tadej Pogačar.

✊🏻✊🏼✊🏽✊🏾✊🏿 #notoracism #BlackLivesMatter #TDF2020 pic.twitter.com/Cc8HtnNioE — Tour de France™ (@LeTour) September 20, 2020

I grew up racing bikes in the U.K., where I saw riders more talented than I get passed over for opportunities because of the color of their skin. Russell Williams won multiple national championships but never made it on an Olympic team. "It was because I'm black," Williams told the biking magazine CyclingTips in February.

Marlon Moncrieffe in the U.K. has documented the overlooked achievements of Black cyclists and the consistent failure of cycling to address its anti-Blackness in the Black-British Champions in Cycling project, which lists Williams alongside other national champions who were overlooked for international competitions because of their race , like David Clarke and Maurice Burton. But it's not just a British problem: Just look at the whiteness of cycling in France itself or in the U.S., where champions like Rahsaan Bahati , Nelson Vails and Justin Williams have all come forward to discuss the varying degrees of exclusion they faced in recent months.

This exclusion isn't always systemic or subtle. In 2017, Italian cyclist Gianni Moscon was reported to have used a racial slur toward Reza , who is racing his third Tour this year. In 2014, Swiss rider Michael Albasini was reported to have called Reza a "dirty negro" during a stage of the Tour while surrounded by other cyclists who said and did nothing. Remembering the incident later, Reza said : "There isn't much solidarity in cycling. My close friends in the peloton came to see me to tell me that they supported me and that they were affected by what had happened. But in a general way, no, I didn't really feel wider solidarity in the peloton to call attention to what happened."

Opinion Naomi Osaka's hair reveals the burdens carried by Black bodies in white spaces

The sport's governing body also did nothing. Reza, who supports the Black Lives Matter movement, told Cyclingnews that he is considering how best to take action in a sport that largely seems indifferent at best. "It's something that demands a lot of reflection, but that's not to say that I don't support the movement or that I'm sitting it out. Not at all. I will reflect, see what opportunities come up, and do things well."

This isn't an issue of participation, either, at least not on a global scale. Ethiopia , Eritrea , Rwanda , South Africa and many other African nations have thriving amateur and professional cycling scenes. I have ridden with a lot of gifted cyclists and can attest to the talent of African riders. But it's likely these young athletes won't get the same opportunities that I had. They won't be able to prove their value, because many European teams have biases, inadvertent or not, against races in Africa. European teams just don't understand, still, how competitive and professional those races are. And if these riders do make it to Europe, they'll have to work through a cycling culture than makes no effort to embrace and include them. And they'll have to put in that hard work knowing they may never be accepted, even if they make it to the Tour de France.

Opinion We want to hear what you THINK. Please submit a letter to the editor.

There isn't a single Black person on the board of USA Cycling, British Cycling or the UCI. Without diversity in governing bodies, we aren't going to see change on the roads of France any time soon. Cycling might hide behind tradition, but the long history of racism and discrimination isn't one riders should be proud of. During the pandemic, there has been a bike boom , with bike shops around the world selling out. However, racing license sales have been in decline for years . If road bike racing wishes to matter in the 21st century, it needs to address its anti-Blackness problem sooner rather than later.

James Stout is a historian and journalist who has covered migration at the U.S. border. He has also volunteered with nonprofits providing diabetes education to young people from Haiti and the Dominican Republic. 

Ahead of Tour de France, Black cyclists remain rare in the sport

Cyclist Nelson Vails won a silver medal in the 1984 Summer Olympics, but barriers remain: racism, little access to coaching and resources

Up Next From Sports

Cycling is one of the whitest sports in the world. 

During the 2021 International Cycling Union (UCI) World Tour — which features the sport’s premier races, including the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France — less than 1% of the riders were Black.

This year’s Tour de France, set to begin Friday, will feature no Black riders. In last year’s edition, there was only one Black cyclist in the peloton: Nic Dlamini, the first Black South African in the Tour.

The reasons for cycling’s lack of diversity and inclusivity at all levels are plentiful, from a lack of outreach to an exclusionary history the sport often seems unwilling to move past.

Kevin Evans is the president of Major Motion , a recreational cycling club in Los Angeles that promotes inclusivity and organizes weekly bike rides. But he might never have gotten into cycling if not for Nelson Vails.

Who is Nelson Vails?

Go back to 1984. The Los Angeles Summer Games. The Olympic Velodrome on the California State, Dominguez Hills campus. Some 8,000 rabid fans.

It was the men’s sprint cycling final between Mark Gorski, a four-time national champion from the Midwest, and Vails, a former bike messenger from New York City who grew up in public housing.

The final was best-of-three. The first go was a close call, but Gorski eked out the win. They ran it back with the same result. Gorski was the champion but Vails made history in his own right by becoming cycling’s first Black Olympic medalist.

Thirty-eight years later, the sport remains mostly white and Vails is still a historical outlier.

Disney General Entertainment Content/Getty Images

Months after Vails won his silver medal, a 20-year-old Evans was struggling to find his place at California State, Dominguez Hills.

A Black track athlete who grew up in Compton, California, Evans gave up running and wanted to keep competing in some sport as he got older.

“A few months [after Vails won a silver medal], I took a class — actually on that track — and from that point on, I was hooked into cycling,” Evans said.

Evans, now 57, says that the club “loves to give back” to the community, but that Major Motion is not always received warmly.

“As we’re out on the road, you hear people in these cars driving by and making smart little comments about ‘this is not your sport,’ ‘you don’t belong here’ and stuff like that,” he said.

Evans stays quiet, he says, because he is afraid of a violent reaction if he responds.

“It’s almost like you have to just keep rolling and [not] say anything,” Evans continued. “They’re in vehicles, we’re on a bike … who knows what’s gonna happen?”

Kevin Hylton, emeritus professor of equality and diversity in sport, leisure and education at Leeds Beckett University in Britain, is equally concerned about the risks for Black cyclists. He worries about a cycling counterpart to Ahmaud Arbery, a Black man who was chased and murdered by three white men while jogging in Georgia in 2020.

“Being in open spaces for people of color can bring dangers in particular places,” Hylton said. “So if you happen to be out running down a particular street, you could be chased by … people who think you shouldn’t be there, and you might get shot just for running.”

Or cycling.

Vails’ rise up the cycling ranks was almost as fast as his performances on the track. He knew he would be a professional by the time he graduated from high school and started competing in road races across the country after winning the Harlem Championships.

Vails said he behaved himself and asked questions, trying to learn not just from losses but from victories so as to repeat them. The sole focus was crossing the finish line first, so Vails tuned out the vitriol he received.

“I’ve raced in your Oklahomas and your southern Texases and places where I’m winning and surprising some,” Vails said.

He paused to gather his thoughts.

“Onlookers — how’s that?” he added.

Luca Bettini/AFP via Getty Images

To Vails then, the screaming and the insults could all be considered a part of the adrenaline and passion accompanying racing. After all, it’s not unusual to see fans fervently cheering on their fellow countrymen and favorite riders on iconic climbs such as the Tour de France’s Alpe d’Huez .

As an active competitor, Vails looked to Nelson Mandela, the anti-apartheid activist who became the first president of South Africa, for inspiration. Mandela preached that sports have the power to “unite people in a way that little else does.” Vails initially agreed, pointing to his experience in the Olympics around a global selection of the world’s premier athletes as an example.

“You’re on a team and there is no color because you’re all playing sports,” he said.

It wasn’t until the Black Lives Matter movement started gaining traction about 20 years after his retirement that Vails concluded things were not as they seemed. 

“It helped me sit back and realize, you know, maybe — or not even maybe — this stuff probably was going on,” he said.

Nearing the 40th anniversary of his Olympic silver medal, Vails is now aware of the uphill climb that cyclists of color face.

“When you get perceived as white, you have an advantage over someone who’s not,” he said.

Part of the issue, however, is that there still aren’t enough high-level Black cyclists to share their own experiences.

Biniam Girmay, 22, of Eritrea, made history last month by becoming the first Black African rider to win a Grand Tour stage in the Giro d’Italia , one of cycling’s main three races along with the Tour de France and Vuelta a España.

He was one of the only three Black riders competing in Italy but will not be competing in the upcoming Tour de France — a race no Black Africans competed in until 2015.

Earlier this year, Girmay became the first Black African to win a World Tour race when he took the Gent-Wevelgem in Belgium .

The UCI, for its part, said in a statement that it is committed to diversity.

“Over the last 20 years, cycling has made huge strides in terms of the number of athletes representing different parts of the world, thanks in no small part to its solidarity programs and the vital development work carried out via the UCI World Cycling Centre … the UCI will step up its activities in support of diversity in cycling in all its forms.”

But it’s not just that professional cycling while Black is difficult. Being Black and trying to ride can bring extra obstacles for many people.

“For most people [cycling] is, you know, you get a bike, you jump on it, you go … what’s the problem?” Hylton said. “[But] there’s a macro environment that we need to understand that includes poverty, geography, ethnicity, class, infrastructure.”

“We feel confident that there are, in our midst, champions that, if presented with the opportunities to be able to receive the coaching, to have access to equipment and other things — that they can be just as competitive, if not more, than those who are currently there right now.” — Milt Sharp Jr.

Across the United States, Black people and other minority groups have historically been grouped together in neighborhoods with less money, fewer resources and worse infrastructure — such as bike shops.

If an aspiring cyclist does not have the money to keep upgrading their bike, they fall behind.

“[Pros] are noticed on the amateur level and then they’re pulled up, so if you don’t have the ability to be able to go out and compete, you’re out of luck,” explained Milt Sharp Jr., an avid amateur cyclist.

Sharp is sure that the sport can change, just as tennis and golf have.

“We feel confident that there are, in our midst, champions that, if presented with the opportunities to be able to receive the coaching, to have access to equipment and other things — that they can be just as competitive, if not more, than those who are currently there right now,” he said.

One group working on that in Baltimore is Black People Ride Bikes , which Sharp is a part of. The group’s co-founder, Nia Reed-Jones, says that the group works to create partnerships and relationships that bolster diversity in cycling. The group partnered with the Baltimore City Department of Transportation on new biking infrastructure around the city.

It is an incremental step — but only in Baltimore.

