London, UK — (SBWIRE) — 07/19/2012 — On July 27, the London 2012 Olympics will begin. Around the world, millions of fans will watch as top athletes compete in a wide variety of events.

Some of the most popular Olympic events center around cycling. From road and track racing to mountain biking and the triathlon, watching the best athletes in the world compete in these various events is incredibly exciting.

For some viewers, watching the skilled athletes zip around the track on their bikes will inspire them to take up cycling for exercise. For others with more cycling experience, the Olympics will also cause them to become more serious about their training.

A cycling company has been getting a lot of attention lately for its full line of bicycles including the leading brands of bikes and cycling equipment.

Eureka Cycle Sports stocks the types of bicycles that are used in cycling sporting events like the Olympics. The UK-based company has a wide selection of mountain, track, cycling and Eureka triathlon gear. In addition, the store’s friendly and knowledgeable staff can help advise shoppers on what sort of bicycle might be best for them.

“Eureka Cycle Sports is our way of sharing our knowledge, experience and zeal with the wider cycling community,” an article on the company’s website noted, adding that no matter how experienced someone is in cycling, the store is the first place to come for sound advice and the right products.

“If you’re looking for something very particular such as a specific bike frame or triathlon bike and we don’t have it in stock, we’ll do our absolute best to track it down for you.”

Biking enthusiasts are welcome to visit Eureka Cycle Sports’ Chester location or look through the shop’s user-friendly website. Category tabs on the top of the home page will help cyclists find the exact type of equipment they are looking for.

For example, selecting “Bikes” will bring up a selection of bicycles including mountain, road racing and time trial. Each bike is accompanied by a photo, price, and detailed product information. Shoppers may also shop by brand, which includes a wide variety of well-known and respected companies like Scott, Moda and Colnago.

In addition, clicking on the red “Clearance Sale” tab will bring shoppers to a page devoted to Eureka sale bikes, gear and equipment.

About Eureka Cycle Sports
Eureka Cycle Sports is a leading UK-based cycle shop, stocking a huge range of the leading bike brands and cycling equipment. The shop’s experts can guide and inform customers ranging from beginner to professional athletes. Shoppers can browse their new website catalog or visit their Chester location. For more information, please visit http://www.eurekacyclesports.co.uk

At the end of the day, the greatest pleasure is on the table. Dinner comes
with a sense of entitlement and a decent bottle — be it réserve du patron or
a grand cru classé – bought with euros not spent on petrol. French food
never tasted so good, and after a week on the road you will have lost
weight.

Try France on two wheels, self-propelled. It is not the only way to travel,
but it is a good way forward. Here are three suggestions of areas to
explore, with itineraries – hotel prices are guides, per person based on
half board.

Three top itineraries

Easy riding

Along the Loire from Saumur to Orléans (about 155 miles)

This is the historic section of the Loire Valley, through the vineyards and
orchards of Touraine, the Garden of France, via gracious Renaissance
châteaux as far as the river’s northernmost point at Orléans. Trains run
along the Loire, so a cycling trip could scarcely be easier. Drop the car at
a station, pedal along the river bank until you’ve had enough, hop on a
train and return to Go. Or do the whole thing by train from the UK. Riding
upstream may seem counter-intuitive, but gives you a better chance of wind
assistance.

^{Vineyards in Touraine}

La Loire à Vélo (www.loireavelo.fr)
is an itinerary designed for cyclists, on a mixture of minor roads and
dedicated cycle paths, mostly following the river. Signage is a bit patchy –
as a general rule, keep to the quieter road along the left (south) bank.

The greatest problem is what to leave out: this stretch of the Loire, not
forgetting its tributaries the Indre and Cher, could fill a month. For those
less well-versed in French kings, mistresses and religious wars, châteaux in
private ownership such as Cheverny and Ussé may be more fun to visit than
the grandes machines such as Chambord, Amboise and Blois.

