Get HCM digital magazine and ezines FREE
Sign up here ▸
Jobs   News   Features   Products   Magazine      Advertise  
NEWS
Elite success contributes to British Cycling membership boost
POSTED 18 Aug 2016 . BY Matthew Campelli
The number of people taking part in competitive races has more than doubled to 62,000 since 2012 Credit: Ramon Espelt Photography/Shutterstock.com
British Cycling’s membership has mushroomed by 75,000 people since London 2012 – demonstrating the significant upward curve in participation and elite success for the sport.

The national governing body’s membership now stands at 125,000 – the largest number in the organisation’s history – with the number of affiliated clubs doubling to 2,200 since the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

According to Sport England’s latest Active People Survey, 2m people in Britain are cycling regularly compared to 1.6m a decade ago.

The surge in participation has correlated with increasing elite success, with strong performances at London 2012 and Rio 2016 from Team GB’s cycling squad. This summer the team has achieved 11 medals – six gold – surpassing the maximum target of 10 set by UK Sport.

Grassroots participants are seemingly becoming inspired to take part competitively, with the number of members who have taken part in a race more than doubling from 29,500 to 62,000 since London 2012.

There are now 4,000 cycling events taking place every year in Britain with 300,000 entrants. In 2005, British Cycling's membership stood at just over 15,000.

Bob Howden, British Cycling president, said the number was a "fantastic endorsement from cyclists countrywide".

"In reaching 125,000 members, we have once again highlighted our ability to achieve ambitious targets," he added. "With our members' backing, we will continue to strive for further elite success and more people cycling more often as we continue to make cycling appealing to all."
RELATED STORIES
  British Cycling facilities investment hits £10m


British Cycling has ploughed £10m (US$13.3m, €11.8m) of Sport England money into the development of purpose-built cycling facilities over the last seven years. The national governing body’s (NGB) outlay attracted a further £60m (US$79.7m, €71.1m) investment from partner organisations, which has helped fund the building of 24 facilities and the improvement work for seven other venues.
  Opening up more paths to cycling will aid government sport strategy, says NGB


British Cycling has called upon the government to explore the possibility of opening up more public paths to cyclists to boost participation and help deliver on sport strategy outcomes.
  British Cycling kicks off organisational review amid high profile sexism allegations


UK Sport and British Cycling have kicked off a review of the governing body’s “climate and culture” amid high profile allegations of sexism levelled at former technical director Shane Sutton.
  More facilities would improve British cycling, says Rowsell-Shand


An increase in the number of indoor velodromes and outdoor road circuits would give British cycling the platform to improve further according to Joanna Rowsell-Shand.
MORE NEWS
Les Mills calls on the industry to support UNICEF
Global group exercise specialist, Les Mills, is inviting operators to sign up to its Workout for the World event on 20 June, in support of UNICEF.
HUM2N opens longevity clinic at Six Senses London
Global luxury hospitality brand, Six Senses, has partnered with longevity healthcare provider, HUM2N, to launch a clinic at Six Senses London, at The Whiteley.
KX Chelsea invests £15 million to upgrade its wellness offering
Premium London health club, KX Chelsea, will imminently unveil its most significant redevelopment since its launch in 2002 to create an integrated wellness model combining training, recovery and relaxation.
Researchers identify a drug which reduces muscle loss when using GLP-1 medications
Researchers in the US have identified an antibody which could greatly reduce the loss of lean muscle mass in people who are taking weight-loss medications.
+ More news   
LATEST JOBS
GP Exercise Referral Instructor
Everyone Active
Salary: £33,000pa + benefits
Job location: Harrow, Middlesex , United Kingdom
Self Employed Personal Trainer
Everyone Active
Salary: Competitive
Job location: Enderby
+ More jobs  

FEATURED SUPPLIERS

Elevate 2026 to mark 10-year anniversary with biggest ever waterfront drinks reception
Elevate is set to celebrate its 10th anniversary in style this June, with organisers confirming the event’s largest-ever drinks reception as registrations continue to run more than 10% ahead of last year. [more...]

Reaching the people most gyms miss: Bedford Gym & Swim Campaign delivers 410 new members
One of the biggest mistakes the fitness industry still makes is advertising almost exclusively to people who already look and live like gym members. [more...]
+ More featured suppliers  
COMPANY PROFILES
ukactive

ukactive is the UK’s leading trade body for the physical activity sector, bringing together more tha [more...]
Everyone Active

Everyone Active operates leisure centres in partnership with local councils across the UK. Today, Ev [more...]
+ More profiles  
CATALOGUE GALLERY
 
+ More catalogues  

DIRECTORY
+ More directory  
DIARY

 

09-12 Jun 2026

W3Spa EMEA

Hotel Cascais Miragem Health & Spa, Portugal
13-13 Jun 2026

Global Wellness Day

Worldwide, Various,
+ More diary  
 
ABOUT LEISURE MEDIA
LEISURE MEDIA MAGAZINES
LEISURE MEDIA HANDBOOKS
LEISURE MEDIA WEBSITES
LEISURE MEDIA PRODUCT SEARCH
 
HCM
LEISURE OPPORTUNITIES
HEALTH CLUB HANDBOOK
PRINT SUBSCRIPTIONS
FREE DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTIONS
ADVERTISE . CONTACT US

Leisure Media
Tel: +44 (0)1462 431385

©Cybertrek 2026
Get HCM digital magazine and ezines FREE
Sign up here ▸
Jobs    News   Products   Magazine
NEWS
Elite success contributes to British Cycling membership boost
POSTED 18 Aug 2016 . BY Matthew Campelli
The number of people taking part in competitive races has more than doubled to 62,000 since 2012 Credit: Ramon Espelt Photography/Shutterstock.com
British Cycling’s membership has mushroomed by 75,000 people since London 2012 – demonstrating the significant upward curve in participation and elite success for the sport.