The sport won’t solve its diversity dilemma without a holistic approach, Hylton says. He thinks cycling can retain Black riders by supporting inclusive clubs and punishing racial microaggressions and more blatant racism.

A modern Black trailblazer might spark a conversation around cycling’s lack of diversity and raise interest in the sport, much like tennis legend Serena Williams and golfing great Tiger Woods did early in their careers. For instance, Girmay.

But the emergence of such a figure would not single-handedly eradicate cycling’s inclusivity problems.

“It’s great to see someone who looks like you in a particular sport because it makes you think, ‘Maybe I could do that,’ ” Hylton said. “But there has to be an infrastructure that is inclusive and accessible, that will draw people in.”

Wilko Martínez-Cachero is a Los Angeles-based journalist and audio producer from Madrid, Spain. He covers the intersections between sports and society.

• International edition
• Australia edition
• Europe edition

Tour de France 2023: full team-by-team guide

Our in-depth look at every team, the main riders to watch and the cast of characters racing through France this summer

• Stage-by-stage guide to this year’s Tour de France

Ag2R-Citroën

Veteran French Tour battlers notorious for wearing brown shorts. Their Australian climber Ben O’Connor had a nightmare in 2022, ripping a muscle in a crash, but O’Connor is back on form this season so they need a repeat of his 2021 feats, with Paret-Peintre and Cosnefroy likely to target hilly stages.

Team Stan Dewulf, Clément Berthet, Felix Gall, Aurélien Paret-Peintre, Ben O’Connor, Benoît Cosnefroy, Oliver Naesen, Nans Peters

Main man Ben O’Connor – Aussie mountain man still out to prove 2021’s fourth overall was not a fluke

Alpecin-Deceuninck

From a relatively small cyclo-cross squad this cannily managed Dutch team has grown into a force to be reckoned with, mainly due to the presence of Mathieu van der Poel, the most charismatic racer in the bunch, but also because the team has recruited wisely around him. At the Tour they focus on Jasper Philipsen for the sprints and perhaps the green points jersey, with VdP targeting everything bar the high mountains; he will be a favourite on stage one’s short steep hills. Van der Poel took a long rest after his Classics campaign which seems to have paid off given his form in late June.

Team Silvain Dillier, Michael Gogl, Søren Kragh Andersen, Mathieu van der Poel, Quinten Hermans, Jasper Philipsen, Jonas Rickaert, Ramon Sinkeldam

Main man Mathieu van der Poel – flying this year, with two major Classic wins and a dominant display in the Tour of Belgium: expect fireworks.

Arkea-Samsic

This Breton-centred squad don’t have enough firepower to thrive in cycling’s most competitive milieu. Leader Warren Barguil was the future once but now looks like just another plucky contender. They will put riders in the daily daring moves but it’s hard to foresee a great deal more.

Team Warren Barguil, Clément Champoussin, Simone Guglielmi, Anthony Delaplace, Luca Mozzato, Jenthe Biermans, Matîs Louvel, Laurent Pichon

Main man Warren Barguil. “Wawa” was King of the Mountains and double stage winner in 2017, but there’s only so long you can live off past glories.

Astana Qazaqstan

Kakakhstan’s finest have changed tack by hiring Mark Cavendish; a stage win for the Manxman is the obvious target but there’s not a lot of sprint support here apart from Cees Bol, with Moscon for the grunt work beforehand. To hedge their bets, Federov and Lutsenko will target mountain stages.

Team Mark Cavendish, Aleksei Lutsenko, Cees Bol, David de la Cruz, Yevgeniy Federov, Luis Leon Sanchez, Gianni Moscon, Harold Tejada

Main man Mark Cavendish – the greatest sprinter of all needs one Tour stage win for the absolute record but it won’t be simple given the dearth of sprint stages.

Bahrain Victorious

Likely to be scarred mentally by the shocking death of Gino Mäder in the Tour of Switzerland, but if that tragedy brings them together, most of the riders look to be coming to form and they have a raft of chances to be “victorious” with new British champion Wright, Poels, Bilbao and Mohoric.

Team Niklas Arndt, Phil Bauhaus, Jack Haig, Pello Bilbao, Fred Wright, Mikel Landa, Matej Mohoric, Wout Poels

Main man Mikel Landa – the Basque climber is a cult figure due to his enigmatic, tragic mien; he could make the top five or fall apart. That’s “Landismo”.

Bora-Hansgrohe

Multiple opportunities for Germany’s finest, who pulled an excellently crafted Giro d’Italia win out of the bag last year with Australian climber Jai Hindley – quite the progression since their humble beginnings as team NetApp more than 10 years ago. Once again there is no place for the sprinter Sam Bennett, who has not ridden the Tour since winning two stages and the points prize in 2020. Around Hindley there’s plenty of climbing strength with Konrad, Buchman and Higuita plus a 2022 stage winner in Jungels, and a sprinter who can look after himself in Meeus.

Team Emanuel Buchman, Marco Haller, Jai Hindley, Bob Jungels, Patrick Konrad, Nils Politt, Jordi Meeus, Danny van Poppel, plus one to be named by Friday 30 June

Main man Jai Hindley. Fourth in the recent Criterium du Dauphiné bodes well but can he step up into cycling’s most hostile environment?

A team of options and caveats. Zingle, Martin, Lafay, Izaguirre and Geschke can hope for an opportunistic stage win, while Coquard is competitive in a small group finish. But they will struggle to rival the heavyweights so will probably end up with the French fallback: the daily suicide break.

Team Bryan Coquard, Simon Geschke, Ion Izaguirre, Victor Lafay, Guillaume Martin, Anthony Perez, Alexis Renard, Axel Zingle

Main man: Guillaume Martin – a cerebral climber who has written a book on philosophy; he could scrape into the top 10 overall but that looks like his limit.

DSM-Firmenich

This squad doesn’t have the biggest budget but it has a knack of landing key wins when it matters. They split neatly into a climbing half around the evergreen Romain Bardet, and Degenkolb, Edmondson and Eeckhoff in the sprint half in support of Sam Welsford – one of the surprises of this season.

Team Nils Eeckhoff, John Degenkolb, Kevin Vermaerke, Alex Edmondson, Sam Welsford, Matthew Dinham, Chris Hamilton, Romain Bardet.

Main man Romain Bardet. No longer the force he was when he finished second in the 2016 Tour but still capable of a solid top 10 overall.

EF Education-Easypost

The American team that loves to act the kooky underdogs but the facts belie this. They had a great Tour in 2022 thanks to Magnus Cort’s stage win; this year they had notched up 20 race wins by late June. The Olympic champion Carapaz, Bettiol, Uran and Powless could all land a stage.

Team Richard Carapaz, Rigoberto Uran, Neilson Powless, Alberto Bettiol, Esteban Chaves, Magnus Cort, James Shaw, Andrey Amador

Main man Magnus Cort – behind the (sponsored) fighter pilot moustache is a ruthless stage hunter chasing his 10th Grand Tour stage win.

Groupama-FDJ

In their 27th Tour, as usual it’s going to be fly or flop, with a bit more pressure after leader David Gaudu’s spat with sprinter Arnaud Démare sidelined this proven winner. Much loved Thibaut Pinot starts his final Tour; expect tears aplenty, hopefully on the Champs Elysées rather than before.

Team David Gaudu, Kevin Geniets, Stefan Küng, Olivier Le Gac, Valentin Madouas, Quentin Pacher, Thibaut Pinot, Lars Van den Berg

Main man David Gaudu – is France’s best hope for a podium finish but can he bear the weight of a nation?

Ineos Grenadiers

Once upon a time, the squad reputed to be the richest in cycling were the ones to beat in the Tour, but they have lost direction since Chris Froome’s departure and Egan Bernal’s horrific crash in 2022, and are now scrabbling to keep up with Jumbo and UAE. That’s reflected in a victory haul this season of around half that of the Big Two. A lot hangs on Tom Pidcock, winner at l’Alpe d’Huez last year; with Bernal struggling to return to his best, this line-up prompts a mild chin stroke rather than a sense of shock and awe.

Team Dani Martínez, Tom Pidcock, Michal Kwiatkowski, Jonathan Castroviejo, Carlos Rodriguez, Egan Bernal, Omar Fraile, Ben Turner

Main man Tom Pidcock. Super talented and a terrifyingly good bike handler, the 23-year-old Yorkshireman needs to build on a great 2022 race.

Intermarché-Circus-Wanty

Seamless progress for the Walloon team since their Tour debut in 2018. No Belgians in their squad which won’t go down well at home, but they have a real stage win hope in Girmay, a potential top 10 finisher in Meintjes and wildcards such as Calmejane, Costa and Teunissen.

Team Lilian Calmejane, Rui Costa, Biniam Girmay, Louis Meintjes, Adrien Petit, Dion Smith, Mike Teunissen, Georg Zimmerman.

Main man Biniam Girmay – after landing a sprint stage of the Giro last year, the Eritrean is a good bet to become the first black African Tour stage winner.

Israel-PremierTech

With only five wins this year, they need to buck that trend with climber Woods, the punchy Teuns, sprinter Strong or all-rounder Clarke. They will have to box clever, because none of these is the very best at their speciality. No place for Chris Froome after his poor start to 2023.

Team Guillaume Boivin, Simon Clarke, Hugo Houle, Krists Neilands, Nick Schultz, Corbin Strong, Dylan Teuns, Michael Woods

Main man Michael Woods – 36 years old and a four-minute miler in the past, the Canadian is a decent outside bet on any steep uphill finish.

Jayco-AlUla

All in for sprinter Groenewegen and climber Yates. Yates has had a lean 2023, but he’s notched up 10 Grand Tour stages since 2018 and will have plenty of chances in a very hard Tour. Harper and Craddock support him in the mountains; Mezgec will deliver Groenewegen in the sprints.

Lawson Craddock, Luke Durbridge, Dylan Groenewegen, Chris Harper, Chris Juul-Jensen, Luka Mezgec, Elmar Reinders, Simon Yates

Main man Dylan Groenewegen. Looking for his sixth career Tour stage win, the Dutchman has had a strong season with half a dozen wins to his name already.