Châteaux are not the only attraction. Saumur’s Ecole Nationale d’Equitation,
the equine Académie Française, is worth visiting, as is nearby Fontevraud
Abbey with its Plantagenet royal tombs. Troglodyte dwellings in the white
cliffs beside the Loire and Cher are a local feature – the attractive little
town of Montrichard is a good base for troglo-tourism and wine tasting.
Orléans has a lot going for it: cheerful bars and restaurants in the old
quarter between the cathedral and the river. Make your entry via the Pont
Royal, up the arcaded Rue Royale to the vast Place du Martroi, where St Joan
rides a green horse.

Travel: either overnight car ferry Portsmouth/Caen (Brittany Ferries, www.brittany-ferries.co.uk),
or by train from London via Paris.

Day 1: Saumur – Fontevraud, stay at Hostellerie la Croix Blanche £90
(0033241517111; www.hotel-croixblanche.com)
10 miles
Day 2: Fontevraud – Candes – Ussé – Langeais – Azay le Rideau, stay at
Le Grand Monarque £90 (0033247454008; www.legrandmonarque.com)
30 miles
Day 3: Azay-le-Rideau – Montbazon – Azay sur Cher – Chenonceaux, stay
at Le Bon Laboureur £150 (0033247239002; www.bonlaboureur.com)
35 miles
Day 4: Chenonceaux – Montrichard – Cheverny – Chitenay, stay at
L’Auberge du Centre £90 (0033254704211; www.auberge-du-centre.com)
30 miles
Day 5: Chitenay – Blois – St Dyé – Chambord – Beaugency, stay at L’Ecu
de Bretagne £85 (0033238446760; www.ecu-de-bretagne.fr)
35 miles
Day 6: Meung sur Loire – Cléry St André – Orléans 15 miles. Train to
Saumur or London via Paris.

^{Château de Cheverny}

Cruise control

Vallorbe to the Loire. About 250 miles.

The TGV makes light work of the journey to Switzerland — three hours from
Paris to the border at Vallorbe. Hop off here, and save most of the sweat of
the long haul up from Lake Geneva to the crest of the Jura at the Col de
Jougne (1,008m). From which point it’s freewheeling all the way through
Franche-Comté in long rolling stages, the landscape changing from forest and
timber mills to vineyards and vegetable gardens. After Arbois, a grey-gold
town of rhythmic arcades and interesting local wines that rarely make their
way abroad, come the wetlands of the Bresse, a quiet corner of la France
profonde best known for its chickens, which have their own appellation
contrôlée. Burgundy spells hills, history and rich rewards for the gourmet
cyclist.

Call a halt at Beaune for sightseeing and wine tasting at the Hôtel-Dieu and
Marché aux Vins, but don’t overdo the intake: many ups and downs lie before
the fortress village of Chateauneuf-en-Auxois, a good stopover above the
motorway and Canal de Bourgogne.

From Vézelay (off caps for the pilgrimage church and Marc Meneau’s pilgrimage
restaurant) there are a half a dozen possible routes through peaceful
Puisaye. We chose the one with the prettiest-sounding villages – Lucy sur
Yonne and Druyes les Belles Fontaines – and Guédelon, a 13th-century castle
under construction in the middle of nowhere, and scheduled for completion in
2025. The route reaches the Loire near Briare, famous for Mr Eiffel’s
aqueduct, which carries the Canal Latéral à La Loire over the Loire to meet
the Canal de Briare. Wine buffs might prefer to aim for Sancerre or Pouilly,
exactly half way between the source of the Loire and the Atlantic, finishing
the ride with goat’s cheese and flinty white wine. Catch the train back to
Paris from Tracy (opposite Sancerre) or Briare.

Travel: by train via London/Paris

Day 1: Vallorbe-Malbuisson, stay at Le Bon Accueil £100 (0033381693058; www.le-bon-accueil.fr)
10 miles
Day 2: Malbuisson- Salins – Arc et Senans – Arbois, stay at Les
Messageries £40 BB (0033384661545; www.hoteldesmessageries.com)
50 miles
Day 3: Arbois – Pierre de Bresse – Beaune, stay at le Grillon £45 BB
(0033380224425; www.hotel-grillon.fr)
55 miles
Day 4: Beaune – Fussey – La Bussière – Châteauneuf, stay at Hostellerie
du Château £85 (0033380492200; www.hostellerie-de-chateauneuf.com)
25 miles
Day 5: Châteauneuf – Saulieu – Quarré les Tombes –
St-Père-sous-Vézelay, stay at La Renommée, £40 BB,
(00333 86332134) 55 miles
Day 6: St-Père – Sancerre – Chavignol , stay at La Côte des Monts
Damnés £110 (0033248540172; www.montsdamnes.com)
55 miles.

