Sir Chris Hoy launches UK cycle campaign

13:04 16 June 2009

It's an alarming fact that one in three UK households are now 'bike-free', a figure that professional cyclist Sir Chris Hoy is highly concerned about.

So much so, that the four-time Olympic gold medallist has launched a nationwide campaign to encourage Brits to get back on their bikes. 

Coinciding with National Bike Week, the 'Get On Your Bike' campaign comes in response to a major new report highlighting the decline of cycling in millions of homes across the UK.

Despite massive success at last year's Olympics, an astonishing one in three households across the UK are now bike-free zones. Three quarters (74%) of Brits admit that watching TV and playing computer games has now replaced learning to ride a bike as a key part of childhood.

According to the research by Kellogg's Bran Flakes, parents on average have spent double on computer consoles and games than they have on bikes or cycling equipment.  Worryingly, over one in ten (13%) British parents have never taught their children how to cycle at all.

 

Many parents blame the lack of safe cycling routes in their local area for this sharp decline. Almost half of Britons [46%] describe where they live as a 'cycling unfriendly' area, while the majority [52%] agree that the provision of more, safer cycle paths would be the thing most likely to get them pedalling.

The 'Get On Your Bike' campaign aims to get Brits back in the saddle in a bid to rekindle the nation's love of the bicycle and to inspire our hopes for future Olympic glory.

Sir Chris Hoy said of the findings: "Cycling is such an important skill for children to learn yet parents appear to be placing greater emphasis on computer games.

"Children need encouragement and support when learning to ride a bike but if parents aren't interested then it's never going to happen. It doesn't bode well for the long-term future of British cycling if we're having to go around the track on stabilizers!"

For 100s of safe cycle routes across the UK visit www.getonyourbike.co.uk and type in your postcode.