Olympic cyclists want focus away from sport

Britain triumphed in the cycling events at the Rio Olympics, but does medal success encourage more people onto bikes? While there may be evidence that cycling clubs see a boost in membership, the incessant presentation of cycling as a sport may be counter-productive to the type of everyday cycling that would be of such benefit to our health, environment and quality of life.

It may be that the perception of cycling as primarily a sport, and the accompanying reliance on expensive bikes and specialist clothing, is proving counter-productive because by its nature it is elitist. If you look at the world’s busiest junction for cyclists in Copenhagen, almost every single one of the 42,000 riders who pass through each day are dressed for work or leisure rather than sport, there are hardly any wearing helmets, fewer still in Lycra or on road bikes and cargo bikes and child seats abound. All riding habits diametrically opposed to those in London.

The neglect of cycling as a practical, cheap and healthy way to get about is not lost on Olympic champions themselves. Ten of Britain’s most decorated sporting cyclists this week sent a letter to the prime minister to redress the imbalance between the investment in and promotion of cycling as a sport and the need to boost it as a means of transport.

Dear Prime Minister,
The Great Britain cycling team athletes topped the cycling medal table for the third Olympic Games in a row at Rio 2016. It was a truly outstanding performance and enhances Britain’s status as the world’s leading elite cycling nation.
You were widely reported in the media as saying that there will be “no limits” on the honours that could be bestowed on our medal winners. But the best way to honour the achievements of our athletes would be a legacy of every-day cycling in this country – a place where cycling is the choice form of transport for people to get around in their daily lives.
Your predecessor called for a “cycling revolution” and your government’s manifesto sets out a target to “double” the number of journeys cycled. While some steps have been made, cycling is still a transport mode which does not enjoy the government investment or political leadership given to roads, rail or aviation.
The government is now considering feedback on the draft Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy (CWIS). We urge the government to publish this and set out a timeline to address the chronic underfunding and lack of leadership which is keeping cycling for transport in the slow lane. Only networks of segregated cycle lanes in towns and cities across the country can achieve and influence growth.
The success of the CWIS will be felt not only across government but in all areas of the nation’s life.
The government’s sports strategy seeks to extend the number of people living physically active lives and could be truly transformative. Active travel – walking and cycling – is the easiest way for people of all ages to fit physical activity into their lives. Currently, only one in five people achieve the recommended levels of physical activity.
Around one in three children is overweight or obese. The government’s childhood obesity strategy recognises the value of physical activity and the importance of walking and cycling to school. I am sure you know that this will seem a fanciful idea for most parents without the convenient walking and cycling routes which would give them the confidence that their children will be safe getting to school. Yet we know it can be achieved – in the Netherlands, 50% of education-age children cycle to school.
As cities like Copenhagen and New York have shown, cycling also creates better places to live and work. More cycling cuts congestion, reduces noise pollution and fuels local economies. Small businesses in New York have seen a 49% increase in business where cycle lanes have been installed.
There is huge latent demand for cycling. Two thirds of people would cycle more if they felt safer on the roads. The government’s road safety statement reiterates the manifesto commitment to reduce the number of cyclists killed or injured. The CWIS needs to set targets to improve road maintenance, enhance enforcement of the laws, and update the rules of the road to better consider the needs of cyclists.
To make this happen, we need 5% of the government’s transport spend allocated to cycling. This is the only way that cycling will be integrated into transport strategy and given the priority it deserves.
Investment in cycling as a form of transport isn’t purely an investment in cycle lanes. It is an investment that will pay off for the nation’s health, wealth, transport infrastructure and the vibrancy of our towns and cities. It has the added benefit of just making it easier for ordinary families to get to work and get to school.
Our athletes have inspired the country and now we urge the government to take cycling seriously as a transport option for everyone.
British Cycling’s policy adviser Chris Boardman would welcome a meeting to discuss this further. We look forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely,
Chris Boardman, Sir Chris Hoy, Laura Trott, Jason Kenny, Mark Cavendish, Joanna Rowsell Shand, Elinor Barker, Owain Doull, Becky James, Katy Marchant

When Bradley Wiggins triumphed at the last Olympics, there was much talk of the ‘Wiggins Effect’ a phenomenon that promised to get the country back on bikes.

Wiggins’s achievements went beyond just the sporting and the sense of national pride at the time was palpable. But while Wiggins became a symbol of Britain’s successful sporting year, did the ‘Wiggins Effect’ truly inspire people beyond the normal reach of cycling to take to two wheels, or was it little more than wishful thinking by the media at the time? Nobody doubts the recent increase in cycling in London and a smattering of other towns and cities, but there appears to be little or no correlation with sporting events.

The media is lazy in its positioning of race events within the broader context. In its coverage of the Tour de France, for example, the Today programme talked at length about the effect of the event on cycling, but talked only to members of a road racing club about whether their numbers had grown. A Grand Prix at Silverstone is unlikely to encourage someone to buy a small city car to do the weekly shop. So why is so much store for everyday cycling put in events like the Olympics or the Tour? Perhaps organisers and sponsors feel uncomfortable with the notion that these expensive events are hard to justify on the grounds of national pride alone.

It’s unhelpful if cycling in the popular consciousness is defined as carbon road bikes and Lycra because it has so much more to offer. One of the most powerful drivers for greater cycling is a cultural view of it as something unremarkable, but incredibly useful. Like a washing machine. Sporting success on the world stage is, by contrast, remarkable, but in terms of encouraging cycling to school or work or the shops, irrelevant.

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