^{A view towards the fortress village of Chateauneuf-en-Auxois}

Tough stuff

A circuit in the Massif Central, starting from Vichy: Up the Upper Allier,
down the Upper Loire. About 310 miles.

Conquerors of giddy Alpine passes would not raise a sweat in the Massif
Central, but if your bicycle frame of reference is flat to undulating, as
mine is, the upper reaches of the Allier and Loire are hard going, rewarded
by some of the wildest country in France, now being recolonised by wolves.

We tackled the Allier by mistake, having planned to travel up it by train to
Langogne, our intended gateway to the source of the Loire. But the railway
was closed for maintenance – this happens every autumn — and in retrospect
the scenery was worth every bead of sweat. Cycling down from the source of
the Loire to Le Puy has its steep moments too, because there is no road that
follows the river’s infant contortions exactly, so the idea of cruising
easily down country lanes beside the water is fantasy.

Although the main appeal of this circuit is scenic, there are beautiful
churches to visit at Issoire, Brioude, Lavaudieu and Le Puy; the macabre fun
of visiting the Auberge de Peyrebeille, notorious for its serial killer
hosts (early 19th century); and the mouth-watering prospect of a lifetime
lunch chez Troisgros at Roanne (lunch menu 100 euros; 0033477716697),
followed by an hour’s snoring on the train back to Vichy. More energetic
cyclists might prefer to pedal over the hills (about 40 miles).

Travel: by overnight car ferry or train via London/Paris

Day 1: Vichy – Lezoux, stay at Les Voyageurs £70 (0033473731049) or
Château de Codignat £200 (0033473684303; www.codignat.com)
25 miles
Day 2: Lezoux-Issoire-Brioude, stay at Poste et Champanne £70
(0033471501462; www.hotel-de-la-poste-brioude.com)
50 miles
Day 3: Brioude – St Ilpize – Langeac – Alleyras, stay at Le Haut-Allier
£125 (0033471575763; www.lehaut-allier.com)
50 miles
Day 4: Alleyras – Auberge de Peyrebeille – Ste Eulalie, stay at Hotel
du Nord £70 (0033475388009; www.hoteldunord-ardeche.com)
45 miles
Day 5: Ste Eulalie – Gerbier de Jonc – Goudet – le Puy – Vorey, stay at
Les Rives de l’Arzon £70 (0033471011399; www.hotel-rives-arzon.fr)
55 miles
Day 6: Vorey – Chambles – Feurs, stay at Etesia £40 BB
(0033477270777; www.hotel-etesia.fr)
60 miles
Day 7: Feurs – Roanne. By train to Vichy.

^{Le Puy}

Cycling tips

Don’t carry anything on your back.
My solution to the problem of valuables is shorts with zip pockets.
Keep your mouth shut and always wear sunglasses.
Take a spare inner tube. It’s quicker to switch tubes by the roadside and
repair a flat tyre later.
Don’t be too proud to get off and walk. It will be a welcome change for the
leg muscles and backside. And what’s the hurry, anyway?

Trains

French railways are generally bike-friendly. Unfortunately not all high-speed
trains accept bikes. Find out more via the SNCF website (www.voyages-sncf.com),
clicking the details icon of suitable trains – a picture of a bicycle means
the train has bike spaces. These cost 10E, must be booked at the same time
as the ticket and cannot be booked online. Calling Rail Europe (08448 484
064; www.raileurope.co.uk)
is the simplest way to book (though with an extra charge for telephone
booking). A bike space on Eurostar (0844 822 5822; www.eurostar.co.uk)
costs £30 each way. If you dismantle your bike and pack it in a special bag,
you can take it on any train at no extra charge. But bike bags are too bulky
to carry while cycling, so this option is impractical unless your ride is a
circuit. Bicycles are not permitted on the Paris Metro but can be taken on
the suburban RER network outside rush hour, and this will get you between
Gare du Nord and Gare de Lyon or Montparnasse, if you don’t want to cycle.