The national governing body’s membership now stands at 125,000 – the largest number in the organisation’s history – with the number of affiliated clubs doubling to 2,200 since the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

According to Sport England’s latest Active People Survey, 2m people in Britain are cycling regularly compared to 1.6m a decade ago.

The surge in participation has correlated with increasing elite success, with strong performances at London 2012 and Rio 2016 from Team GB’s cycling squad. This summer the team has achieved 11 medals – six gold – surpassing the maximum target of 10 set by UK Sport.

Grassroots participants are seemingly becoming inspired to take part competitively, with the number of members who have taken part in a race more than doubling from 29,500 to 62,000 since London 2012.

There are now 4,000 cycling events taking place every year in Britain with 300,000 entrants. In 2005, British Cycling's membership stood at just over 15,000.

Bob Howden, British Cycling president, said the number was a "fantastic endorsement from cyclists countrywide".

"In reaching 125,000 members, we have once again highlighted our ability to achieve ambitious targets," he added. "With our members' backing, we will continue to strive for further elite success and more people cycling more often as we continue to make cycling appealing to all."
RELATED STORIES
British Cycling facilities investment hits £10m


British Cycling has ploughed £10m (US$13.3m, €11.8m) of Sport England money into the development of purpose-built cycling facilities over the last seven years. The national governing body’s (NGB) outlay attracted a further £60m (US$79.7m, €71.1m) investment from partner organisations, which has helped fund the building of 24 facilities and the improvement work for seven other venues.
Opening up more paths to cycling will aid government sport strategy, says NGB


British Cycling has called upon the government to explore the possibility of opening up more public paths to cyclists to boost participation and help deliver on sport strategy outcomes.
British Cycling kicks off organisational review amid high profile sexism allegations


UK Sport and British Cycling have kicked off a review of the governing body’s “climate and culture” amid high profile allegations of sexism levelled at former technical director Shane Sutton.
More facilities would improve British cycling, says Rowsell-Shand


An increase in the number of indoor velodromes and outdoor road circuits would give British cycling the platform to improve further according to Joanna Rowsell-Shand.
MORE NEWS
Les Mills calls on the industry to support UNICEF
Global group exercise specialist, Les Mills, is inviting operators to sign up to its Workout for the World event on 20 June, in support of UNICEF.
HUM2N opens longevity clinic at Six Senses London
Global luxury hospitality brand, Six Senses, has partnered with longevity healthcare provider, HUM2N, to launch a clinic at Six Senses London, at The Whiteley.
KX Chelsea invests £15 million to upgrade its wellness offering
Premium London health club, KX Chelsea, will imminently unveil its most significant redevelopment since its launch in 2002 to create an integrated wellness model combining training, recovery and relaxation.
Researchers identify a drug which reduces muscle loss when using GLP-1 medications
Researchers in the US have identified an antibody which could greatly reduce the loss of lean muscle mass in people who are taking weight-loss medications.
Peloton signals potential move into reformer Pilates with Skop acquisition
Peloton has made the strategic acquisition of the Pilates start-up, Skōp, to support the expansion of its strength ecosystem.
Crunch Fitness creates more affordable reformer Pilates concept
Crunch Fitness has announced the launch of Crunch Reform Pilates – its own reformer concept designed to bring this fast growing, but rather expensive, modality into the mainstream.
+ More news   
 
FEATURED SUPPLIERS

Elevate 2026 to mark 10-year anniversary with biggest ever waterfront drinks reception
Elevate is set to celebrate its 10th anniversary in style this June, with organisers confirming the event’s largest-ever drinks reception as registrations continue to run more than 10% ahead of last year. [more...]

Reaching the people most gyms miss: Bedford Gym & Swim Campaign delivers 410 new members
One of the biggest mistakes the fitness industry still makes is advertising almost exclusively to people who already look and live like gym members. [more...]
+ More featured suppliers  
COMPANY PROFILES
ukactive

ukactive is the UK’s leading trade body for the physical activity sector, bringing together more tha [more...]
+ More profiles  
CATALOGUE GALLERY
+ More catalogues  

DIRECTORY
+ More directory  
DIARY

 

09-12 Jun 2026

W3Spa EMEA

Hotel Cascais Miragem Health & Spa, Portugal
13-13 Jun 2026

Global Wellness Day

Worldwide, Various,
+ More diary  
 


ADVERTISE . CONTACT US

Leisure Media
Tel: +44 (0)1462 431385

©Cybertrek 2026

ABOUT LEISURE MEDIA
LEISURE MEDIA MAGAZINES
LEISURE MEDIA HANDBOOKS
LEISURE MEDIA WEBSITES
LEISURE MEDIA PRODUCT SEARCH
PRINT SUBSCRIPTIONS
FREE DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTIONS