Yodel reveals scenery inspires Brits to get on their bikes
As cycling fever grips the nation in the wake of Team GB’s success at the Olympics, Yodel, the UK’s leading parcel delivery company and sponsor of The Tour of Britain, today reveals fresh research into Great Britain’s biking habits.
The findings come ahead of the start of the Tour of Britain on Sunday the 9th September. As the UK's biggest professional cycle race and the largest free-to-attend sporting event, it is expected to encourage even more Brits to get back onto their bicycles, yet the research reveals that the nation's cyclists are more likely to be inspired by stunning cycle routes than stars such as Bradley Wiggins.
In the poll[1] commissioned by Yodel, almost half (46%) of cyclists in the UK said they are motivated to get on their bikes for the chance to enjoy a local route, with almost a fifth (18%) of respondents cycling these routes at least once a week. The Welsh appear to have the finest routes, with 70% of cyclists in Wales stating that their local area is best suited for cycling, compared to just 45% of those in London. 27% of Londoners also stated that they don't cycle due to fears over road safety.
Jonathan Smith, CEO of Yodel, said: "We are extremely proud to be one of the lead sponsors of the Tour once again.
"This has been a fantastic year for British cycling and, as a result, we're all expecting The Tour of Britain 2012 to be the most exciting to date. It is a great illustration of what teamwork and dedication can achieve in any field, from delivering parcels to winning accolades."
With their fantastic local routes, it's hardly surprising cyclists in Wales ride the furthest, on average clocking up 56 miles a month, covering nearly twice the distance as cyclists in the Midlands (29 miles). Unperturbed by the quality and safety of their commutes, Londoners are also hopping on their bikes, with the average London cyclist managing to cover 44 miles a month and one in ten cycling over a 100 miles a month.
This is the second year that Yodel, which delivers over 170 million parcels a year, including around 250,000 bicycles and accessories, is the official logistics partner and sprints sponsor of The Tour of Britain. The sprints section is the most exhilarating element of the race as athletes reach speeds in excess of 70kph as they battle it out for points and bonus seconds for the right to wear the official Yodel sprints jersey.
Almost half of respondents surveyed cycle at least once a week with men (63%) more likely to get on their bikes than women (46%). Men are also more likely to go solo in the saddle, as 72% enjoy the sport alone, compared to 53% of women. The research also showed that 72% of 18-24 year olds are regular cyclists, 27% of those doing so to save money. Pensioners are still pedalling strong too, as a third of over 65's cycle, with nearly half (45%) doing so just to get some fresh air.
The Tour will see 102 of the world's top professional cyclists take their places at The Grand Depart in Ipswich, with Suffolk and Norfolk hosting the opening stage of this year's race on Sunday 9th September. They will then visit Nottingham, Merseyside, Scotland, the North West, Stoke-on-Trent, Wales and Devon before the challenging finish on Guildford's uphill, cobbled High Street on Sunday 16th September.
Five million TV viewers from 60 countries around the world are expected to tune into this year's Tour of Britain, which can be seen daily on ITV4 from Sunday 9th September. Each stage of the Tour will include three Yodel sprints, and the fastest cyclist over those three distances will be awarded the official green Yodel sprints jersey at the end of the stage.