Route planning

Online (www.viamichelin.fr).

Maps: Michelin road atlas (1:200,000), for greater detail, and contours, IGN
1:100,000 series.
Adam Ruck’s book of long French bike rides, France On Two Wheels, is published
by Short Books @ £8.99. www.france2wheels.com.

Pendleton is expected by many to defend her Olympic title at London 2012 and admits she has had so much success that she feels trapped by the weight of expectation.

‘My success has got so great, it’s like I’m trapped, almost, within it,’ said Pendleton.

The 31-year-old will retire following the Games and wants her performance in London to be the best of her career as she aims to bow out on a high.

‘The only thing that really matters to me is going well in London.

‘That’s all that matters – that’s all I’m trying to do.

‘I want it to be the most amazing exit that I could possibly have from the sport.’

Putting on a brave face: Winning Olympic gold was Victoria Pendleton’s ‘saddest’ day (Picture: Getty)

Pendleton stars in a BBC One documentary titled ‘Victoria Pendleton: Cycling’s Golden Girl’ tonight and emotionally opens up on her career in cycling.

‘I compete in a sport on an individual basis but I have never done it for me.

‘I was always cycling for my dad.

‘Then the coaches got bigger and my results got better.

‘Suddenly the responsibility grows and I’m doing it for somebody else, I’m doing it for a programme, I’m doing it for the country, I’m doing it for, like, everybody.’

The hardest time in her career came, ironically, after winning gold in Beijing four years ago when her relationship with Scott Gardner, a member of the British Cycling support team, became public.

‘Winning the gold medal should have been the happiest day of my entire life and it just wasn’t.

‘It felt like the saddest day of my life.

‘Everyone was so angry with us, that Scott and I had fallen in love, because it was so unprofessional and we were a disgrace and had betrayed everybody.’

We’re dividing the four Olympic cycling disciplines into two families: old school and new school. Here, we take a look at the one of the more traditional velo-disciplines, road cycling.

After a mass start on The Mall in London, the peloton will zip through Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea before crossing the River Thames at Putney Bridge. The real action will start in Surrey. There riders will make multiple, 9.6-mile circuits of Box Hill, where Jane Austen’s Emma endured an unhappy picnic, and where the suffering of the peloton is sure to be ratcheted up: multiple attacks are sure to be launched on this climb.

From there, the course takes riders back to central London, for what is likely to be a thrilling sprint finish on the Mall, outside Buckingham Palace. Men will race 250 kilometers; women will race 140.

Athletes To Watch

Peter Sagan, Slovakia: With 14 stage wins this season alone, the 22-year-old has been cycling’s most dominant rider in 2012. After winning an uncanny five of eight stages at the Amgen Tour of California, Sagan won two of the first three days at the Tour de France. A classic roleur — a strong, tough rider able to push a big gear for hours on end — Sagan is better equipped than the sport’s pure sprinters to survive those nine climbs of Box Hill with the leaders. In sprint finishes bereft of pure sprinters, he has been unbeatable.

Tom Boonen, Belgium: The Olympic road race is similar to one of cycling’s one-day “Classics.” That would seem to favor Boonen, winner of four Classics earlier this season — an incredible run capped by his fourth victory in Paris-Roubaix. The rider known as “Tommeke” skipped this year’s Tour de France — which ends six days before the Olympic road race — to prepare for London.

Mark Cavendish, England: The best sprinter of his generation, “Cav” has won an incredible 21 stages of the Tour de France, and is the reigning world champion in the road race. With the Olympics in mind, he dropped nine or so pounds this season from his usual racing weight. While he figures that weight loss cost him a smidgen of his top-end speed, it will also ensure that he doesn’t get dropped on Box Hill. A native of the Isle of Man, the so-called Manx Missile has focused his season on “competing for the flag I was born under.”