Jumbo-Visma

One of the two “superteams” in the race; there are times when Jumbo seem to win when, how and where they want. Here it’s all in for Vingegaard with Küss, Van Baarle and Kelderman his mountain support crew. The biggest asset is Wout van Aert, the most powerful all-rounder in cycling, who could probably hope to win half a dozen stages if he was the team leader. What’s disconcerting is that Jumbo put out a strong squad to win this year’s Giro with Primoz Roglic, and they can afford to leave all of them out of the Tour including the Slovene.

Team Wilco Kelderman, Dylan van Baarle, Wout van Aert, Tiesj Benoot, Christopher Laporte, Nathan van Hooydonck, Sep Küss, Jonas Vingegaard

Main man Jonas Vingegaard – wraith-like Dane who had the climbing legs to break Tadej Pogacar when it mattered last year, but the second Tour win never comes easy

There’s plenty of value for money here. It’s all about stage wins. The 2019 world champion Mads Pedersen is the best bet, but Skjelmose took the recent Tour of Switzerland while Ciccone landed stages in Catalonia and the Dauphiné. They boast three newly crowned national champions in Skjelmose, Kirsch and Simmons.

Giulio Ciccone, Tony Gallopin, Alex Kirsch, Juan Pedro Lopez, Mads Pedersen, Quinn Simmons, Mattias Skjelmose, Jesper Stuyven

Main man Mads Pedersen – he has stage wins at the Giro and Paris-Nice to his name this year, and will have a good chance on the hillier days at the Tour

Lotto-Dstny

Relegated to the second division last season, Belgium’s oldest team put most of their eggs in a basket labelled Caleb Ewan. Most of the team will be dedicated to ensuring he is in the right place at sprint finishes; strongmen Vermeersch and Campenaerts may be let off the leash on the non-sprint days.

Team Caleb Ewan, Jasper de Buyst, Jacopo Guarnieri, Florian Vermeersch, Frederik Frison, Victor Campenaerts, Pascal Eenkhorn, Maxim van Gils

Main man Caleb Ewan – five Tour stages to his name so far, one more would make Lotto’s Tour.

There’s a mid-table look to cycling’s oldest team, a far cry from when Miguel Indurain won five Tours in a row. Mas can target the podium, and Jorgensen is one of the most exciting prospects in the sport, but the fact he’s rumoured to be moving on in 2024 speaks volumes.

Team Alex Aranburu, Ruben Guerreiro, Gorka Izaguirre, Matteo Jorgensen, Enric Mas, Gregor Mühlberger, Neilson Oliveira, Antonio Pedrero

Main man Enric Mas – often the bridesmaid never the bride, the Spaniard is one of the big group targeting third place behind the Big Two while aiming for better if they falter.

Soudal-Quickstep

Belgian winning machine have converted themselves to a Grand Tour team led by Remco Evenepoel, who sits this one out. Here it’s about fidgety Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe and sprinter Fabio Jakobsen. “Juju” is under pressure from manager Patrick Lefevère and needs to find his former magic touch, while Jakobsen needs to at least repeat his stage win of last year; his five victories this year suggest that’s on the cards with the support of top lead-out man Mørkøv. Asgreen, Lampaert and Cavagna will support Alaphilippe in the hills and go in the breaks when he’s having a recovery day.

Team Julian Alaphilippe, Yves Lampaert, Tim Decelercq, Dries Devenyns, Fabio Jakobsen, Kasper Asgreen, Michael Mørkøv, Remi Cavagna

Main man Julian Alaphilippe – double world champion endured a torrid 2022 but has won twice this year and will be a favourite for stage one.

TotalEnergies

Once a reservoir of developing French talent, now a home for stars past their sell-by dates such as Boasson-Hagen, Oss and Sagan, while French riders Turgis and Latour are no longer cutting edge. Between them they will deliver various near misses, while a stage win would be a miracle.

Team Edvald Boasson-Hagen, Mathieu Burgaudeau, Steff Cras, Valentin Ferron, Pierre Latour, Daniel Oss, Peter Sagan, Anthony Turgis

Main man Peter Sagan. Once a mega star, the multiple world champion, Tour stage winner and record points winner is now on his farewell Tour.

UAE Team Emirates

Cycling’s other “super team”, with a wealth of strong men to rival Jumbo-Visma in support of double Tour winner Tadej Pogacar, who had taken on another dimension this year with his wins in the Tour of Flanders, Amstel Gold and Flèche Wallonne before his untimely crash in Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Behind “Pog”, Adam Yates has hit form in the Critérium du Dauphiné and won the Tour de Romandie back in May, so should prove a decent understudy. After illness ripped through their ranks in last year’s Tour, arguably contributing to Pogacar’s defeat to Vingegaard, every cough, sniffle and minor headache will be viewed with suspicion.

Team Mikkel Bjerg, Felix Grossschartner, Vejgard Stake Langen, Rafal Majka, Tadej Pogacar, Marc Soler, Matteo Trentin, Adam Yates

Main man Tadej Pogacar – cycling’s biggest winner is targeting a third Tour; wins in his national road and time trial titles suggests the form has returned after a hiatus to nurse a broken wrist.

Invited to their first Tour, the Norwegian squad have a solid reputation for developing new talent and making the most of their resources. They bring a promising line-up fronted by veteran sprinter Kristoff, climbers Johanneson and Traeen, a strong all rounder in Waerenschold, plus the gritty Rasmus Tiller at the helm.

Team Jonas Abrahamsen, Torsten Traeen, Søren Waerenschold, Anton Charmig, Jonas Gregaard, Rasmus Tiller, Tobias Halland Johannesen, Alexander Kristoff

Main man Alexander Kristoff – is long in the tooth but could still snag a stage win; in a team of Tour debutants his experience will be crucial.

Changes can be made until Friday 30 June. Team line-ups correct at time of publication

• Tour de France 2023
• Tour de France

Most viewed

African Arguments

• Our philosophy
• Write for us
• Central African Republic
• Congo-Brazzaville
• Congo-Kinshasa
• Equatorial Guinea
• South Sudan
• Western Sahara
• South Africa
• Burkina Faso
• Côte d’Ivoire
• Guinea Bissau
• São Tomé and Príncipe
• Sierra Leone
• Elections Map
• From the fellows
• Radical Activism in Africa
• On Food Security & COVID19
• Think African [Podcast]
• Into Africa [Podcast]
• Travelling While African
• From the wit-hole countries…
• Living in Translation
• Africa Science Focus [Podcast]
• Beautiful Game
• Debating Ideas

Why are there no Black riders in the Tour de France?

The answer is not a lack of talent, as Eritrea’s long history of producing worldclass cyclists attests.

Eritreans Biniam Girmay wins the Gent-Wevelgem men’s elite race in March 2022, becoming the race’s first African winner.

On the 17 May, Eritrea made headlines for all the right reasons. Sprinting to victory on Stage 10 of the Giro D’Italia, Biniam Girmay became the first Black African cyclist to win a stage of the prestigious Grand Tour.

Scenes of Eritrean fans erupting in celebration went viral as citizens of all political persuasions announced their immense pride. Biniam became a national hero and was invited to an audience with President Isaias Afeworki. The international cycling community heralded a “new era” for African cycling. Biniam said : “For me, for my nation, and also for Africa, it means a lot to have this medal”.

Biniam’s success comes against a backdrop of enormous challenges in Eritrea. Despite the rapprochement with Ethiopia in 2018, citizens continue to leave in large numbers as compulsory national service remains in place and the country still lacks international investment. Nonetheless, Eritrea continues to produce world-class athletes, with Biniam just one example.

The lack of Eritrean – and other Black African – athletes in major international races, including notably the absence of any Black riders in this year’s Tour de France , therefore cannot solely be pinned on conditions “at home”. Responsibility for why so few cyclists from Eritrea, South Africa and Rwanda – to name a few cycling powerhouse nations in Africa – make the international stage lies elsewhere.

Cycling in Eritrea

The first ever bicycle to reach Eritrea was reportedly a military bicycle sent to the Italian garrison in Asmara. Competitive races followed in the mid-1930s, albeit along segregated lines. The Italian-run Eritrean Cycling Commission organised races for Italians, while Eritreans organised their own competitions with contestants using bikes acquired through their Italian employers.

It took until 1951, after the end of Italy’s colonial control, for this segregation to be dropped. That year, the infamous Eritrean cyclist nicknamed Berbere, in a nod to the hot chilli, beat his Italian opponents in a rare race with both Italians and Eritreans on the start line. Berbere achieved celebrity status in the county, as have many cyclists since.

During Ethiopia’s colonisation of Eritrea from 1951 onwards, basic survival – let alone recreation – became increasingly hard. Ethiopian authorities saw the bicycle as a threat and banned it from main roads in Asmara so secessionists could not use it as a getaway vehicle after drive-by attacks on Ethiopian forces. The Eritreans who did continue to race internationally did so under the Ethiopian flag, as the colonising force denied the existence of an independent Eritrean identity.

Eritrea gained de facto independence from Ethiopia in 1991. People speak of the era that followed as a golden age of competitive cycling in Eritrea, even if this did not yet translate into international recognition. Contrary to the claims from a cycling coach at the world governing body, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), that Eritreans did not know they had “interesting qualities” until recently, the cycling scene in Eritrea recognised its potential decades ago. Yet hopes of breaking into international tours were delayed again when the border conflict with Ethiopia ignited in 1998. Domestic priorities shifted and Eritrean soldiers were known to target cycling events in Asmara to round up youth who were not already at the frontline.

Despite that conflict formally ending in 2002, Eritrea’s competitive riders still face several barriers. Some are not unique to the country. The significant personal expense of cycling, for example, is a challenge in many places, though it is compounded in Eritrea by the government’s tight restrictions on imports and the country’s struggling economy, which the ruling PFDJ has long sought to blame on international sanctions.

Other difficulties are more specific to Eritrea. They include significant performance pressure, as cyclists whose performance declines risk being enrolled into military service; limited access to many technologies needed to train at the highest levels, not least anything internet-based; and uncertainty about whether cyclists can accept international invitations because of tight, and seemingly arbitrary rules, on passport renewal and exit visas. More recently, Eritrean cyclists have also been banned from international races because there is no Covid-19 vaccination programme in the country.

