ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the rise of the ‘Middle-Aged-Men-in-Lycra’ (MAMIL) and its idiosyncrasies, and, in particular, the reasons for the upsurge of interest and engagement in amateur sports road cycling across the Anglosphere (and beyond) and the meanings associated with cycling practice. The seed of cycling fervour in the UK can perhaps be traced to British Cycling success at the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008 when the GB Cycling Team dominated track cycling winning 7 gold, 4 silver and 2 bronze medals, while on the road, Nicole Cook became the first British woman to win an Olympic Gold medal in any cycling discipline. Elite cycling events such as the Grand Tours and the Olympics may have captured the public imagination, but as a spectator sport rather than a participatory practice. The chapter concludes with some thoughts on what this might mean for the future of amateur cycling, particularly in relation to social relations and cycling more generally.
