Abstract
In Flanders the term flandrien refers to cyclists who display a strong work ethic, great perseverance, are powerful and who perform best in adverse weather conditions. Until the 1960s, only leading cyclists originating from the province of West- and East-Flanders were considered as flandriens. After 1960, the media extended the use of this term to Belgian cyclists in general and even to international cyclists. The present study examined whether Flemish citizens agree with this generalization considering that the term flandrien still plays a highly symbolical role in the public discourse on Flemish identity. First, the main aim was to investigate whether having an ethno-cultural identity representation of the Flemish identity is positively related to perceived regional exclusivity of the term flandrien. Second, this study explored whether Flemish identification moderates this relation (i.e. this relation is only expected for high identifiers) and also predicts Flemings’ regional exclusivity of the term. Results revealed that the more Flemings endorse an ethno-cultural identity representation the more they consider a flandrien as an exclusively Flemish cyclist, and the less they will include international cyclists in their consideration of a flandrien. Flemish identification did not moderate this relation but did predict the consideration of a flandrien as a Flemish cyclist. These findings indicate that the current interpretation of the historical cycling term flandrien is influenced by cultural conceptualizations of Flemish identity.
Highlights
In the 2010 edition of the Tour of Flanders, the Swiss cyclist Fabian Cancellara accelerated with impressive power on the steep climb of the so-called ‘Wall of Geraardsbergen’, leaving everyone behind and winning Belgium’s most famous one-day cycling race
Do Flemish citizens agree with this generalization of this strong symbol of Flemish identity? Second, does the way in which Flemings experience their Flemish identity influence their attribution of the term flandrien in terms of regional exclusivity? By trying to answer these questions, we aim to contribute to the understanding of the role that sports play in the formation and continuation of selfperceived regional identities
Considering that a flandrien functions as a symbol and prototype of Flemish identity, we propose that socio-psychological factors can explain these differences and can influence Flemings’ interpretation of the term flandrien
Summary
In the 2010 edition of the Tour of Flanders, the Swiss cyclist Fabian Cancellara accelerated with impressive power on the steep climb of the so-called ‘Wall of Geraardsbergen’, leaving everyone behind and winning Belgium’s most famous one-day cycling race. He sped over the cobbles of Paris-Roubaix to his second one-day classic victory in seven days. Because of this exceptional double victory, Cancellara was honored with the ‘International Flandrien Award of 2010’ during the annual ‘gala of the flandrien’, a prestigious and popular show broadcasted live on Flemish television. The term flandrien was reserved in the media for Flemish cyclists that were physically powerful, had a visibly high sportive work ethic and exhibited great perseverance while racing (Knuts et al, 2011). The generalization by the media of this originally purely Flemish term to an international cyclist raises two interesting questions. Do Flemish citizens agree with this generalization of this strong symbol of Flemish identity? Second, does the way in which Flemings experience their Flemish identity influence their attribution of the term flandrien in terms of regional exclusivity? By trying to answer these questions, we aim to contribute to the understanding of the role that sports play in the formation and continuation of selfperceived regional identities
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