Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Getting Back on the Bike: Debating Injury and Masculinity

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Masculinities and the Culture of Competitive Cycling

Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in Masculinity, Sport and Exercise ((PSMSE))

  • 106 Accesses

Abstract

This chapter examines the injury culture and management practices of competitive cyclists framed through the notion of performance being favoured over health in cycling culture and cyclists’ behaviours. The chapter shows how participating in the sport of road cycling carries a high risk of physical injury, with crashing and injury being normalised aspects of competing in road cycling. A problem of cyclists competing whilst injured and ‘getting back on the bike’ before it would be medically advised to do so is discussed. The chapter highlights the utility of examining such practices through the lens of masculinity.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 109.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 139.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 139.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Albert, E. (1999). Dealing with danger: The normalization of risk in cycling. International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 34(2), 157–171.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Anderson, E. D. (2009). The maintenance of masculinity among the stakeholders of sport. Sport Management Review, 12(1), 3–14.

    Google Scholar 

  • Anderson, E. (2011). Masculinities and sexualities in sport and physical cultures: Three decades of evolving research. Journal of Homosexuality, 58(5), 565–578.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Anderson, E. (2014). 21st century jocks: Sporting men and contemporary heterosexuality. Palgrave Macmillan.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Anderson, E., & White, A. (2018). Sport, theory and social problems. Routledge Taylor & Francis Group.

    Google Scholar 

  • Atkinson, M. (2008). Triathlon, suffering and exciting significance. Leisure Studies, 27(2), 165–180. https://doi.org/10.1080/02614360801902216

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baron, D., Reardon, C., & Baron, S. H. (2013). Clinical sports psychiatry: An international perspective. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Barrios, C., Bernardo, N. D., Vera, P., Laíz, C., & Hadala, M. (2015). Changes in sports injuries incidence over time in world-class Road cyclists. International Journal of Sports Medicine, 36(3), 241–248. Available at: https://www.thieme-connect.de/products/ejournals/abstract/10.1055/s-0034-1389983

    Google Scholar 

  • BBC Sport. (2013). Thomas rides with fractured pelvis. [online] Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/wales/23114057. Accessed 12 October 2020.

  • British Cycling. (2019). British Cycling reaches 150,000 members milestone for first time. Available at: https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/campaigning/article/20190502-campaigning-BRITISH-CYCLING-REACHES-150-000-MEMBERS-MILESTONE-FOR-FIRST-TIME-0

  • Coakley, J. J. (2002). Using sports to control deviance and violence among youths. In Paradoxes of youth and sport (pp. 13–30). State University of New York Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Connell, R. W., & Messerschmidt, J. W. (2005). Hegemonic masculinity: Rethinking the concept. Gender & Society, 19(6), 829–859.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coverdale, D. (2020, December 10). Brain injury charity chief warns cycling “lagging miles behind other sports” in concussion protocols. Mail Online. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/sportsnews/article-9035629/Brain-injury-charity-chief-warns-cycling-lagging-miles-sports-concussion-protocols.html

  • Curry, T. J. (1993). The effects of receiving a college letter on the sport identity. Sociology of Sport Journal, 10(1), 73–87.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Curry, T., & Strauss, R. H. (1994). A little pain never hurt anyone: A photo-essay on the normalization of sports injury. Sociology of Sport Journal, 11, 195–208.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cycling Weekly. (2020, September 12). Scan reveals Romain Bardet suffered “small haemorrhage” following concussion in Tour de France crash. cyclingweekly.com. https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/racing/tour-de-france/scan-reveals-romain-bardet-suffered-small-brain-haemorrhage-in-tour-de-france-crash-467917

  • Daly, E., White, A., Blackett, A. D., & Ryan, L. (2021). Pressure. A qualitative analysis of the perception of concussion and injury risk in retired professional Rugby players. Journal of Functional Morphology and Kinesiology, 6(3), 78. MDPI AG. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.3390/jfmk6030078

  • Davidson, J. A. (2005). Epidemiology and outcome of bicycle injuries presenting to an emergency department in the United Kingdom. European Journal of Emergency Medicine: Official Journal of the European Society for Emergency Medicine, 12(1), 24–29. https://doi.org/10.1097/00063110-200502000-00007

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Bernardo, N., Barrios, C., Vera, P., Laiz, C., & Hadala, M. (2012). Incidence and risk for traumatic an overuse injury in top-level road cyclists. Journal of Sports Science, 30(10), 1047–1053. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2012.687112