U.S. Prospects

Tyler Farrar: the best U.S. sprinter since Davis (Thor) Phinney was winning Tour de France stages in the ’80s, the 28-year-old Farrar is the only American to have won stages in each of cycling’s three grand tours: The Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a Espana. While he hadn’t won a stage of the ’12 Tour de France, as of this writing, he did earn bad-ass points by chasing Tom Veelers onto the Argos-Shimano bus after he and Veelers traded paint at the end of Stage 5.

Evelyn Stevens: One of the best stories at these Games. Four years after taking a racing clinic in Central Park — “They told us, ‘If you’re gonna do a bike race, you take off your saddlebag, and remove the reflectors from your wheels,’” she recalls — and three years after quitting her investment banking gig at Lehman Brothers to chase a dream, she won La Fleche Wallonne Femmes last April. The former Dartmouth tennis player was the only automatic qualifier for the Olympic road race among U.S. women.

Fun Fact

After commissioning a detailed wildlife survey, LOCOG green-lighted the clearing of brush and shrubs to accommodate 15,000 spectators along the Zig-Zag Road section of Box Hill.

Gold Medal Dates

July 28: Men’s race

July 29: Women’s race

Time Trial

Rocking skinsuits and tear-dropped shaped helmets, draped over specialized, impossibly light carbon-fiber racing machines, riders take off at 90-second intervals in this “race against the clock.” The course starts and finishes at Hampton Court Palace, built by Henry VIII to rival Versailles. The men’s race is 44 kilometers; the women’s 29.

Athletes To Watch

Kristin Armstrong, U.S.: Following her dominant win in this event at the Beijing Olympics, Armstrong retired, had a baby boy, Lucas, then announced in 2010 that she was coming back to the sport. Since then, she’s won eight of the eight time trials she’s entered. After breaking her collarbone in a crash at the Exergy Tour in Idaho last May, she remounted her bike and finished the stage. Her clavicle healed, Armstrong has regained her status as the favorite in this event.

Bradley Wiggins, U.K.: This event could cap one of the most amazing cycling seasons ever for Wiggins, a Briton riding for Team Sky who, at this writing, is leading the Tour de France. Ten days after the Tour, and four days after riding in support of Cavendish in the road race, Wiggins will roll down the ramp at Hampton Court as one of the favorites in the TT. Wiggo has already won six Olympic medals — three gold — but those were all in the velodrome. Since Beijing, the IOC has yanked Wiggins’ pet event, the individual pursuit, from the Olympic program. So he’ll go for glory on the road.

Fabian Cancellara, Switzerland: The Swiss Time Machine has been so dominant in his career that he was accused three years ago of using a hidden electric engine inside his bike. The defending Olympic champion in this event, Cancellara broke his collarbone earlier this spring, but proved that he has re-discovered his form by winning the Tour de France prologue then holding the yellow jersey for six days.

Tony Martin, Germany: The reigning world champion in this event, Martin has had some tough luck this season, fracturing his cheekbone in a training collision with a car last April. In the Tour de France prologue, he was on pace to beat Cancellara, but lost a half-minute with a flat tire.

U.S. Prospect

Taylor Phinney lived up to the hype that has attended his brief career by winning the prologue at the Giro d’Italia, then holding the jersey for three days. The son of ex-Olympic medalists Connie Carpenter and Davis Phinney, Taylor is a two-time world champion in the individual pursuit, and would’ve been a favorite to medal in that event had the IOC not scrapped it. While the 44-km course is longish, for him, he didn’t contest the Tour de France, and will have had two months to get ready for London.

Gold Medal Date

Aug. 1: Men’s and women’s time trial

Jake Phipps (Hornby Hobbies)

A 12-year-old has completed his mammoth 2,012km bike ride to every Olympic venue in the UK.

Jake Phipps, from
Worcestershire, set off from Hampden Park, Glasgow on 9
June and arrived at the Olympic stadium in London on 16 July – two days ahead of
schedule. It took just 38 days – an
average of 53km each day – for him to reach his final destination, with
charities Action for Children and Access Sport benefiting from his efforts.

 “It’s been a fantastic experience and we’ve
met some amazing people. I’ve really enjoyed being out on the road, although
it’s was very hard work at times!” he said.

