‘You look like a proper cyclist now’: performance, health, bodies and eating cultures in competitive cycling

Done, Clare and Gough, Lewis A. and Clarke, Neil and O’Brien, Harry and Chesters, Rachel and Monroe, Charmain and Hardwicke, Jack and Roberts, Charlie J. (2026) ‘You look like a proper cyclist now’: performance, health, bodies and eating cultures in competitive cycling. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health. pp. 1-16. ISSN 2159-676X

Preview

Text Accepted_copy.pdf - Accepted Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution. Download (261kB)

Abstract

Decades of social‑scientific research have repeatedly shown that athletes spend time socialising, training and competing within subcultures which commonly encourage and reward an intense dedication to performance. This emphasis on performance can be, and often is, to the detriment of health. One empirical phenomenon that can flow from this social process is the enablement and normalisation of disordered eating. Drawing on data from 11 interviews with competitive cyclists, we explore this problem within road cycling in Britain. Findings show how the cyclists’ interpretive framings to make sense of food, their bodies and athletic endeavours were rooted in performance ideologies, which were reinforced by the social networks around them. There was contestation to this, with some participants speaking to health-focused ideas and practices, but such instances were few and far between. Our participants also spoke to feeling pressures to hone and (under)fuel their bodies to look a certain way to achieve the status of being a ‘proper’ cyclist. In a subculture whereby the pursuit of sporting excellence is the dominant ideal, we argue that it should be expected athletes will develop narrow, performance-oriented meanings towards eating and their bodies. Conclusions stress that the socio-cultural and interactional processes in many sporting subcultures, which often enable the normative acceptance of behaviours that prioritise performance over health, need to be more readily questioned and challenged. If they are not, then health problems, such as disordered eating will likely continue unabated across sport.

Item Type:	Article
Identification Number:	10.1080/2159676X.2026.2715145
Dates:	Date Event 3 August 2026 Accepted 10 August 2026 Published Online
Uncontrolled Keywords:	athlete identity, performance ideologies, health, sporting subcultures, disordered eating, eating disorders, competitive cycling
Subjects:	CAH03 - biological and sport sciences > CAH03-02 - sport and exercise sciences > CAH03-02-01 - sport and exercise sciences
Divisions:	Life and Health Sciences > Life and Sports Sciences
Depositing User:	Gemma Tonks
Date Deposited:	12 Aug 2026 10:56
Last Modified:	12 Aug 2026 10:56
URI:	https://www.open-access.bcu.ac.uk/id/eprint/17157

Actions (login required)

View Item