Barriers to breaking through

Within African, Eritrean cyclists – male and female – have long dominated continental cycling alongside their South African peers. Yet despite consistently impressive results, they are rarely offered contracts by the top UCI WorldTeams who race in the European Grand Tours. A major exception was South Africa’s Team MTN-Qhubeka (later Dimension Data for Qhubeka), which helped Daniel Teklehaimanot to the polka dot jersey in the 2015 Tour de France. According to the Eritrean sports reporter Amanuel Alazar , that team “should be commended for the role they played in making a lot of African riders’ dreams come true”.

For the most part, however, young African cyclists face many intersecting challenges in securing top tier contracts. Experienced voices in professional racing like Robbie Hunter have railed at length about this issue, highlighting that even when African riders register impressive wins – such as Biniam’s early victory over the largely undefeated Remco Evenepoel as a junior – WorldTour teams remain reluctant to sign them up.

Some possible reasons for these teams’ reluctance cannot be overcome by the cycling community alone. For instance, the UCI cannot control the fact that some governments of countries where training camps and races are hosted will see Eritrean riders as asylum flight risks and deny them visas. However, the world governing body could be a more vocal advocate against racialised immigration policies. It could also do much more to support African racing. In 2019 , just 3% of UCI road races were in Africa, giving cyclists on the continent far fewer opportunities to gain UCI points and prove their talent in official races. Moreover, just 7 African athletes were given additional support at the UCI World Cycling Centre compared to 17 of their European peers.

Other barriers are more engrained. As Hunter argues, many international teams are only slowly recognising that cycling is not the preserve of white athletes in the Global North. Whether consciously or not, they still prefer to recruit European riders, who benefit from an “affinity bias” whereby they are seen as more predictable and easier to manage. Several Eritrean riders have told us of being made to feel like a burden by the teams that do sign them. They report receiving lower wages to compensate for the supposed challenges of supporting them, and risk being dropped for being “difficult” – in a common stereotype levelled at minoritised groups – if they speak up against unfair treatment.

If Eritrean cycling then has been “running out of steam”, as some have claimed , it is likely to be more a reflection of a lack of visibility and support than declining talent, passion or drive.

Hope for young Eritreans

Biniam’s own successes were arguably delayed by these dynamics. Despite a strong track record in African races, he only drew WorldTeam attention following his silver medal in the U23 World Championships, when he was signed by Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert Matériaux. Drawing on his experiences representing young cyclists, Hunter says a European competitor would have received offers sooner and with less impressive results.

The response to Biniam’s historic win this May nonetheless shows why it is so important to call out these racialised barriers, not least for the health of professional cycling, which should be a race among the best global talent. It is hard to justify calling many of the top teams “WorldTeams” when whole swathes of the globe are under-represented.

For the future growth of the sport within Eritrea too, young riders need hope that their hard work and talent can be rewarded. Biniam’s victory has shown that Eritreans can compete with the best and win, confirming that the lack of representation has little to do with any lack of ability. As Alazar has commented , “What message does Biniam’s win send to those young riders? In the next 5-10 years, these wins could multiply.”

Success in sport is also coveted by young Eritreans as one of very few ways to travel legally. While exit visas for educational scholarships are extremely limited and restricted to state-sanctioned schemes mostly to the Gulf States, India or China, athletes face fewer barriers. They are supported by the government to compete internationally and while some use it as an opportunity to seek asylum abroad, the majority embrace it as an opportunity to come and go from Eritrea in a way generally denied to their peers.

When Daniel Teklehaimot donned the polka dot jersey at the 2015 Tour de France – and Merhawi Kudus became the youngest rider in the race the same year – they were part of history in the making. Seven years later, history was made again as Biniam won a stage in the Giro. In between those events, however, there was no increase in the representation of talented Black African cyclists at major tournaments, and some even claim a “ disturbing step-back ”. How much then should we celebrate moments of “ history in the making ” when they are so few and far between and largely reflect the fact that investment in African cycling lags so far behind that in Europe?

The only way in which Biniam’s success will actually be part of the “ up and up within the European peloton ” is if widespread biases in international cycling are confronted so that riders from Eritrea and elsewhere in Africa are given opportunities and support at the same level as their talents.

Libya: A country in need of a ...

The missing $50m: seychelles gears up for ....

Georgia Cole & Temesgen Futsumbrhan Gebrehiwet

Dr Georgia Cole is a Chancellor's Fellow in the School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Edinburgh. Her research focuses on refugees, displacement, and Eritrea. Temesgen Futsumbrhan Gebrehiwet is a Research Fellow in forced migration studies at the University of Oxford.

You seem to have ignored one major factor — the state of African roads. They are in terrible condition and any cyclist trying to race or practise there would be risking both their machine and their life.

Leave a reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

Are British charities turning their backs on African disasters? – By Martin Plaut

Beyond national citizenship, sudan at the crossroads (3).

• Privacy Policy
• Terms & Conditions

"For Anyone and Everyone Interested in the Real History of France and the US!"  ​ Ricki Stevenson's Black Paris Tours® offers a richly unique cultural experience, providing travelers with information, insight and little known facts about the wealth of Black history in Paris! 

Discover 11 top suggestions to elevate your itinerary with a perfect blend of hidden gems and well-established dining, entertainment, and shopping options, exploring the best of black paris ... ​yesterday and today.

A special thank you to Blues Man Mighty Mo Rodgers for allowing us to use his " Black Paris Blues " in the video and website!

Subscribe to the Black Paris Newsletter

If you would like more information or have questions, please contact us at [email protected] or fill out the online contact form below:

Wind-Flower Web Design

Ricki Stevenson's Black Paris Tours

• See all photos

Similar Experiences

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Ricki Stevenson's Black Paris Tours - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

Why The Tour De France Will Have Its First Black Winner By 2020

As the dust from the Lance Armstrong case settles, Tim Lewis goes to Rwanda to investigate how the future of pro cycling lies in sub-saharan Africa.

Sub-Saharan athletes already overwhelmingly dominate distance running. Now men from Kenya, Rwanda, Eritrea and beyond are taking to the saddles of road bikes, with jaw-dropping results. While British and European teams fixate on marginal gains made through improved technology, an untapped continent of brilliant, naturally gifted cyclists is ready to blow them out of the water.

The day before Bastille Day in 2011 was a generally unremarkable one in the Tour de France. The riders started near some coalfields in the Midi-Pyrénées, whooshed past the Toulouse-Lautrec museum and finished in a rainy bunch sprint that Mark Cavendish won before effusively thanking his team-mates.

But there was a moment that stuck out: as the peloton rolled along, a black man in mirrored shades, as relaxed as you like, pedalled to the front of the race.

I watch a borderline-sociopathic amount of cycling on television, and he was the first black rider I’d ever seen in a European cycling race. Even commentator Phil Liggett, who has been covering the Tour for 40 years, became momentarily ruffled, referring to the “coloured cyclist” and inspiring a virtual mailbag of complaints from viewers.

Later, while Cavendish tweeted an update on his saddle sores, the online chatter began. On the Acting White Acting Black blog, James C Collier wrote: “Newsflash!!! I just saw young Yohann Gène up front in stage 11 protecting the yellow jersey of his team-mate Voeckler. That ain’t no tan — that’s a brother! Awesome!!!”

Hard to believe, but Yohann Gène of Team Europcar was, indeed, the first black rider of any nationality to compete in the world’s greatest cycling race. He was born in Guadeloupe and was scouted in 1997 when Jean-René Bernaudeau, a professional rider from the Eighties who is now the eccentric boss of Team Europcar, was on holiday in the West Indies.

There is a proud history of cycling in Guadeloupe and Bernaudeau decided, almost as an experiment, to take a pair of 17-year-old riders back to France.

Gène’s debut in the Tour de France more than a decade later wound up being a high-profile one: his team leader Thomas Voeckler gurned away in the maillot jaune for 10 days and Team Europcar could often be found at the front of the peloton huddled round Voeckler like worker bees defending their queen.

“I am French, so the Tour de France is something special,” Gène said. “It gives me wings.”

Bernaudeau was ahead of his time in acknowledging that the European dominance of the great cycling races was coming to an end. It was not a comfortable realisation for many French fans. Since the Tour de France was first contested, in 1903, the pool of winners had been remarkably select.

In fact, until 1986 when the American Greg LeMond won — that his name sounded almost French was but a minor consolation — the Tour de France had always gone to European riders.

France accounted for 36 successes, Belgium 18, Italy eight and even Luxembourg, hardly a sporting powerhouse, had claimed four victories. Europeans, the conventional wisdom had it, prevailed because they best understood the tactics and the culture of cycling: the key qualities were physical durability, mental and moral strength, and what the French called <rage>: a desire to succeed. (It’s also their word for rabies.)

LeMond, however, was not an aberration; he was an outlier. Since then, the winners of the Tour de France have started to come from all sorts of odd places with no historic links to cycling: Ireland, Denmark, Germany, Australia and — sacré bleu — the Dibdin House estate in Kilburn, north London. (I’m sure there was another American who won a few times too, but could find no corroboration on the internet.)

The sport became a financial, technological and pharmacological arms race. Not so long ago, teams were funded by parochial French sponsors (Farm Frites sticks in the mind); now the pockets bankrolling the sport belong to Russian oligarchs, hearing-aid billionaires and, of course, the Murdoch dynasty with Team Sky. Defence contractors and Formula 1 teams created cycling-specific innovations, from the sleekest uniforms to the lightest helmets.

Technology, though, has its limits. If cycling teams are prepared to spend millions investing in the best kit and state-of-the-art machinery, it would make sense to have the most biologically gifted athletes on the planet riding the bicycles. Hard to believe, but that might not be a bloke with long sideburns and a man-crush on Liam Gallagher.

The list of countries whose riders have never featured in the Tour de France roll call turns out to be surprisingly long: there are 500 million cyclists in China, but they have never produced a top-level professional. It is Sub-Saharan Africa, however, that is a particularly glaring omission.

Black Africans utterly dominate distance athletics — of the last 10 London Marathons, eight have been won by Kenyans, two by Ethiopians — and many would seem to have all the physiological traits (huge lungs, spindly but powerful legs) to do well in cycling.

Why had nobody thought to stick the best distance runners on a bike?

Turns out, they have. In 2010, I went to my first Tour of Rwanda. Even its name sounded like a punchline. “I thought it was a joke,” admitted Simeon Green, a British professional riding for a lower-tier French team, CA Castelsarrasin. “Like the ‘Tour of Afghanistan’.”

