Scorcher and the Preacher, 1894...

I have always had a special interest in history, and in turn a fondness for historical references to cycling. Below is one such example that I found in an old publication called the Great Divide.

While bicycling is an especially egalitarian activity, the sport of cycling has long been troubled by unequal access to materials, equipment, technology and training methodology. Every so often someone in the media will point this out, or a rule will be passed by the UCI in an attempt to level the worldwide playing field. The type of blatant racism as depicted in this illustration is, I would like to hope, representative of a time in the past and confined to the historical record.