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We cyclists have had a good week. First Chris Hoy, triple Olympic gold winner, beat petrolhead F1 driver Lewis Hamilton to win BBC Sports Personality of the Year. You might sniff at the merits of this award but it's based on a public vote, so to my mind shows how highly the British now prize the sport.
Now we hear that bike sales are booming, up 200 per cent in London stores compared with last winter. The two are, of course, connected, as great sporting success always inspires copycat behaviour. But other reasons exist for our renewed love affair with the bicycle.
For a start, credit-crunched parents are looking for presents that last beyond Boxing Day. And more than most gifts, a bike is not just for Christmas. Think how smug you'll feel taking the family for a spin round Richmond Park in New Year week, combating global warming, childhood obesity and urban congestion with each turn of the wheel.
My first bike changed my life. It was metallic blue and cost the best part of the £100 left to me by a relative the year I turned 10. It was the most expensive thing I'd ever owned. From the second I tore open the bubble wrap I was off, up and down the country roads near my house, to school and back.
I never once considered the health benefits of daily manic pedalling, though they must have been significant and certainly helped build up an impressive pair of calf muscles. But I do recall the sense of freedom was immense - something sofa-bound urban kids taste too rarely.
Crucially, it got me into the way of owning - and using - a bike, something I've never grown out of. In fact, I only ever owned a car for a two-year period in my twenties. Before and since I've relied on pedal power to get me around, gradually upgrading my machine in line with salary, fashion and fitness. It's the healthiest and cheapest habit I have.
So the more kids who wake up to a two-wheeled gift on Christmas morning the better, both for them and our city. But let's not pretend the capital's streets are safe enough for fully grown cyclists, never mind tiny ones. Last month's massive cut to London's bike lanes budget - thanks, Boris - means planned improvements that would help keep children safe are back on ice.
The fact that we're buying bikes in such high numbers gives me a warm glow, even without pedalling my seven-mile route home. But it's only the start of the cycling revolution that we need.
Reader views (4)
"Now we hear that bike sales are booming, up 200 per cent in London stores compared with last winter. The two are, of course, connected, as great sporting success always inspires copycat behaviour." Following your daft logic, I assume car sales are up 200% as Lewis Hamilton won the F1?
- Ben, London, W1, 19/12/2008 18:14
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cycling ? in london you can't beat it as a mode of transport. a good article, charlotte, which will encourage the growth of cycling. the more people that get on the bikes the better, as vehicle users become more easily accustomed to driving safely with cycles.
- Neil, london, 19/12/2008 12:07
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I quote "Think how smug you'll feel". This could lead to a giant cloud of smug which could then merge with the smug over San Francisco. Then it would only take a little more smug, like from George Clooney's acceptance speech, to cause a smug storm. Which would not bode well at all.
- Kyle Broflovski, South Park, 19/12/2008 10:30
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Nice to see a positive article about cycling for a change. Cycling is the only way to get around London.I would be completely lost without my bike
- Michael, London, 19/12/2008 09:18
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