The boom in club cycling

"With almost 82,000 members, Britain's cycling clubs are growing. Fuelled by
the general increase in bums on saddles across the UK as a whole, they've
seen their membership increase by over 10% in the last couple of years.

Despite finding their roots in the growth of socialism at the beginning of
the last century, cycling clubs have suffered a reputation among new riders
as being elitist and snobbish. Not entirely unfounded fears of being left
behind, having the wrong clothing or having your bike laughed at have led to
many a cyclist riding alone, rather than joining a club run.

However, a growing number of clubs are challenging the stereotype. Welcoming
to riders of all abilities, these inclusive clubs have grown far more
quickly than the national trend."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environmen.../cycling-clubs

--
Simon Mason
http://www.simonmason.karoo.net/