But the racing was relentlessly serious: there is scarcely one flat road in all of Rwanda and, every day for two weeks, the home riders did battle with lanky Eritreans and powerful Kenyans on slopes that were Alpine in severity, if not length.

Millions of locals stood by the roadside and screamed as the peloton flew past like an unexpected storm: a kaleidoscope of flashing colours. Some of their equipment was ancient and tactics were at times non-existent, but as pure athletes, these riders were inescapably the real deal.

There are two visions for the future of cycling as it wobbles unsteadily after Lance Armstrong’s drug bust. In one of them, the arms race escalates and rival teams pump in more and more money to overhaul Team Sky. This would not favour African riders.

But another view imagines a reformed, more wholesome sport; one that is perhaps cleaner than ever. Teams would be forced to scour the globe for riders who naturally have the athletic qualities that previously could only be created with doping programmes.

Then it becomes a numbers game, and Africa always wins: by 2100, there will be more 18-to-25-year-olds on the continent than in China. It will be the biggest sporting mass population in the world.

“It’s a new frontier for cycling,” says Jean-Pierre Van Zyl, a former track champion who is now head of the International Cycling Union (UCI) World Cycling Centre in South Africa.

“With everything going on in professional cycling, Africans have no idea of the systematic doping and all that nonsense that’s been going on in Europe. This will be the saviour of cycling.”

In Rwanda, I discovered that some people had already made advanced plans in different parts of the continent to bring about an African cycling revolution. These pioneers divided into three broad categories: the first knew everything about cycling, but nothing about Africa; the second was well-versed on Africa but had only rudimentary knowledge of European cycling.

Then there was Nicholas Leong, and he didn’t seem to know that much about cycling or Africa.

Leong, a commercial photographer from Singapore, was holed up at home in 2006 with a particularly spiteful splinter in his foot. One day he started to wonder if distance runners might make good cyclists and he thought he would go to Kenya to find the answer — a mid-life crisis might have been involved too, he concedes.

He booked a plane ticket to Nairobi for the evening after the 2006 Singapore Marathon on a hunch that the runners would be on the flight. At the airport, he walked up to group of skinny black Africans; out of the first 15 runners to cross the line that morning, 13 had been Kenyan.

He asked, “Who’s the guy who won the marathon?” Amos Matui, the smallest of the bunch, presented himself. Leong said, “OK, I’m following you home!”

Leong had never been to Kenya before. Everything he knew about cycling had been gleaned from watching videos of the Tour de France. “I’m like the guy who sits there on Saturday and watches Manchester United and has watched Manchester United for 30 years, so he thinks he knows everything about the game,” he says.

Leong wound up in Iten in the highlands of the Great Rift Valley. There are officially only 4,000 residents of Iten, but many of them have gold medals and world records to their name. The 800m runner David Rudisha, star of the 2012 London Olympics, went to school in the little town and Mary Keitany, winner of the last two London Marathons, lives there now. The problem Leong found in Iten was that none of the runners wanted to swap their spikes for bikes. Prize money for a major city marathon is typically around $100,000, while even $10,000 for a lower placing is a life-changing amount. Leong had in mind a monthly wage of something closer to $100.

Eventually he found Zakayo Nderi, a shoeshine in nearby Eldoret; he would wake up each morning at 5am to ride his bike, a single-speed Black Mamba roadster that weighed nearly 20 kilograms. Leong offered to train Nderi and three other riders in Singapore on proper racing bikes for a couple of months.

At the end of that period, he picked a pair of them — Nderi and bicycle-taxi rider Samwel Myangi — and in 2008 headed for the Alpe d’Huez, the most celebrated climb in the Tour de France.

It was a stunt, mostly designed to raise awareness and boost fundraising, but it turned out to be a revealing experiment, as well. The night before, Nderi dreamed of slaying a lion; the next day, a Thursday morning mass-start event, he scampered up the 21 famous hairpins in just 42 minutes 10 seconds.

That was only three minutes outside Lance Armstrong’s time in the 2004 Tour de France. If Nderi had been racing that day, he would have placed in the top 20.

Not bad for someone who had never ridden a bike with gears before Leong showed up.

Jock Boyer is decidedly not that guy who sits at home and watches Manchester United on Saturdays. He’s more like Eric Cantona, in fact.

Boyer and Leong are absolute opposites in most ways: Leong is a roly-poly man with irrepressible enthusiasm; Boyer is lean and sinewy, and has a manner that people often interpret — not without justification — as rudeness. In 1981, Boyer became the first American to ride in the Tour de France; two years later, he finished 12th.

If anyone knows what it takes to succeed as an outsider in European cycling, it’s him.

When Boyer first came to Rwanda in 2006, he had no clue where it was; he had to look it up on a map. He knew nothing about the genocide of 1994, in which up to a million Rwandans, out of a population of eight million, were slaughtered in 100 days.

Boyer was looking for a clean start of his own: he had recently come out of jail in the United States after serving eight months for lewd acts with a minor. He started riding with a group of the best Rwandan cyclists; Boyer was 51, but he weighed the same as when he competed in the Tour de France and he had just won the Solo Enduro category of the 2006 Race Across America, one of the world’s toughest long-distance events.

However, day after day, Boyer struggled to keep pace with the Rwandans on training rides. He was stunned. He had brought with him a CompuTrainer, which fixed to the back wheel of a bike and allowed you to test a rider’s power output and their anaerobic threshold, an essential marker for endurance athletes.

Their results were off the charts, particularly a brilliant young climbing specialist called Adrien Niyonshuti. With Zakayo Nderi’s ride on the Alpe d’Huez, there was mounting evidence that the best African riders could hold their own with the top Europeans.

More than the quality of the riders, however, Boyer recognised an innate resilience. He might have been ignorant about Africa, but racing his bike for 250 days a year had made him an expert on pain.

Boyer quickly learned that there was very little you could tell these Rwandans about hardship. All of them had lost friends and family during the genocide; five of Niyonshuti’s brothers and one sister, and more than 40 family members, had been killed.

None of them had houses with either electricity or running water; some had been street kids, living off food they scavenged. They would set out on a training ride, no food in their pockets, no idea how long they would be out on the road, and just put their heads down and spin.

“If Team Rwanda had not come, I would not be riding a bike, because it was not easy,” Niyonshuti tells me. “No spares, no bike, nothing. I remember that in 2005 I get a problem with the tyre and I could not get a tyre for my bike in the country. Jock has helped me a lot. Sometimes I call him my dad, because if someone helps you for nothing, he looks after you all the time, you have to give him respect.”

The selflessness of Boyer’s motives can be questioned — there is a disconcerting whiff of neo-colonialism about the authoritarian white man who arrives in Africa and sets the locals to work.

But Team Rwanda has indisputably changed lives: riders are paid a monthly stipend, and many have been able to buy houses and cows: the traditional gift for your bride-to-be’s family.

They were also starting to achieve very respectable results in international races. Niyonshuti was taken on by the biggest team on the continent, MTN-Qhubeka, based in South Africa, and he raced for Rwanda in the cross-country mountain bike event at last summer’s Olympics.

“I’m sincerely convinced that the future winners of the Tour de France are here in Africa,” Boyer says. “It’s just going to take time. It could be five years, it could be 10 years, but it will happen.”

The best cyclist in Africa is, however, from neither Kenya nor Rwanda. He is an Eritrean called Daniel Teklahaimanot. Eritrea — a small sliver of land opposite the Red Sea that is occupied by five million people — has one advantage that Kenya and Rwanda do not: an established cycling culture.

A long-time colony of Italy, in Eritrea the Italians had left behind their love of bicycles, along with streets of incongruous modernist architecture and a passion for coffee.

There are around 200 full-time professional cyclists in Eritrea and, unlike the rest of the continent, there are hard, technical races every week of the year. Spectators pay to watch, and the larger teams have boisterous fan clubs. The Tour de France is shown each year — in full — on state television.

Until recently, no one knew that Eritreans were mad about cycling, but then there is much we don’t know about the country. On the World Press Freedom index, Eritrea currently ranks 179 out of 179 countries. That’s behind North Korea, Iran and Turkmenistan.

There is no independent media in the country at all, and no foreign correspondents are based in its capital Asmara. Reporters Without Borders calls it a “black hole of information”.

The country has always had conscription, but since 1998, when a border dispute was restarted with Ethiopia, military service has been open-ended. Some soldiers are said to be in their seventies.

Being a member of the national cycling team — and other sports teams — is one of the few legal ways to avoid conscription. Or at least to defer it; you might still have to do a stint at the end of your career. It also provides a rare opportunity for foreign travel — and potential escape. Eritrea has one of the highest defection rates in the world, perhaps second only to Zimbabwe.

Among the diplomatic cables unearthed by WikiLeaks in 2010 is one titled “Eritrea’s squabbling colonels, fleeing footballers, frightened librarians”. It tells the tale of how the entire Eritrean national football team absconded in 2009 during a regional tournament in Kenya.

It is like Escape To Victory, without Sylvester Stallone encouraging the players to come back to play the second half.  “Only the coach and an escorting colonel reportedly returned to Eritrea,” writes United States ambassador Ronald K McMullen. “(One wonders why, given their likely fate.)”

Teklehaimanot is one of the few Eritreans to make it out of the country with permission. In January 2009, he was sent to the UCI headquarters in Aigle, Switzerland, for a prolonged period of training.

Soon after he arrived, the coaches found that one of his legs was shorter than the other; it can be corrected, but it is not ideal for a professional cyclist. He had never been near a dentist in his 21 years so his teeth were a graveyard.

But the major issue was his heart: when he fully exerted himself on a bike, his heart rate spiked to 260 beats per minute. He was diagnosed with tachycardia, an abnormally rapid heart rate that is dangerous and, for a sportsman, life-threatening. There was a chance he would never ride a bicycle again.

There was one more thing they discovered in the physiological tests. Even with tachycardia, Daniel’s power output and his ability to sustain intense effort exceeded almost anything the coaches had ever seen.

In fact, only one UCI graduate came close: Chris Froome. Within five years of leaving, Froome, the Kenyan-born British cyclist, was runner-up in the 2012 Tour de France and is now a favourite for this year’s race.

The operation to address the tachycardia went without complication and Teklehaimanot was soon winning every race on the African circuit. He is tall, just over 6ft 2in, and has 3 per cent body fat, which is about the amount you see on competition bodybuilders. He can climb, time trial; everything, really.

