INDEPENDENT bike stores and clubs in the borough are reaping the benefits of an unprecedented summer of cycling success for Britain, with more people than ever eager to take up the sport.
The Hillingdon Slipstreamers club for young cyclists, which meets at Minet Country Park’s cycle circuit, is currently not accepting new riders because of the surge in attendance following the Games.
Club coach Martin Watson told the Gazette that the numbers of children on the books are double that of last summer.
“We have 150 children coming each week, and that’s our limit, when we usually get around 70 or 80 in the summer.
“We also have a waiting list. Many of the newcomers are new to cycling, and they have come because of the Olympics.
“I have been involved in the sport for more than 40 years, and this is the most successful year for British Cycling that I can remember.”
He added that membership to British Cycling, the governing body for the sport in the UK, had doubled in the last two years, to 60,000.
Cycle shops across the borough also say there has been a sales uplift since the dominance of Team GB’s cyclists at the Olympic Games, and before that, Bradley Wiggins’ triumph in the ultimate cycling endurance race, the Tour de France.
Mark Chapple, owner of Bikewise in Swakeleys Road, Ickenham, said: “Business has picked up by around 10 per cent.
“The weather has been great, which is always a bonus in our business, but I would definitely say Olympics fever has been a key factor.”
Gurinder Singh, of GS Cycles in Northfield Parade, Hayes, added: “People are a lot more conscious about what they are buying.
“They are doing their research, and more people are riding hybrid and road bikes, when before they would have gone straight for a mountain bike.
“A lot of people have taken inspiration from the Olympics, and we’ll see if it’s a short-term or long-term effect.”
Hillingdon, which has been given ‘biking borough’ status by British Cycling in the summer, boasts a BMX track at Lake Farm Country Park, Hayes, and the Hillingdon cycle circuit at Minet Country Park, Hayes, which has its own dedicated clubs.
