Scotland is now home to the most cycling-mad cities in the UK, according to a new study.
Cyclists from the City of Glasgow with an average of 4.9 hours a week, now spend more time on the saddle than anywhere else in Britain. Along with this, almost a third of people in Edinburgh commute to work on their bikes, higher than any other metropolitan area, according to new research.
The study also found that cyclists in the north of England spend around 90 minutes longer in the saddle each week than their southern counterparts. Manchester and Liverpool-based cyclists clock up an average of 4.8 hours a week on their bikes, while those in Sheffield and Newcastle are not far behind at 4.7 hours. Cyclists in Southampton were bottom of the table – clocking up just 3.3 hours, just below Plymouth (3.6 hours) and Brighton (4 hours).
The report also found that the Scottish Highlands is among the top three places most cyclists would like to visit, behind the Lake District but ahead of the Yorkshire Dales.
More than 1,000 people with an interest in cycling from 15 cities around the UK were polled.
The research was commissioned by Czech car maker Skoda to mark its sponsorship of the Tour of Britain cycle race, which reaches its conclusion in London on Sunday. Andrew Cullis, head of marketing for Skoda UK, said:
“We were interested to understand how cycling habits compare and contrast across Britain. It seems that people in the South need to don the Lycra and hit the open road more often – cyclists in the North are racing ahead!”
Glasgow recently played host to the Commonwealth Games in 2014. The road events saw competitors pass through familiar sites such as Glasgow Green and Argyle Street, with the indoor events held at the newly build Sir Chris Hoy velodrome. With Olympic greats like Sir Chris emanating from north of the border, it’s no surprise the Scots are getting inspired to jump on their bikes.