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dean, N., & Bundon, A. (2020). ‘You’re only falling into water!’: Exploring surfers’ understandings of concussion in Canadian surf culture. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health, 12(4), 579–596. https://doi.org/10.1080/2159676X.2019.1657930

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Decock, M., De Wilde, L., Van den Bossche, L., Steyaert, A., & Van Tongel, A. (2016). Incidence and aetiology of acute injuries during competitive road cycling. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 50, 669–672. Available at: https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/50/11/669

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Doty, J. (2006). Sports build character?! Journal of College and Character, 7(3), 1–9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Elliott, J., Anderson, R., Collins, S., & Heron, N. (2019). Sports-related concussion (SRC) assessment in road cycling: A systematic review and call to action. BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjsem-2019-000525

  • Esterov, D., & Greenwald, B. (2017). Autonomic dysfunction after mild traumatic brain injury. Brain Sciences, 7(12), 100. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci7080100

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Farrell, M., Aherne, S., O’Riordan, S., O’Keeffe, E., Greene, C., & Campbell, M. (2019). Blood-brain barrier dysfunction in a boxer with chronic traumatic encephalopathy and schizophrenia. Clinical Neuropathology, 38(03), 51–58. https://doi.org/10.5414/np301130

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Farrell, K. C., Reisinger, K. D., & Tillman, M. D. (2003). Force and repetition in cycling: Possible implications for iliotibial band friction syndrome. The Knee, 10(1), 103–109. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0968-0160(02)00090-x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gatz, M., Messner, M. A., & Ball-Rokeach, S. (Eds.). (2002). Paradoxes of youth and sport. SUNY Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Greve, M. W., & Modabber, M. R. (2012). An epidemic of traumatic brain injury in professional Cycling. Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine, 22(2), 81–82. https://doi.org/10.1097/jsm.0b013e318243bf32

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haeberle, H. S., Navarro, S. M., Power, E. J., Schickendantz, M. S., Farrow, L. D., & Ramkumar, P. N. (2018). Prevalence and epidemiology of injuries among elite cyclists in the tour de France. Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine, 6(9), 2325967118793392. https://doi.org/10.1177/2325967118793392

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hardwicke, J. (2022). Inside the peloton: An exploration into the culture of competitive road cycling with reference to masculinity, risk and injury, with a principle focus on concussion (Doctoral dissertation, University of Winchester).

    Google Scholar 

  • Hardwicke, J., Batten, J., Anderson, E., & Hurst, H. T. (2022). Twitter discourse around competitive cycling and sport-related concussion. Journal of Science and Cycling, 11, 59–69. https://doi.org/10.28985/1322.jsc.02

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hardwicke, J., Baxter, B. A., Gamble, T., & Hurst, H. T. (2022). An investigation into helmet use, perceptions of sports-related concussion, and seeking medical care for head injury amongst competitive cyclists. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(5), 2861.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hardwicke, J., & Hurst, H. T. (2020). Concussion knowledge and attitudes amongst competitive cyclists. Journal of Science and Cycling, 9, 53–66.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harmon, K., Drezner, J., Gammons, M., et al. (2013). American medical society for sports medicine position statement. Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine, 23(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1097/jsm.0b013e31827f5f93

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heron, N., Sarriegui, I., Jones, N., & Nolan, R. (2020). International consensus statement on injury and illness reporting in professional road cycling. The Physician and Sportsmedicine, 49, 130–136. https://doi.org/10.1080/00913847.2020.1830692

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hind, K., Konerth, N., Entwistle, I., Hume, P., Theadom, A., Lewis, G., et al. (2022). Mental health and wellbeing of retired elite and amateur rugby players and non-contact athletes and associations with sports-related concussion: The UK Rugby health project. Sports Medicine, 52(6), 1419–1431.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Howe, D. (2003). Sport, professionalism and pain: Ethnographies of injury and risk. Routledge.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Howe, P. D. (2004). Sport, professionalism, and pain: Ethnographies of injury and risk. Psychology Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hughes, R., & Coakley, J. (1991). Positive deviance among athletes: The implications of overconformity to the sport ethic. Sociology of Sport Journal, 8(4), 307–325.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hurst, H., & Hardwicke, J. (2020, September 22). Cycling: Head injuries ignored because of entrenched macho culture. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/cycling-head-injuries-ignored-because-of-entrenched-macho-culture-146374

