QUOTE:

That can only mean one thing, cycling is now officially mainstream, a
constant and growing presence in the psyche of the British sporting public.
Cycling has been on a steady upward climb since about 2004 in my estimation.
The Athens Olympics gave us taste of what the sport might become and the
glories of Beijing only built on that but the last 12 months have been of a
different magnitude altogether. What was it the economists told us last
month? Cycling is now worth £3.7b to the British economy, which is a pretty
sure-fire reflection of its increased popularity in these tough times. I
remember also pitching up for the Olympic Test event early one morning back
in August, thinking there might be a few hundred curious spectators lining
the route once they had polished off breakfast, only to be greeted by a
crowd in the region of 200,000 around Surrey's leafy lanes. There wasn't in
all honesty an awful lot of action to enjoy that day until Cavendish went to
work on the Mall - it should be a much more spectator friendly race in the
summer with big screens dotted around the course to enhance the experience -
but the British public are clearly beginning to "get " road cycling. The
event, the occasion, the tactics, the lore, the waiting, chatting and
cheering.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/oly...t-Britain.html

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Simon Mason