Cycling

It is only just over a year ago that cycling entered my sporting conscience; fast forward to now and it is fair to say I am addicted. I am not the only one to catch the cycling bug and as a result of the London Olympics, cycling cubs all around the country have grown exponentially since the medals came rolling in for TeamGB. There was a lot of doubt as to whether Devon would see an effect from the Olympic legacy. This is still difficult to measure, but if the statistics from my local cycling club are anything to go by there's some hard evidence that there has been a positive effect.

The first live cycle competition I witnessed was not until after the Olympics and fortunately for me the best view was right on my doorstep as the Tour of Britain headed through Tavistock and up across the middle of Dartmoor. I doubt that my local area will ever see anything like it again; cars were lined bumper to bumper on either side of the usually quiet B road. Many bicycles propped up against the granite rocks and a number of ramblers rather curious as to what all the fuss was about. Admittedly a few of the spectators were tourists or cycle fans but the majority were local people who wanted to witness the wonderful atmosphere brought by a large sporting event.

Our county might not be known as a cycling region but there is one town that is doing its very best to change this. I was introduced to the Tavistock Wheelers a few months ago and in that short time their membership has doubled. It is now into triple figures, no mean feat for a small market town. One thing the road cycling club has in abundance is enthusiasm; this is infectious and once you have plucked up the courage to don some Lycra and join in on a Sunday club, ride I promise you will not be turning back. There is unfortunately one area that is still lacking and that is the amount of female riders. This is not just an issue for the Tavistock club, but something that British cycling have high on their agenda.

I wanted to know what demographic made up Tavistock Wheelers and spoke to the chairman Geoff Whitlow, who introduced me to a new term, the "MAMIL" - middle aged men in Lycra. The mid life crisis might have previously been associated with motorbikes or fast cars, but apparently it is now turning to carbon fibre as men of that age are listening to health scares and getting out on their bikes. Although, if you do not fit into this bracket, fear not! Geoff assures me the club is open to men and women of all ages, the only problem being a certain amount of Lycra is necessary for comfort, something I took a while to admit to myself.

If the thought of joining a cycling club or riding with MAMILs is too daunting, or you simply prefer to ride a mountain bike, there are still plenty of opportunities out there. Recently the Dartmoor National Park launched a campaign to encourage off road cycling, hoping to tap into the potentially lucrative cyclo tourism. There is also the National Cycle Network that is linking up the country using quiet lanes, our local one being route 27 which has just had a wonderful addition with the Drakes Trail linking Tavistock to Yelverton. This new cycle path is perfect for beginners and suitable for both road or mountain bikes, it's traffic free and most unusually for our area, it is flat.

I hope that due to the continued efforts by Tavistock Wheelers and the council we will start to see more local people using these routes, not just the tourists or serious cyclists that our beautiful and undulating county attracts.