  • Hurst, H. T., Hannock, S., Hardwicke, J., & Anderson, E. (2020). Does participation in Downhill mountain biking affect measures of executive function? Journal of Science and Cycling, 9(3), 83–93.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jafari, S., Etminan, M., Aminzadeh, F., & Samii, A. (2013). Head injury and risk of Parkinson disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Movement Disorders, 28(9), 1222–1229. https://doi.org/10.1002/mds.25458

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kiernan, P., Montenigro, P., Solomon, T., & McKee, A. (2015). Chronic traumatic encephalopathy: A neurodegenerative consequence of repetitive traumatic brain injury. Seminars in Neurology, 35(01), 020–028. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0035-1545080

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Krause, J., & Priest, R. (1993). Sport value choices of U.S. military cadets—A longitudinal study of the class of 1993. Unpublished manuscript, Office of Institutional Research, U.S. Military Academy, West Point, NY.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kulkarni, P., Morrison, T. R., Cai, X., Iriah, S., Simon, N., Sabrick, J., Neuroth, L., & Ferris, C. F. (2019). Neuroradiological changes following single or repetitive mild TBI. Frontiers in Systems Neuroscience, 13, 1–12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnsys.2019.00034

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Langlois, J., Rutland-Brown, W., & Wald, M. (2006). The epidemiology and impact of traumatic brain injury. Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation, 21(5), 375–378.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liston, K., McDowell, M., Malcolm, D., Scott-Bell, A., & Waddington, I. (2018). On being ‘head strong’: The pain zone and concussion in non-elite Rugby union. International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 53(6), 668–684.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liston, K., Reacher, D., Waddington, I., & Smith, A. (2006). Managing pain and injury in non-elite Rugby union and Rugby league: A case study of players at a British university. Sport in Society, 9(3), 388–402.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Malcom, D. (2017). Sport, medicine and health: The medicalization of sport? (Abingdon and New York: Routledge, 2017), isbn: 978-1-138-82645-8. Medical History, 62(2), 247–248.

    Google Scholar 

  • Malcom, D. (2019). The concussion crisis in sport. Routledge.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Matthews, C. R., Hurrell, A., Oliver, T. B., & Channon, A. (2022). Boxing, myths and reality building in sport for development programmes. International Review for the Sociology of Sport. https://doi.org/10.1177/10126902221112878

  • McGannon, K. R., Cunningham, S. M., & Schinke, R. J. (2013). Understanding concussion in socio-cultural context: A media analysis of A National Hockey League Star’s concussion. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 14(6), 891–899. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychsport.2013.08.003

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Messner, M. A. (1990). When bodies are weapons: Masculinity and violence in sport. International Review for the Sociology of Sport, 25(3), 203–220. https://doi.org/10.1177/101269029002500303

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miracle, A., Jr., & Rees, C. R. (1994). Lessons of the locker room: The myth of school sports. Prometheus Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Montgomery, S., Hiyoshi, A., Burkill, S., Alfredsson, L., Bahmanyar, S., & Olsson, T. (2017). Concussion in adolescence and risk of multiple sclerosis. Annals of Neurology, 82(4), 554–561. https://doi.org/10.1002/ana.25036

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moore, R., Lepine, J., & Ellemberg, D. (2017). The independent influence of concussive and sub-concussive impacts on soccer players’ neurophysiological and neuropsychological function. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 112, 22–30. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2016.11.011

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nixon, H. L. (1993). Accepting the risks of pain and injury in sport: Mediated cultural influences on playing hurt. Sociology of Sport Journal, 10(2), 183–196. https://doi.org/10.1123/ssj.10.2.183

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Parry, K. D., Storr, R., Kavanagh, E. J., & Anderson, E. (2021). Conceptualising organisational cultural lag: Marriage equality and Australian sport. Journal of Sociology, 57(4), 986–1008.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pinker, S. (2012). The better angels of our nature: Why violence has declined (Illustrated ed.). Penguin Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pringle, R., & Markula, P. (2005). No pain is sane after all: A Foucauldian analysis of masculinities and men’s rugby experiences of fear, pain, and pleasure. Sociology of Sport Journal, 22(4), 472–497.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pro Cycling Statistics, Results and Rankings|ProCyclingStats.com. Pro Cycling Stats. 2022. Available online: https://www.procyclingstats.com/ (accessed on 15 December 2021).

