In the latest of his exclusive videos for BikeRadar on the launch of his HOY Bikes range, retired Olympic track champion Sir Chris Hoy charts UK cycling’s growth from humble pre-boom popularity to its current levels, saying we must look to European countries to improve road safety conditions and encourage more people to ride.
Video: sir chris hoy on uk cycling
“When I was 17 or 18, getting my summer jobs … there’d be one guy in the office and you’d turn up on your bike too, and he’d be pleased to see you because he wasn’t the only weirdo wearing Lycra,” he recalls.
“It’s so pleasing to see you sport flourish. I foresee cycling growing as a sport for a number of reasons – making it more accessible, making the roads safer and just making cycling more fun for people to do.
“We have to address the issue of bike lanes, and of cycle access. It’s not good enough to paint a section of the side of the road with a dotted line and say this is for bikes, because it’s not a nice place to be riding in the gutter … Look at Europe … and the way their cyclists are given priority at junctions and they way people look out for them.”
