Black Squares in White Circles: Power, Racism and Anti-Racism in Cycling

Ex-international cyclist Marlon Lee Moncrieffe examines how the cycling industry is tackling racism within the sport today. By interviewing key players in the professional cycling business he examines the present and future of cycling in light of the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020.

He plans to gather evidence and interviews from across the cycling spectrum, including British Cycling, and professional bodies in the US, Europe and the African continent. The book will heavily feature the voices of elite and professional riders, commentators, grassroots riders and activists.

The book asks the question - what transformations, if any, towards race equity and equality in ethnic representation are we witnessing in the world of cycling - and particularly at the highest levels of the sport. What has been the force of the new Black Cyclones (Black cyclists) in disrupting the white narrative norms of power in the sport - for challenging the status quo?

Each chapter takes a different recent pivotal event that highlighted racial issues in cycling - and examines how it changes our understanding of Black cyclists within the industry, and asks what has changed since?

Dr Marlon Lee Moncrieffe is a former international bike racer and a national, European and World Championships medal winner in track sprint cycling. He currently works at the School of Education, University of Brighton. His debut sports book, Desire, Discrimination, Determination - Black Champions in Cycling was longlisted for the 2021 William Hill Sports Book of the Year.