Sky and British Cycling today announced that they have beaten their goal of getting one million more Britons on their bikes and cycling regularly by 2013. The ambitious five-year target was set in 2008, when Sky first linked up with British Cycling, as a way of measuring the success of a partnership that has aimed to grow the sport at all levels, from the grassroots to the elite.

Sky and British Cycling have encouraged more people to take part in cycling by establishing a series of popular, large-scale city centre rides and weekly local rides, and by supporting the sport at the highest level. This has culminated in the most successful year ever for British cyclists: six World Track Championship titles; the first British winner of the Tour de France; and a record Olympic and Paralympic medal haul of 16 gold medals. The success of the elite cyclists has played a crucial role in inspiring more people of all ages and abilities to get on their bikes for fun and fitness.

Over the past four years, the Sky Ride initiative set up by British Cycling and Sky has:

• Organised 49 fun, traffic-free, city centre events across the UK.
• Established over 3,000 free community bike rides for anyone to join.
• Trained a national network of 1,500 Ride Leaders to organise local rides in their areas.
• Worked in partnership with 45 local authorities to promote cycling and deliver better facilities in their areas.

Jeremy Darroch, Chief Executive of Sky, said: "The partnership between Sky and British Cycling has been built around a shared vision to get more people enthused and participating in cycling. The achievement of our target to get one million more Brits on their bikes and cycling regularly is a reflection of both the success of the partnership and the huge inspiration that people have drawn from the incredible accomplishments of the elite British cyclists. We are proud to have played our part and look forward to continuing the partnership for the next four years."

Ian Drake, Chief Executive of British Cycling, said: "This is a fantastic culmination of an incredible year for cycling. In just four years, we have created an unprecedented shift in participation in cycling thanks to our partnerships with Sky, Sport England, local authorities,
and a national network of trained Ride leaders and volunteers.

"Four years ago, British Cycling was known for its ability to win medals on a world stage. We have harnessed this success to drive greater participation in the sport, reaching out to one million new cyclists, making it easier to get involved and providing more ways to have fun on a bike. Cycling in this country has never been in better health– today British Cycling has reached 60,000 members with over 1,000 joining in the last week."

Sir Chris Hoy, Olympic medallist said: "It has been an incredible summer for cycling and it's fantastic to see so many people enjoying riding their bikes and loving the sport. There are so many opportunities to cycle wherever you live and it's clear that Britain is now a true cycling nation."

Independent research has been conducted by GFK NOP through annual surveys of 10,000 adults across the UK. The research looked at a person’s current cycling behaviour versus the previous year. A ‘regular cyclist’ is a cyclist that has cycled at least 12 times in the past year.

As part of its support for inspiring new people to cycle, within its own business Sky is encouraging more of its people to cycle through a variety of cycling events and facilities including a cycling club, buddy system, bike hire and an on-site cycle shop and cycle mechanic. There are currently 30% of Sky employees who cycle regularly.

ENDS

Media contacts:

Kirsty McCaskill, British Cycling
Email:kirstymccaskill@britishcycling.org.uk

Clara Eldridge, Sky
Email: clara.eldridge@bskyb.com

Notes to editors:

Images: Please go to the British Cycling Image Library on Flickr to view and download rights free images. Please don’t forget to credit www.britishcycling.org.uk

About Sky

Sky has been British Cycling’s Principal Partner since 2008, encouraging people, whatever their age or ability, to get on their bikes and have fun, and supporting the sport at an elite level including Team GB and Team Sky. Together with British Cycling Sky has had a target to inspire one million more people to cycle regularly (at least once a month or 12 times over a year) by 2013. In 2009 Sky announced the formation of Team Sky, a professional road racing team which aimed to create the first British winner of the Tour de France within five years.

About British Cycling

British Cycling is the national governing body for cycling as recognised by the UCI – the international federation for the sport. Based in Manchester at the National Cycling Centre, British Cycling works across all levels and six disciplines of the sport (BMX, Mountain Bike, Cyclo-Cross, Road, Track and Cycle Speedway), from providing the support and encouragement people need to get riding their bikes for the first time, to being home to the hugely successful Great Britain Cycling Team. Continued success at the highest level is inspiring a boom in participation across the nation. There have never been more opportunities to ride a bike, be it for fun or sport, and British Cycling is at the heart of this growth. British Cycling also works hard to represent cyclists’ interests at all levels, including campaigning on important issues including road safety. As a membership organisation, British Cycling provides a suite of benefits and support to its members who currently number over 60,000. All membership revenue is invested back into cycling. British Cycling also announced today that its membership is at a record high - now topping 60,000 members (insert link to membership factsheet). Over 10,000 people have joined since Bradley Wiggins crossed the finishing line on the Champs Elysee on 22 July. This represents a 45% year on year increase.

About the survey

• The independent annual survey was conducted by GFK NOP on behalf of Sky and British Cycling measuring cycling behaviour over a 12 month period and asking about the number of times a person cycled.
•  A ‘regular cyclist’ is a cyclist that has cycled at least 12 times in the past year.
• A sample of 10,000 adults (16+) has been used to minimise sampling error.