His talent was too big to be ignored by the major cycling teams and in 2011 he was signed by GreenEdge, Australia’s answer to Team Sky. He was paid €33,000 a year, minimum wage, although it was preferable to the $20 a month he would get in the Eritrean military.

Teklehaimanot was not selected for the 2012 Tour de France, that was never the plan, but he was picked for the nine-man GreenEdge team for the season-ending Vuelta a España, Spain’s most important race and one of the big three on the cycling calendar.

When he rolled down the start ramp in Pamplona for the opening team time trial, he became the first black African to compete in a Grand Tour. In another glimpse of the future, Ji Cheng, a 25-year-old rider with the Argos-Shimano team, recorded the same distinction for China.

More significant than the historical footnote was Teklehaimanot’s performance. He raced hard and worked unstintingly for the team. At the beginning of the third week, he made it into a group of riders who had broken away from the main pack but crashed on a descent.

He was going 50mph and landed on his shoulder in a ditch, bashed up and bruised. He finished the stage last, in 182nd place, half an hour back. He was still suffering the next day and lost another 35 minutes.

But he reached Madrid to complete the race. (Ji Cheng also made it through, in last place overall, completing the event four-and-a-half hours behind the winner, Alberto Contador.)

Shayne Bannan, general manager at GreenEdge, was impressed with Daniel’s ability to suck up pain; much as Boyer had been with Adrien Niyonshuti. Life as a professional may not be easy, but it probably beats being conscripted to the Eritrean army.

“You don’t get where he’s got, leave your home country, come and live in Europe if you are not mentally tough,” says Bannan. “He is that, no question.”

The debate is now not if Daniel Teklehaimanot will race in the Tour de France, but when, and whether he will be the first black African. Bannan, not a man given to bombastic pronouncements, believes he could be a top-20 finisher, perhaps higher. This summer might be too early, but in 2014, he will be 25 and approaching his peak.

Last August, Jean-René Bernaudeau signed Teklehaimanot’s Eritrean team-mate Natnael Berhane to Team Europcar for this season. Berhane is a puncheur: a rocket on short climbs and with a lethal finishing kick, and Bernaudeau fancies he could take out a stage here and there.

Phil Liggett had better start brushing up on his pronunciations and terminology now. In South Africa, MTN-Qhubeka recently became the first African team to gain Pro Continental status — a rung below Team Sky and GreenEdge — and their aim is to compete in the Tour de France by 2015.

At present, their squad is 70 per cent African and includes Niyonshuti from Rwanda and a 21-year-old Ethiopian called Tsgabu Grmay, who might just have the greatest long-term potential of all the African riders.

“In 10 years’ time world cycling will be very different,” predicts Doug Ryder, team principal of MTN-Qhubeka. “The Americans had their time and the British are now having theirs, because Sky invested a lot at the Olympics, signing stars. But wait: Africa is coming.”

Across the continent, some very different programmes, all working independently, are converging on a moment in history. Eritrea has unparalleled strength in depth and is finally allowing its riders to gain international experience. Boyer has expertise and a bulging book of contacts to help Rwanda, and this year he is expanding his project into Ethiopia.

Kenya has neither of those advantages, but perhaps it has the most naturally gifted athletes.

Nicholas Leong’s unconventional approach continues: as coach, he has hired someone who knows even less about cycling than he does.

Still, Rob Higley, an Australian running expert, has worked in Africa for two decades and one of his protégés is David Rudisha. Zakayo Nderi is past his prime now, but stronger riders are coming through every year.

“It feels like an idea whose time has come,” says Leong. “You hear about Edison inventing electricity or the Wright Brothers inventing flight. But actually, if you’re a student of this stuff, you realise that at the same time there were two, three or four people working on the same idea and one of them succeeded.”

Everyone involved now accepts that it is not a simple matter of putting Africans on bikes and watching them go. For one thing, there are not enough bikes to go round. Rwanda has one of the fastest-growing economies in Africa, but still only one person in 40 can afford to buy the most basic, single-speed bicycle.

The terrible roads across the continent are another barrier to cycling success. But what is really holding back Africans right now are factors you might never think of. Boyer reveals that it took more than a year for him to teach his Rwandan riders to drink from a water bottle without slowing down. Team members are often laid low with malaria for a few weeks.

“I cannot think of anything, within my capabilities, that would have been harder than what we were trying to do here,” Boyer says, cracking a rare smile. “There might have been something — like teaching pool to pygmies, but I’m not a pool person. It was an impossibility.”

Not so long ago, Africans were not known for distance running. Then in 1968, Jim Ryun and Kipchoge “Kip” Keino lined up in the 1500m at the Olympics in Mexico City. Ryun was the corn-fed, all-American superstar from Wichita, Kansas, who had started running as a kid on his 4.30am newspaper round. Tall and lean, with a distinctive flattop haircut, he broke the four-minute mile shortly after his seventeenth birthday.

He entered the final in Mexico as the world-record holder, unbeaten at the distance for more than three years. More than the numbers, he just looked like an athletics champion. Sprinters could get by on raw explosive power, but longer distances called on cerebral qualities such as focus and discipline. The determination and stamina required, it was said, made it the domain of the Anglo-Saxon.

Keino was a policeman from Kenya who escaped a cheetah at the age of 12 by shinning up a tree and tying himself to a branch overnight. He had never beaten Ryun and his tactics in the final appeared either naïve or desperate. He sprinted from the gun, soon establishing a lead of 12 metres. Keino was running suicidally fast, but instead of Ryun reeling his rival back with his famed finishing kick, the lead edged out to 15 and finally 20 metres, the widest margin of victory in that event in Olympic history.

Afterwards, Ryun was attacked in the press: his defeat inexplicable and somehow inexcusable. He briefly retired, though he was only 21. “Some even said I had let down the whole world,” he recalled. “I didn’t get any credit for running my best and no one seemed to realise that Keino had performed brilliantly.”

Is cycling ready for its Kip Keino moment?

Tim Lewis’s book on Rwandan cycling, In The Land of Second Chances, is available now.

@media(max-width: 73.75rem){.css-1ktbcds:before{margin-right:0.4375rem;color:#FF3A30;content:'_';display:inline-block;}}@media(min-width: 64rem){.css-1ktbcds:before{margin-right:0.5625rem;color:#FF3A30;content:'_';display:inline-block;}} Culture

Here Are the Best Memes of 2024 (So Far)

‘Dune: Part 3’: Release Date, Cast and Spoilers

Robert Downey Jr. on Overcoming Drug Addiction

Robert Downey Jr. Would Happily Return as Iron Man

The Best Movies of 2024

Why ‘Carrie’ Is Still Scary as Hell

The Biggest TV Shows of 2024

The True Story Behind Netflix’s ‘Scoop’

How to Read the 'Ripley' Novel Series in Order

Yinka Shonibare on His New Serpentine Exhibition

St. Vincent on Making Her Mind-Bending New Album

A Black History Tour of Paris

Follow in the footsteps of prominent african american writers, artists, musicians, and activists who sought refuge in paris during the 19th and 20th centuries..

• Copy Link copied

Leading jazz musicians such as Lionel Hampton and Art Blakey were among the African American artists to grace the stage at Caveau de la Huchette after the Paris club opened in 1947.

Photo by Alamy

The first time I saw the Eiffel Tower in 2014 I was in awe. In the trips I’ve made to Paris since then, however, my travels have taken a new twist, finding ways to appreciate and understand black history in Paris—both the important role the city played in African American history, and how black Americans helped shape the identity of the French capital itself.

African Americans looked to Paris as early as the 19th century. Some were in search of a more peaceful environment as racism swelled in the United States. Others found themselves in Paris and other parts of France during World War I, when about 200,000 African American soldiers were brought over as part of the U.S. army. Following the war, many of these soldiers decided to remain in the country after receiving a generally welcoming reception from the French people. A second wave of African Americans flocked to Paris during the 1920s Harlem Renaissance, when black artists and activists like Langston Hughes, Richard Wright, Josephine Baker, Adelaide Hall, and Duke Ellington went looking for a place to freely create where they felt celebrated, which Paris provided.

“There, you can be whatever you want to be. Totally yourself,” Langston Hughes once wrote of the city, according to African American novelist Paule Marshall’s memoir, Triangular Road (Civitas Books, 2009) . Legendary jazz musician Miles Davis also declared his love for Paris in a 1989 autobiography, stating: “It was the freedom of being in France and being treated like a human being, like someone important. Even the band and the music we played sounded better over there.”

At these historic Paris locations, you can follow in the footsteps of prominent African Americans who once lived as expats in the city. Use them, like I did, as a starting point to discover the French capital in a lesser-known light.

Café de la Régence

The Palais-Royal is in the middle of Paris’s 1st arrondissement near major landmarks like the Louvre, Jardin des Tuileries, and Arc de Triomphe. This central location and proximity to popular attractions makes the nearby Café de la Régence a special spot to have a cup of coffee or a pain au chocolat . Since the café’s opening in 1670, it’s been a place for intellectuals in Paris to meet, converse, and play chess. This, perhaps, is why it was a favorite for Frederick Douglass, the abolitionist, writer, and scholar who was born enslaved in Maryland but escaped after 20 years. While he was visiting Paris during the winter of 1887, Douglass often met with his close friend Theodore Tilton, a white American abolitionist, at this popular café on Rue Saint-Honoré.

In 1927, Josephine Baker became the first African American to star in a major motion picture, which was a silent film made in France.

Glasshouse Images/Alamy; AGB Photo Library/Alamy

Place Josephine Baker

Celebrated entertainer and civil rights activist Josephine Baker spoke often about her deep reverence for Paris. The African American performer, who in 1937 renounced her U.S. citizenship to become a French national, once said: “I have two loves, my country and Paris.” The City of Lights is where Baker’s dancing career blossomed; in 1927, she became the first African American to star in a major motion picture (the French silent film Siren of the Tropics ), and that same year, her headlining performance at the still-standing Folies Bergère cabaret hall solidified Baker as a main symbol of the 1920s Jazz Age.