Olympic venues on his radar
were football stadiums in Newcastle, Manchester, Coventry and Cardiff, plus the sailing venue in Weymouth. Jake’s effort was supported by Hornby
Hobbies, who donated £1,000 to Jake’s nominated charities and kitted him out for the challenge.

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Cyclists should be able to use dedicated Olympic traffic lanes, a cross-party
group of MPs demanded today.

Cyclists are among road users banned from London’s so-called Zil lanes,
available only to Olympics officials, athletes and other approved vehicles.

But MPs from across the political divide called on Transport for London (TfL)
to allow cyclists to use the lanes without the threat of a £130 fine.

They tabled a Commons petition, or early day motion (EDM), claiming the
exclusion would lead to traffic jams and deter Londoners from cycling to
work.

The motion was tabled by Tom Brake, Lib Dem spokesman for London, who said
cyclists’ safety could be jeopardised as they struggle for space in busy
lanes used by all non-Games traffic.

“We are expecting Team GB to win many cycling medals over the next few weeks
and we have seen very strong growth in commuter cycling,” Mr Brake said.

“London is potentially going to be extremely congested during the Olympics
period, so clearly I’m worried about the safety of cyclists.

“We should be encouraging as many commuters as possible to get on their bikes
to reduce congestion.

“If they are going to have to fight their way through all the extra traffic
because they’re banned from these lanes, they aren’t going to take the
risk.”

Conservative MP Sir Peter Bottomley, who has signed the EDM, believed cyclists
in Games lanes would cause little disruption to vehicles driving to Olympic
Park venues.

“If a bus is in front of an approved car, yes they are going to be held
up. If a lorry is in front of them, they will be held up. But if it’s a
cyclist it isn’t difficult to get past,” he said.

“I don’t see why cyclists should be forced into one of the remaining
lanes with all the other traffic, which would be dangerous.”

He said many of the dedicated lanes would be empty most of the time and it
would be foolish to punish cyclists who dip into the lanes to beat queues.

Although the Commons went into recess yesterday, the MPs hope the Government,
TfL and Games organisers would read the EDM and change their mind.

National cycling charity CTC’s policy co-ordinator Chris Peck said: “The
Government has been urging people to take to two wheels to avoid clogging
the roads, but restricting them to only one lane of the road will put
cyclists in more danger, particularly if they have to share it with lorries
or other large vehicles.”

TfL’s chief operating officer for surface transport, Garrett Emmerson, said:
“All road users will be allowed to use the Olympic route network, but
restrictions will apply on the Games lanes.

“However, we expect cyclists to be largely unaffected as 95% of Games
lanes will be in the outside lane of dual carriageway, which cyclists don’t
generally use anyway.

“Five percent of the Games lanes will be kerbside, and cyclists will be
allowed to use the majority of these unless on-street signage states otherwise.”

The EDM, signed by Conservative, Liberal Democrat and Labour MPs, says: “That
this House recognises the outstanding development and success of
professional cycling in the UK over the past 10 years, as well as the
welcome growth of amateur cycling in the UK; but raises concern about the
logistical impact of Olympic Games lanes on the daily commute of cyclists
and calls on TfL to monitor on a daily basis whether cyclists need to be
excluded from the Games lanes which will exacerbate congestion and send the
wrong message about the importance of commuting by bike.”

LONDON — Britons may be watching lots of Olympic athletes this summer but they sure aren’t moving more themselves.

When London was awarded the 2012 Summer Olympics seven years ago, officials promised they would get 2 million more people physically active in time for the opening ceremonies.

But when the torch is lit July 27, the government will not only have failed, it will have backed away from its pledge entirely. Last year, the U.K. quietly dropped its aim to get 1 million more Britons into sports; the pledge to get another 1 million people more active through things like biking or walking to work has also been scrapped.

Some experts lamented the missed opportunity.

“Olympic sports are seen as elite and not part of everyday life,” said Adrian Bauman of the University of Sydney in Australia. “Having the Olympics doesn’t translate into more physical activity unless there is a strong infrastructure to get people involved.”

