Jay,

it depends where in TX...in the El Paso area (and Las Cruces), it's VERY safe in general...I may have had 2 incidents, like close calls, nothing else.

Actually, what generally happens is a car stops next to you and ask "hey! Que paso chavo? Nice bike!"
pretty friendly.

I really liked Las Cruces. I was driving through and stopped to refuel and get some food. It seemed like such a nice place that I wound up staying there for about 6 hours, looking around. Not sure what it was. I just liked the place.

Las cruces is really nice and has great rides!
too bad the region lacks water...

When I said, "I don't know if I'd ride many places...", what I meant to say was, "There are several places that I know where I wouldn't ride, if I were black." But, you know what? There are several place I won't ride because I'm NOT black, too!

The worst place I've ever ridden was in Southern Missouri, near Joplin. More obscenities, food, drinks, even bottles, were hurled at me per mile there than anywhere else I've ever ridden. The cap-wearing attitude-spewing scrawny redneck was present in abundance there. I really believe a black person would be seriously harrassed riding a bike around there, it was rare to even see a black person in Joplin. Anyway, there were just too many backward a$$es riding around in vehicles. I know that wasn't everyone, but it was way more than the average I was used to. A biker, Ken Gray, was killed when I was out there, on a wide road...just run over. They held a biathlon in his honor, my first multisport event (which I won, thankyouverymuch), and is how I got interested in triathlons (which I have never won, thankyouverymuch, due to my lack of being able to swim well...I DON'T float, either, btw!)

Louisville, KY, was actually pretty good, considering the traffic density, but the air in the Ohio Valley was awful. (I've seen chest X-Rays from people that have lived their life in the OV, and didn't smoke, and I would have guessed they were a smoker. One physician there told me that OV lifers that move to another area, sometimes have to have their pre-employment health screening chest X-Rays sent back to the OV for a Physician to read the X-Ray as "normal".) Atlanta....what can I say? It ain't good. Houston? Fuggetaboutit. Charlotte? I just moved away from there, partly because of the bike-unfriendliness. Greenville-Spartanburg...it's been almost 20 years, but this was a very place to ride back then, the Greenville Spinners had a great race program back then, don't know about now. We had a novice team that would whip any category 4 group that came to the races...back then, category 4 was the entry level. Well, I've strayed off subject...again.

Anyway, I don't see it getting better in the future, unless bike lanes are being utilized. As it gets more crowded, bikers are the losers, doesn't matter what skin color is sported by the rider. I do wish more black athletes would ride, I've gotten a couple of my black friends to begin riding. There's a rather large group in Charlotte called the Cannonballs...they meet at a house in the neighborhood I just moved away from, and they are about 80% black people. They are involved in the bike route planning in north Charlotte...I hope they are successful, its desperately needed there!

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Quid quid latine dictum sit altum videtur
(That which is said in Latin sounds profound)

hey Francois,
I will speak for ALL black people. Basically, we spend enough time suffering around all you white people and don't want to spend our weekends in self induced pain with you.

Seriously, Darlene and I have both wondered why we don't see more blacks. We met as cyclist and wondered why we stood out. However, In the last year I have noticed more blacks riding bikes at rallies and around White Rock lake. Many things you guys have mentioned all contribute to why you don't see us at multi-sport races. I never had access to a pool growing up. My first chance to swim came after I was an adult and had money to spend on a gym or pool membership. But, I didn't and still don't know where to find a pool where I grew up in KCMO. So my first time ever being in a real pool came when I was 30. I am still a slow swimmer because I spent the first 30 years of my life terrified of water. I got dizzy and close to passing out around any open body of water. Crossing bridges was a fear of mine. The thought of falling in a lake gave me nightmares. I used to dream of falling into the water. That's how deep MY fear ran. Now, I've come a long way with the help of you white people calling me names because I was scared to swim. My second experience in open water was at lake grapevine. When I was told to "just get in and start swimming and quit being a pu$$y", thanks, it gave me motivation. Rivercities was my first open water tri! Second thing, I've always had (cheap) bikes or bike assembled with stolen parts. That wasn't a problem, but it is NOT safe to ride a bike through the hood. Hell, you ride through there with you windows up, gun loaded, and doors locked. Riding a bike is asking for it. Third, running..... Ahh, I loved running. I would drive to the white neighborhoods and run with the white people where it was safe all the time. I entered and ran in every race I could. I ran Cross-country in HS. Of course, CC wasn't cool at a black school. Our white coach took the team to Kansas to run at the white schools. My CC team got boo'd at pep rallies. Football players made fun of us. Kids threw things at us. We were outcast.

To wrap this up, lack of swimming opportunities growing up, and lack of support for endurance sports from OUR community.

I would not be in this sport if events would not have pushed me here. I hurt my back doing martial arts and a white doctor told me I couldn't run anymore until my back healed. I was told I could cycle. I became a cyclist wanting to race like Lance. I met Darlene while cycling. I learned I was too big to be a winning racer, I watched Darlene do a triathlon, and here I am now.

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Olen

 Wow River Cities was your first, Do you know Matt Brown the Race Director? He is my lifelong friend. If you don"t know him . meet him at next years race he is great. I won the # 2 River City and was RD for #,4, 5 & 6 then gave Matt the race. He is still doing a great job. Aloha G

would that mean CJ is african american?

Still white but all the brothers at work have started calling me "Pimp" and saying I'm one ok white boy. Plus I've started drinking Sprite during brakes.

I am so close to having soul I bought an X cap. (not really)

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customerjon @gmail.com is where information happens.

Darn Olen,

you just digged an old thread out! but thanks...

did you know that this year is the first year a black dude is joining a pro team?

Someone (I forgot his name, but will look it out) from Guadeloupe (one of the Islands attached to France, in the Carabeans) has joined Brioches La Boulangere....

the dude seems to have a lot of talent

Within five years a black individual with place top ten at kona and within ten years a black individual will be considered one of the worlds best swimmers.

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"your horse is too high" - tigerchik

The answer is very obvious Francois. There are no blacks in triathlon because there is no money. They have enough sense to get paid if they are going to work hard and suffer.

No one will pay slow white guys like ourselves. Ah, I guess I should make that slow white guys like me. I have to pay to suffer.

... it's not really a difficult explanation... but, it does have a difficult solution.

And, I think Mr. Tibbs answered it correctly... for many reasons, they don't want to do triathlon's.

However, the reason they don't want to may also be related to lack of opportunity. However, lack of opportunity may or may not be race related... but, it is most likely a question of economics AND opportunity. It seems to be more of difference between the have's and the have nots... those that have the fortitude and those that do not have the fortitude. Opportunity can be created... it's just a question of willingness to create that opportunity. Perhaps it is that black's prefer to create opportunity in a different direction... perhaps not.

The fact remains it would be to the advantage of the sport to be more inclusive and promote the sport on a broad base. This will take time and money. As it was put, some day a Tiger Woods of triathlon will makes it's appearance. I for one, hope that happens more sooner than later.

FWIW Joe Moya