There are several nods to Baker’s legacy throughout Paris, one of which is Place Josephine Baker—a square in the Left Bank’s Montparnasse area dedicated to the naturalized French performer, who spent most of her life in the Paris neighborhood. Today, a metal placard affixed on a pole in a shaded area remains as a steady reminder of the life she lived and all she gave—whether it was acting as a spy for her adopted country or refusing to perform for segregated audiences in the United States.

Arc de Triomphe

Although the Arc de Triomphe is already regarded as a must-see landmark in Paris, there are tidbits of little-known histories related to the site—one of which has to do with the legacy of African American soldier Eugene Ballard. Born in Georgia during the late 19th century, Ballard left the United States for France to flee Jim Crow persecution in 1912. While in Paris, Ballard worked as a boxer and later enlisted in the French Foreign Legion. A few years later, he became the first-ever African American military pilot. In 1954, the French government invited Ballard to reignite the flame at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier under the Arc de Triomphe due to his former service. After, he was made a Knight of the French Legion of Honor.

Novelists such as James Baldwin, Richard Wright, and Chester Himes were known to visit the Shakespeare and Company bookstore in Paris’s Latin Quarter.

Photo by Shutterstock

Shakespeare and Company

On a secluded back street in the Latin Quarter, the English-language bookstore Shakespeare and Company has been a safe haven for book lovers in the French capital since it opened in 1919. In its earliest days, African American editors of the literary magazine Paris Review dubbed the shop as their hangout. Since then, many famed African American authors, including Richard Wright and Chester Himes, have hosted talks and discussions in the independent bookstore. James Baldwin, who wrote a number of his famed novels, among them Go Tell It on the Mountain (1953) and Giovanni’s Room (1956), during his time in Paris, was frequent customer at the store, which is still open today.

Café Tournon was a regular spot for African American writers and artists who lived as expats in Paris during the 1920s Harlem Renaissance, including jazz musician Duke Ellington (pictured above).

Alamy; AP/Shutterstock

Café Tournon

Walk into this 6th arrondissement establishment tucked under classic Parisian apartments on the Rue de Tournon and you’ll be surrounded by locals feasting on escargot or sipping glasses of beaujolais. Throughout the ’20s, this Parisian café was a regular haunt for African American writers, artists, and expats who sought out life in the French capital after the end of World War I. Its most famous frequent customers included jazz legend Duke Ellington, painter Beauford Delaney, and later writers James Baldwin, Richard Wright, and Chester Himes, who often gathered at Café Tournon to converse about the joys and pains of their artistic lives. Dizzy Gillespie’s jazz band even made its debut here, too, in the 1950s. Today, the establishment’s mahogany chairs and speckled floor are an ode to 20th-century Parisian flair, as are the block white letters outside the café that announce its name.

Caveau de la Huchette

Near the Latin Quarter in the Saint-Germain-des-Prés neighborhood, the Caveau de la Huchette —which is often compared to a cavern in appearance (hence its name)—has earned a reputation for being particularly welcoming to African American jazz musicians since its 1947 inception. Lionel Hampton and Art Blakey were some of the leading American jazz musicians who graced the stage at this club. Today, visitors can hear a live performance every evening of the week. (Admission costs $15 on Sunday through Thursday, $17 on Friday and Saturday, and $11 for students under 25 years old with valid identification.)

Take a guided black history tour in Paris

Ricki stevenson’s black paris tours.

For a more structured approach to exploring black history in Paris, consider taking an organized tour through Ricki Stevenson’s Black Paris Tours . Founded by Stevenson in 1998, the tour company offers walking and city bus tours (both group and private) to Parisian sites that were made famous by African American musicians, writers, and activists, including stops at many of the aforementioned locations.

Walking the Spirit Tours

Walking the Spirit Tours also operates similar “Black Paris and Beyond” walking and private bus itineraries. One such tour focuses on the La Goutte d’Or neighborhood in the 18th arrondissement, which is known for its North and West African populations and its open-air market, le Marché Dejean, where various stands sell special herbs and other ingredients for traditional African cuisines.

Entrée to Black Paris

In addition to guided tours, Entrée to Black Paris offers narrated walking tours (downloadable for $28) for those seeking a self-led experience. One audio tour route spotlights Richard Wright’s Parisian haunts; the other navigates Paris’s Montparnasse suburb, which Josephine Baker called home.

>>Next: How Women in Paris Are Changing the Stereotypes of Women in Paris

Explore The History And Culture Of Black Paris With These Tours

Paris has a deep and interesting Black history, which includes numerous notable contributions and areas of influence from people of African descent . What better way to discover the city’s Black heritage than through a guided tour from the Afrocentric perspective? There are several reputable companies offering Black Paris tours on a variety of topics. Here are a few tour companies providing tours focusing on the Black experience in the City of Light .

Ayah A. • Dec 30, 2021

Paris has a deep and interesting Black history, which includes numerous notable contributions and areas of influence from people of African descent .

What better way to discover the city’s Black heritage than through a guided tour from the Afrocentric perspective? There are several reputable companies offering Black Paris tours on a variety of topics. Here are a few tour companies providing tours focusing on the Black experience in the City of Light .

1. Entrée to Black Paris

Entrée to Black Paris is a company providing visitors a look at Black Paris and its legacy through its various informative tours. The company offers more than a dozen different tour options, including:

•   Black Paris After World War II , a walking tour highlighting the lives of various Black writers as well as contemporary Black French associations.
• The Spirit of Africa , which explores the Château Rouge area and its various African restaurants, shops, and food vendors.
• On the Grandest of Avenues , a tour taking you to the iconic Champs Elysées and the surrounding area, delving into its little known Black history.
• Josephine’s Suburban Paradise , a three-hour tour in the Parisian suburb of Le Vésinet, to visit Le Beau Chêne, the mansion that Josephine Baker owned and called home for eighteen years, as well as the church she attended.

2. Walk the Spirit Tours

Founded in 1994 by Julia Brown, Walk The Spirit Tours pioneered Black heritage tours in Paris. Today, the company offers various walking and bus tours, which include:

• The Entertainers in the 1920s Lower Montmartre , which transports you back to Black Montmarte in the 20s to hear the stories of Black artists and entertainers, such as Josephine Baker, Ada “Bricktop” Smith, and Sidney Bechet.
• Africa in Paris , during which tourists visit the city’s La Goutte d’Or neighborhood with its bustling and vibrant open-air markets, salons, cultural venues, and shops, to explore both the neighborhood’s past and where it is today.
• Black Images in the Louvre , a tour exploring and discussing depictions of Black people in art throughout time.
• Colonialism, Slavery & AntiSlavery walk , a tour visiting famous sites and  uncovering the stories behind the institutions of colonialism and slavery in Paris, as well as those who worked to end them.

3. Le Paris Noir

Le Paris Noir was created in 2013 by Parisian tour guide Kévi Donat. He was inspired to launch the company after seeing how many visitors seemed to be surprised and intrigued by the city’s Black populations.

Le Paris Noir offers a Right Bank tour, from the Moulin Rouge to Château-Rouge, and a Left Bank tour, from the Place du Panthéon to the Place de la Sorbonne.

• The Right Bank Tour begins in Pigalle, delving into the arrival of African American artists in France in the 1920s, and continues on to the Goutte d’Or district, with its incredible history and diversity, and continuous evolution over time.
• The Left Bank Tour visits places where some of the city’s most influential Black figures have gathered and made history, f rom the Place des Grands Hommes to Saint-Germains.

4. Black Paris Tours

Black Paris Tours CEO Ricki Stevenson founded her company in 1998. The former news anchor and talk show host holds a master’s degree in history, with an emphasis on African and African American studies.

Black Paris Tours’ full day tour is offered as a walking or bus tour, and allows tourists to get acquainted with the city and its rich Black heritage through interesting stories and little known facts.

The tour company also offers private tours as well as sit-down breakfast orientations for those who have difficulty walking.

5. American Concierge

Established in 2014, American Concierge ‘s Black history tours include several walking tours and a driving tour.

• Pioneers of the Left Bank takes visitors on a tour of what is now the city’s Latin Quarter. The neighborhood is the birthplace of the Pan-African literary and political movement known as “La Négritude.” From there, continue on to the Saint-Germain neighborhood, an area popular among many famous Black American expats after WWII.
• Swing of the Right Bank takes participants on a tour of Paris’ Piagalle neighborhood, once known as “Harlem sur Seine.” After delving into its early jazz scene, the tour ends in the city’s largest African neighborhood, La Goutte d’Or .
• Like Entrée to Black Paris, American Concierge also hosts a Black Paris Post World War II tour highlighting the lives of many Black literary icons. The company also offers special tours dedicated to individual writers like Langston Hughes, Richard Wright, and James Baldwin.

6. Colesville Travel

Colesville Travel ‘s Black Paris Tour is an 11-day adventure providing a complete immersive cultural experience. Beginning in Paris, the tour explores the lives of the city’s historically influential Black residents and neighborhoods.

From Black art, entrepreneurs, and jazz of the 20s and 30s to Black images at the Louvre, contemporary Black music, and dining at Black-owned restaurants , the tour is designed to give you the knowledge of the city’s vibrant Black past and present.

After leaving Paris, the tour continues in the Bordeaux wine region to explore vineyards , wine cellars, and the life and home of the legendary entertainer Josephine Baker.

Related:  Blackissime: A Travel Company That Celebrates Black Culture In France

Subscribe to travel noire

Get more travel content

Subscribe to Travel Noire, a free daily newsletter that features the best of travel, destinations, and guides to the cities you love from a new point of view — yours.

By subscribing to this newsletter, you agree to our terms of service and privacy policy.

Popular posts

Trending stories in world travel

• Free Travel Consultation
• Paris Trip Planning & Itinerary Design
• Tours of Black Paris
• Black History In Paris – Resources
• Josephine Baker
• Harlem Hellfighters in WWI
• D-Day Beaches and Normandy Vacation Packages
• Day Trips From Paris
• Spirit of Black Washington DC
• Tours of Black Paris – Walking And Private Bus Tours
• Paris Walking Tours

Tours of Black Paris – Walking And Bus Tours

With our Walking The Spirit Black Paris & Beyond , you can discover and experience the rich Black heritage in Paris from the passionate people who created the genre,  in 1994.

Today, our signature walking and private bus Tours of Black Paris   continue to educate, engage and delight; our guides welcome you like favorite visiting relatives.

