Mark Cavendish was on the radio last week, again. He won a second stage of the Tour of Qatar bike race. Why so significant? Well, it was consistently on BBC sports news throughout a day when Harry Redknapp was being hotly tipped as the new England manager. Other than our friend Cav, you couldn’t move for Redknapp-mania.
All this a week after the Times ran front page stories on cycling TWO days in a row as part of its Save our Cyclists campaign. And with a GB cycling team for the Olympics looking hot to trot, cycling in the mainstream media looks set to continue.What’s different this time around is the consistency of coverage, and that can only help to get more people on two wheels. It’s part of an ongoing trend that has seen British Cycling membership surge past the 40,000 mark (doubling since 2007) and Pelican’s own client, the North East’s Cyclone festival , saw more than 4,000 riders gather for the Cyclone Challenge rides last year. It has consistently grown by 15% or more every year since it was launched, something not many events outside cycling can boast in these difficult times.
All this hasn’t gone unnoticed by the big brands. Outdoors stalwart The North Face has had a dedicated cycling range for a few years now and has really been pushing its mountain biking kit of late. And if you thought sat nav for bikes was a step too far, think again: Garmin has had a range for years, and Mio has just joined in too.
With that consistent coverage constantly reminding people that riding your bike might just be a good idea, cycling looks set to continue its growth, and it’s something we are really proud to be a part of. For more about how Pelican can help to promote your brand or organisation to cyclists, click here.
