Drawing on extensive ethnographic, qualitative and quantitative research, this monograph provides a novel account of masculinities in an individual sport: competitive road cycling. Chapters present varied analyses on male cyclists’ relationship with masculinity, the culture of competitive road cycling, cyclists’ attitudes toward injury management, sexual minority and women’s experiences in the sport, and autoethnographic accounts of the author’s own experiences of being involved in the sport for over ten years. The author also examines how masculinity impacts male cyclists’ attitudes towards competition, risk taking and doping practices.
This book will be of interest to scholars and researchers in sports sociology, gender studies, and masculinity studies.
Author(s): Jack Hardwicke
Series: Palgrave Studies in Masculinity, Sport and Exercise
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Year: 2023
Language: English
Pages: 212
City: Cham
Contents
List of Tables
Chapter 1: Rolling Out: Introduction
Overview
Contextualising Competitive Cycling
The Study
Research Problems
Chapter Outlines
References
Chapter 2: Theorising Sporting Masculinities
Introduction
Theoretical Overview of Masculinity Scholarship
Theorising Masculinities in Sport
Contentions and Different Approaches to Theorising and Understanding Masculinities
Theoretical Framework of the Book
Chapter Summary
References
Chapter 3: The Gentlemen’s Club: Cycling and Masculinity in Victorian Britain
Introduction
Masculinities in the Victorian Era
Competitive Sport as a Political Project
Cycling Practices and Masculinity in Victorian Britain
The English Cycling Club and the Reproduction of Masculinity
Chapter Summary
References
Chapter 4: ‘Don’t be soft’: Cycling and Masculinity in the Twenty-First Century
Introduction
The Macho Culture of Competitive Road Cycling
Road Cycling in the Twentieth Century
Male Cyclists and Their Masculinity in the Twenty-First Century
Chapter Summary
References
Chapter 5: Joining the Peloton: The Cult(ure) of Competitive Road Cycling
Introduction
Understanding Subcultures
Understanding Subcultures in Sport
Membership and Identity in a Subculture
Power Hierarchies Within a Subculture
The Cult(ure) of Competitive Road Cycling
Road Cycling as a ‘Culture of Risk’
The Acceptance and Normalisation of Risk in Road Cycling
Chapter Summary
References
Chapter 6: Getting Back on the Bike: Debating Injury and Masculinity
Introduction
Understanding Pain and Injury in Sport
The Intersection of Masculinity, Injury and Sport
Injuries in Competitive Road Cycling
Sport-Related Concussion in Competitive Cycling
Dealing with Pain, Injury and Suffering in Road Cycling
Masculinity, Cycling Subculture and Getting Back on the Bike
Chapter Summary
References
Chapter 7: Winning at All Costs: The Intersects of Doping, Hypercompetition and Masculinity in Cycling
Introduction
Sport, Competition and Winning at All Costs
Sport, Masculinity and Doping
Understanding Doping in Professional Road Cycling
Doping in Amateur Cycling
Doping as Deviant Overconformity to the Cycling Subculture
Chapter Summary
References
Chapter 8: Out in the Peloton: Sexual Minorities in Road Cycling
Introduction
The Relationship Between Masculinities, Sexualities and Sport
A Background to Sexual Minorities in Competitive Road Cycling
Out in the Peloton Study
Experiences of Sexual Minorities in Cycling
Attitudes Towards Sexual Minorities in Cycling
Discussion of the Data
Chapter Summary
References
Chapter 9: Women on Wheels: Orthodox Masculinity and the Marginalisation of Women in Competitive Cycling
Introduction
Orthodox Masculinity and Women in Sport
Historical Overview of Women in Competitive Cycling
Women in Contemporary Competitive Cycling
Experiences of Women in Road Cycling
Negotiating an Orthodox Masculine Culture
Limitations and Considerations
Chapter Summary
References
Chapter 10: Crossing the Finish Line: Conclusions
Book Summary
Future Directions for Cycling and Research
Conclusion
References
References
Index
