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British Cycling Announce Cycling Boom

With the numbers of people cycling regularly increasing, British Cycling reports England is in the middle of a Cycling Boom.

British Cycling announced today that England is in the middle of a cycling boom. They report an increase of 132,000 adults cycling regularly since October 2013.

This brings the total number of people cycling in England to 2.1 million, according to Sport England.

British Cycling’s Chief Executive Ian Drake commented that “The fact that cycling is continuing an upward trend is of course in part down to the amazing successes we’re seeing on the world stage with Britain’s cyclists riding high. But medals and role models alone cannot transform Britain into a nation of people on bikes.

“Fundamental to our approach is a mixed economy of funding and support from across the spectrum of the private, public and voluntary sectors.

“Working alongside Sky, Sport England and over 100 council partners we have created opportunities across the whole country for people of all ages to discover cycling and what it can offer. Without these valuable relationships we wouldn’t be celebrating the results we’re enjoying today.

“With local authority decision makers, our partners and a strong network of staff and volunteers all working together to inspire people to get on bikes, we’ve got a great blueprint for success and we’ll be building on this through to Rio and beyond. We’ve got a fantastic summer of cycling ahead of us with 14 Sky Ride Big Bike events, the Tour de France coming to Britain, the Commonwealth Games and a revamped Tour of Britain providing us with thousands more opportunities to win even more people over about the benefits of getting on their bikes.

“I’m especially pleased to see good results in participation levels among women and the 14-25 age group. However, what is clear if you look over the longer term is that the hard work we put into creating a London 2012 legacy is producing sustainable growth which means the cycling boom is here to stay.”

British Cycling is the official governing body for cycling in the UK. In addition to training and supporting athletes, sanctioning races and developing National cycling teams, they are also committed to increasing access and participation in cycling in the general population.

They organise events like the city-centre and traffic free Sky Rides, which proved hugely popular in 2013, as well as local guided rides through schemes like Breeze.