At the foot of Montmartre with Julia guide

WALKING THE SPIRIT TOURS OF BLACK PARIS  at a glance

Walking tours.

• Writers, Artists & Intellectuals in the Latin Quarter  – Stroll through the arts district, open air markets and literary caf é s to discover the haunts and homes of creative genius. Listen to the challenges faced by African-American intellectuals, artists, military and musicians in early 20th century Paris and the stunning outcomes.
• The Entertainers in 1920s Lower Montmartre   – Relive the exciting Roaring 20s in what was the Black Montmartre community of Baker, Bricktop and Bechet.
• Africa In Paris  – Explore the vibrant La Goutte d’Or neighborhood and its everyday activities of open-air markets, cloth shops and dapper clothing shops, hair salons, cultural venues – all while learning its social and political past and present.
• From Harlem-sur-Seine to Africa in Pari s   – Combine the rich jazz history of 1920′s Lower Montmartre with Paris’ diverse face of today in the 18th district.
• Pioneers of the Left Bank  – Soak up the ground-breaking achievements of Diaspora intellectuals around the Sorbonne and the post-WWII jazz greats in neighboring St. Germain-des-Pres
• Black Images in the Louvre – On this private tour, discover how people of color are depicted through centuries of masterpieces and why.
• Colonialism, Slavery & AntiSlavery walk -Behind the walls of famous sites hide the stories of decisive events and people who enabled slavery and disabled colonialism, includes the Alexandre Dumas family of statues.

Want to see it all in half a day ?

PRIVATE BUS TOURS

• Spirit of Black Paris  – Half-Day Bus Tour – On this private 3.5 hour half-day bus tour you journey past well-known sites and lesser-known corners, learning the rich Black history rarely told in guidebooks or traditional tours. Learn of Sally Hemings on the Champs-Elysées, aviator Eugene Bullard at the Arc de Triomphe, WEB Dubois at Opera, 369th Harlem Infantry Regiment in Lower Montmartre, Bricktop and Langston Hughes in the shadow of the Moulin Rouge and many more. End with a half hour walk through the Arts district. Hotel pick up and drop off .
• Spirit of Black Paris 5-hour bus and combo bus/walking tours ( for groups of 6+ and educational institutions only ) – This 5-hr tour combines the Spirit of Black Paris bus tour + Writers, Artists and Intellectuals walking tours.  Begin with a comprehensive Bus Tour, stop for a snack break, and continue your fascinating day immersed in the haunts and stories of Wright, Baldwin, Henry O. Tanner, Miles Davis and more  in the Latin Quarter/St.Germain-des-Pres district.  Hotel pick up . Food costs not included .
• Tour & Lunch – After your inspiring glimpse at Black and contemporary Paris, what’s more relaxing than lunch with your guide. Dine at a restaurant that complements the tour content. ( Your and your Guide’s Lunch at your charge) .

Download: Tour Options & Services (PDF)

CLICK Tour Options and Services 2022 to DOWNLOAD all our pdf tour options & services flyer with full descriptions.

TO RESERVE ONE OF OUR TOURS OF BLACK PARIS OR REQUEST A QUOTE FILL OUT THE FORM BELOW.

• Organization
• Preferred Phone *
• Alternate Phone
• Arrival Date Date Format: MM slash DD slash YYYY
• Departure Date Date Format: MM slash DD slash YYYY
• Which Tour or Service? *
• Preferred Date of Tour Date Format: MM slash DD slash YYYY
• # of Travellers - Adults/Children *
• Additional Comments
• How Did You Hear About Us

Let's Get Acquainted!

Schedule your complimentary getting acquainted session using my convenient online scheduler.

Subscribe To Our Newsletter

• Subscribed to our Spirit of Black Paris newsletter
• 17-page guide updated for 2019 : don't miss an event you'd love but don't know exists
• Dates of the best music festivals and cultural happenings
• Month-by-month listing of Afrocentric and traditional events

Sign Up For Newsletter

I hate spam as much as you and promise to never share your info.

Connect With Us

Helpful Travel Tips

• Gifts Travelers Love To Receive-A Few of My Favourite Things
• 10 Reasons to Mix Art, Politics and Travel in Paris
• Travel Photography on a Smartphone, Fancy Camera Optional
• 4 Things Online Booking Engines Don’t Tell You
• 10 Ways To Tame Jet Lag

What People Are Saying:

I have learned so much these two weeks from you and your marvelous network! The enthusiasm and deep knowledge of your impressive team was shared with our travelers making their experience rich and rewarding. Our travelers come to learn and all agreed that this trip was exceptional.

National Museum of African American History and Culture

This tour far exceeded our expectations. As a serious history devotee my appetite for local D.C. black history was more than satisfied in an amazing full-day experience with our guide. One tour highlight was the Frederick Douglass mansion in Anacostia. Our guide, along with being an expert in his field, is a warm, energetic individual who loves his work. This was one of the best tours we have ever taken and is highly recommended.

You’re the best!!! This is to reiterate our grateful thanks to you for such a wonderful trip/vacation in Paris. This was our first time in Paris and it was glorious . All of your well planned activities and meals were beyond our expectations. Plus, this was our first time traveling with members of our group.

I am submitting this on behalf of my client and myself, our experience working with Julia was amazing and very impressive. Her specialty tours are golden for Paris as in the words of my client "who would have thought"? She is very professional and provided a wonderful overview of the tours which actually have me excited and eager to book all clients who travel to Paris. Her services are definitely a great asset to Paris!!

Simply the best way to experience Paris!

Walk with us...

...and experience the best of black Paris history, culture, and contemporary life.

We look forward to meeting you in the City of Light!

Subscribe to Entrée to Black Paris blog

Les Quatre Parties du Monde Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux

VIRTUAL TRIP TO PARIS

Experience black Paris from the comfort of your home!

ENTREE TO BLACK PARIS

Say Bonjour! to black Paris with Entrée to Black Paris tours.

GOURMET ACTIVITIES

We provide private tours of market streets around the city, private pastry/chocolate walks, and private and group cooking classes.

PRIVATE WALKING TOURS

Enjoy Paris à la carte with one of our private literary or historical tours.

OUR SERVICES

Are you planning your first trip to Paris or a return trip?  Entrée to Black Paris invites you to explore

• Black history in the City of Light (including virtual tours )
• Gourmet walking tours and cooking classes
• and more...

OUR PUBLICATIONS

Have you ever wondered why Paris is such a fascinating city?

• Read our book Paris Insights - An Anthology
• Read our e-book Black Paris Profiles
• Read our book Dining Out in Paris

OUR SELF-GUIDED WALKING TOURS

Do you prefer to explore Paris on your own without the constraints of walking with a group?

• Download our self-guided historical walking tours

• All Microsoft

PCs & Devices

Entertainment

Developer & IT

Jours de Jeu Gratuit – Fallout 76, PGA Tour 2k23 et Classified France ‘44

Double tête d’affiche cette semaine avec les Jours de Jeu Gratuit ! PGA Tour 2k23 et Classified France ’44 sont disponible ce week-end pour les membres du Xbox Game Pass Core et du Xbox Game Pass Ultimate  dès maintenant jusqu’au Lundi 8 avril à 08h59 CEST .

De plus, Fallout 76 est gratuit pour  tous les membres Xbox à partir du 11 avril à 18h  jusqu’au  18 avril à 18h CEST avec les Jours de Jeu Gratuit.

Le Game Pass Core permettra aux joueurs et aux joueuses de bénéficier de notre réseau multijoueur de pointe, d’une collection exclusive de plus de 25 jeux auxquels ils pourront jouer avec leurs amis dans le monde entier, et d’offres exclusives pour les membres ! Pour en savoir plus sur le  Game Pass Core, consultez le site Xbox Wire .

Comment commencer à jouer

Trouvez et installez les jeux sur la page descriptive de chacun d’entre eux sur  Xbox.com . En cliquant dessus, vous serez redirigé vers le Microsoft Store, où vous devez être connecté pour voir l’option d’installation avec votre abonnement Game Pass Core ou Game Pass Ultimate. Pour lancer le téléchargement sur votre console, rendez-vous dans la section Abonnements du Xbox Store et accédez à la page réservée aux membres Gold pour trouver la collection Jours de jeu gratuit sur votre Xbox One et votre Xbox Series X|S.

Faites durer le plaisir  

Achetez le jeu et les autres éditions à un prix réduit pour une durée limitée et continuez à jouer tout en conservant votre Gamerscore et les succès obtenus pendant la durée de l’événement !  Veuillez noter que les remises, les pourcentages et la disponibilité des titres peuvent varier en fonction du titre et de la région.

Fallout 76 Jouez en solo ou rejoignez les autres habitants des Abris dans une aventure dynamique en monde ouvert qui se déroule dans les terres désolées des Appalaches. L’essai de Fallout 76 est gratuit jusqu’au 18 avril.

PGA Tour 2k23 Défiez les plus grands joueurs et joueuses du PGA TOUR et trouvez votre gloire dans PGA TOUR 2K23 . Soutenu par un groupe diversifié de joueurs et joueuses professionnels, dont Tiger Woods, Matt Fitzpatrick, Xander Schauffele, Nelly Korda, Lydia Ko, et bien d’autres encore ! Prenez votre élan sur des parcours de renommée mondiale, sous licence officielle, comme Pebble Beach Golf Links, Pinehurst No.2 ou Torrey Pines. Créez votre MyPLAYER et remplissez votre sac de golf avec les plus grandes marques de l’industrie. Exprimez votre créativité dans le mode “Course Designer”, où vous pouvez construire le parcours de vos rêves et le partager avec le monde entier.

Classified France ‘44 Commandez une équipe d’élite d’opérateurs spéciaux alliés dans la France occupée par les nazis et faites des ravages avant le jour J dans cet ambitieux jeu de tactique au tour par tour. Affrontez la puissance de la machine de guerre allemande et lancez des raids audacieux en territoire occupé. Pourrez-vous en faire assez pour assurer la victoire des Alliés ?

Ne manquez pas les Jours de Jeu Gratuit pour les membres Game Pass Core et Game Pass Ultimate !  Cliquez ici pour en savoir plus sur les Jours de jeu gratuit , et restez à l’écoute en vous connectant sur le  Xbox Wire FR  pour découvrir les prochains Jours de jeu gratuit et toutes les dernières informations sur les jeux Xbox.