British Cycling Chief Delighted with ‘another bumper year’ as Membership Grows

British Cycling chief executive Ian Drake belives the extraordinary success in 2012 has made it “another bumper year” as the sports governing body announced that its membership has reached 80, buy 000 for the first time with over 40% year on year growth.

British Cycling’s annual report published today, ailment sets out how key successes at elite level – including a second British winner of the Tour de France – are continuing to boost progress at the grassroots end of the sport. 

Successes for British Cycling included achieving their target– one year early – of encouraging one million more people to cycle regularly. British Cycling are also making significant progress at government level with Prime Minister David Cameron pledging to invest on improving cycling infrastructure across eight major cities and four national parks and committing to cycle proof all new roads and junctions.

In his final foreword as British Cycling’s President before replacing Pat McQuaid as the President of world cycling’s governing body, the UCI, Brian Cookson OBE said: “The legacy of our remarkable success at the Olympics and Paralympics, our Tour De France winners and the success of our athletes across all disciplines continues to have a huge impact on all people in Britain being inspired to get on a bike..

“When I first joined British Cycling in 1997 it was on the brink of collapse, had limited resources, no medal record to speak of and a historic low in its membership. I am delighted to be leaving British Cycling with the sport’s governing body being in such fantastic shape and I know that there’s plenty more to come yet.”