  • Rawlings, S., Takechi, R., & Lavender, A. P. (2020). Effects of sub-concussion on neuropsychological performance and its potential mechanisms: A narrative review. Brain Research Bulletin, 165, 56–62.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rees, A., Gibbons, T., & Dixon, K. (2014). The surveillance of racing cyclists in training: A bourdieusian perspective. Surveillance & Society, 11(4), 466–480.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Road CC. (2020, September 13). Team boss lauds Romain Bardet’s “admirable courage” – But should someone have stopped Frenchman riding to stage finish with concussion? road.cc. https://road.cc/content/news/bardet-diagnosed-concussion-after-battling-finish-277217

  • Roderick, M. (2006). Adding insult to injury: Workplace injury in English professional football. Sociology of Health & Illness, 28(1), 76–97.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rooney, D., Sarriegui, I., & Heron, N. (2020). ‘As easy as riding a bike’: A systematic review of injuries and illness in road cycling. BMJ Open Sport & Exercise Medicine, 6(1), e000840. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjsem-2020-000840

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sabo, D., Heywood, L., Miller, K. E., & Melnick, M. J. (2004). Her life depends on it: Sport, physical activity and the health and well-being of American girls. Women’s Sports Foundation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sanchis-Gomar, F., Olaso-Gonzalez, G., Corella, D., Gomez-Cabrera, M. C., & Vina, J. (2011). Increased average longevity among the “tour de France” cyclists. International Journal of Sports Medicine, 32(08), 644–647. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0031-1271711

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sanderson, J., Weathers, M., Snedaker, K., & Gramlich, K. (2016). “I Was Able to Still Do My Job on the Field and Keep Playing”: An Investigation of Female and Male Athletes’ Experiences With (Not) Reporting Concussions. Communication & Sport, 5(3), 267–287. https://doi.org/10.1177/2167479515623455

  • Schlosser, A. J. (2016). Concussion knowledge and attitudes: The impact of hegemonic masculinity. The University of North Dakota.

    Google Scholar 

  • Silberman, M. (2013). Bicycling injuries. Current Sports Medicine Reports, 12(5), 337–345. https://doi.org/10.1249/JSR.0b013e3182a4bab7

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Taghdiri, F., Multani, N., Tarazi, A., Naeimi, S. A., Khodadadi, M., Esopenko, C., Green, R., Colella, B., Wennberg, R., Mikulis, D., Davis, K. D., Goswami, R., Tator, C., Levine, B., & Tartaglia, M. C. (2019). Elevated cerebrospinal fluid total tau in former professional athletes with multiple concussions. Neurology, 92(23), e2717–e2726. https://doi.org/10.1212/wnl.0000000000007608

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Waddington, I. (2000). Sport and health: A sociological perspective. In Handbook of sports studies (pp. 408–421). Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • White, A. J., Parry, K. D., Humphries, C., Phelan, S., Batten, J., & Magrath, R. (2020). Duty of Karius: Media framing of concussion following the 2018 UEFA champions league final. Communication & Sport. https://doi.org/10.1177/2167479520948048

  • Wilson, L., Stewart, W., Dams-O’Connor, K., et al. (2017). The chronic and evolving neurological consequences of traumatic brain injury. The Lancet Neurology, 16(10), 813–825. https://doi.org/10.1016/s1474-4422(17)30279-x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Young, K., McTeer, W., & White, P. (1994). Body talk: Male athletes reflect on sport, injury, and pain. Sociology of Sport Journal, 11(2), 175–194. https://doi.org/10.1123/ssj.11.2.175

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Young, K., & White, P. (1995). Sport, physical danger, and injury: The experiences of elite women athletes. Journal of Sport and Social Issues, 19(1), 45–61.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Northampton, Centre for Physical Activity and Life Sciences Faculty of Arts, Science and Technology, Northampton, UK

    Jack Hardwicke

Authors
  1. Jack Hardwicke
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2023 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Hardwicke, J. (2023). Getting Back on the Bike: Debating Injury and Masculinity. In: Masculinities and the Culture of Competitive Cycling. Palgrave Studies in Masculinity, Sport and Exercise. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-26975-2_6

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-26975-2_6

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-26974-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-26975-2

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation