In 2016 , Simon Mottram of the cycling clothing brand Rapha traced the boom back to the after-effects of the 7 July 2005 London bombings , which closed parts of the Tube and encouraged many commuters onto bicycles . Two years later , the Tour de France started in London on the anniversary of the attack , and the following year Team GB dominated cycling at the Beijing Olympics . He also credits the financial incentive of the Cycle to Work scheme ( introduced in 1999 ) , and the increasing emphasis on health and congestion . " British Cycling , the sport 's governing body , claimed that over " two million people across the country now cycle at least once a week , an all-time high " . Halfords , responsible for a third of bikes sold in the UK , reported an increase of sales of 11 % up to March 2015 . Much attention has been given to the so-called mamils , middle-aged men in lycra , but many customers are younger men , and the most rapidly growing group is women . One of the older men , the architecture writer and cycle campaigner Peter Murray , described how business relationships are created and nurtured during longer rides ; the BBC referred to cycling being " the new golf " in this sense . " With the development of technology , the 2010s also saw the rise of Bicycle-sharing systems around the world
7 July 2005 London bombings
7 July 2005 London bombings
Bike boom