Britain’s strategy was based largely on providing free school sports programs for children. While numbers grew in the first few years, they have since flat lined, according to national surveys. As the government cut spending amid Europe’s debt crisis, it also slashed sports programs for adults, including free swimming for Londoners.

With a population of about 60 million, Britain is western Europe’s fattest country. Soccer is wildly popular, but Britons are more likely to cheer on their favorite teams from the local pub rather than emulating them on the pitch.

Olympics secretary Jeremy Hunt said the government was looking for other ways to measure people’s activity levels and insisted it was still working with local sports clubs to boost participation. A government spokesman called the original target “arbitrary.”

“The Olympics do inspire people, but there is no evidence there are increased physical activity levels afterwards,” said Bill Kohl, director of the physical activity epidemiology program at the University of Texas School of Public Health. “Most people realize they will never be (track star) Usain Bolt.”

On Wednesday, Kohl authored a paper that labeled low levels of physical activity worldwide a “pandemic.” It was published in the Lancet medical journal.

Another study concluded being a couch potato was as potentially lethal as smoking or being obese. Researchers estimated that a lack of physical activity causes about 1 in 10 deaths worldwide and is responsible for about 7 percent of type 2 diabetes cases and 10 percent of breast cancer and colon cancer cases.

“For the individual, it is certainly more dangerous to smoke than to be physically inactive,” Kohl said. “But on a population level, the impact of physical inactivity is equal to smoking.”

Critics have slammed London 2012 chairman Sebastian Coe for his failure to deliver on organizers’ physical activity pledge.

“We are way off target,” said Mike Weed, director of the Centre for Sport, Physical Education and Activity Research at Canterbury Christ Church University. Based on current numbers, he said the promise to get 2 million more people active wouldn’t happen until about 2035.

No host country of the Olympics has ever been able to convert enthusiasm for the games into a sporty population.

Weed said elite Olympians weren’t the best role models for average Britons and cited a much less athletic example: chunky London mayor Boris Johnson, who has introduced a popular bike rental system in the British capital.

“If you see somebody in Lycra at the Olympics on a 10,000-pound ($15,600) bike, that says this is not for you,” Weed said. “But if you see Boris Johnson in a suit riding along on an obviously unsporty bike, the message is that if he can do it, anyone can.”

Cyclists praise a new era of cycling through Wanstead Park as consultation opens

11:21am Wednesday 18th July 2012 in Redbridge News

By Melanie Attlesey

Chris Elliot on the site of the proposed cycle path

CYCLISTS are praising a new era in cycling as a public consultation for the first ever cycle route through Wanstead Park opens.

Several local groups have pushed the City of London Corporation over the past 18 months to enforce a clause in a byelaw dating from 1950 to allow cyclists to cycle through the park.

The byelaw prohibits free cycling across the park, but conservators of the park have the power to allow cycling on a permissive route.

Cycling campaign group, London Cycling Campaign pushed for the new cycle route.

Member of the campaign group, Chris Elliot, 57, of Wanstead Park Avenue welcomes the move.

He said: “Anything that improves cycling through the park will be welcome because there is a natural route to cycle through the park between Wanstead and Aldersbrook.

“City of London have been a lot more open to discussion in recent years and now they are saying there is a way in which people and cyclists can use the park without harming its beauty.

“I will of course be making use of the route if the proposals get the go ahead.”

The new route will make cycling from Wanstead to Aldersbrook easier for people who work in the area and for children using the park to get to school.

Keen cyclist Andrew Davies, 41, who works at the Bike Trax store in Cambridge Park said the proposal can only be a good thing.

He said: “It is common sense at the end of the day, if we can push more people onto a bike then it has got to be a good thing.”

Cycling Conservative cllr Paul Canal also agrees the path will do wonders for encouraging more people to use the park and to get on their bikes.

He said: “It is bizarre that in the 21st century you can’t cycle through Wanstead Park.

“To allow people to cycle across the park will not only encourage more people to cycle, but also to to enjoy the park.”

A route currently exists to the west of the park on the boundary between Wanstead Flats and Wanstead Park.

The public consultation opens on July 21 until August 12, to have your say visit cityoflondon.gov.uk/eppingforest.

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