BIKE shops all over the Fylde are booming in the wake of Olympic cycling success.
As the Tour of Britain comes to Blackpool today, it seems all those couch potatoes watching Tour de France maestro Wiggins win gold and Sir Chris Hoy and Co clean up on the track have been inspired to get into the saddle.
For retailers around the town it is a case of making hay while the sun shines.
Heather McMurray, who runs Wyre Cycles in Poulton with her husband Graham, said: “We’ve set up a cycling club at the shop which has 48 members already and we’re also in the process of relocating to bigger premises.
“When we move later this month our shop will have a cycle loft upstairs, when we’ll have a sofa and a table full of Cycling Weekly magazines and people will be able to have a brew and a chat.
“It is the right time to be involved with the sport because there is no doubt it is going from strength to strength.
“Success has had an effect. It is getting people on to their bikes, not just youngsters but a lot of adults who used to cycle and gave it up for whatever reason.
“Since the Olympics we’ve had an influx of new customers in the shop and also joining our cycling club and there’s no sign of it stopping.”
Val Clewes, who owns Bodens Cycles, on Station Terrace, Blackpool the shop with husband John, is also benefiting from the cycling craze.
She said: “The interest in the sport has been growing for a few years now but it is since the Tour de France – and Bradley Wiggins winning – and the Olympics that we’ve really seen a difference. The bottom line is that cycling is now see as a good sport to get into, which perhaps hasn’t always been the case.”
Mrs Clewes added: “I think as you get older cycling and swimming are probably the easiest ways to stay healthy.”
The kind of bike used by Wiggins and his cohorts costs about £7,000 minimum.
It is a lot less to get a hybrid from your local store, a basic but decent bike costing in the region of £250.
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