BikeBiz Bicycle and cycling retail news
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Read our May to August review here.
September
-September was the month that 2pure merged with Chocolate Distribution
-The month also saw a new Transport Secretary installed – Patrick McLoughlin – was appointed following the cabinet reshuffle
–Paralympic cyclists picked up the gold medal baton for Team GB, with the likes of Sarah Storey leading the way
-Proving the nation was not tired of watching cycling, the Tour of Britain was broadcast live on ITV4 for the first time
–A Daily Mail columnist wanted cyclists to be licenced, telling us all about it in a column suspiciously similar to one she wrote years ago…
-With funding in place, Reading Council was the latest UK town to set about a city cycle hire scheme, with scouts choosing the best locations for docking stations
October
-Lance Armstrong’s reputation suffered blow after blow in October. The USADA finally produced its doping dossier for the UCI which confirmed, on October 22nd, that he was a cheat, unleashing a scandal that threatened to dwarf the positive name cycling earned at the Tour de France and Olympics of 2012
-But it wasn’t all bad news. Labour committed to separate cycle paths during its Party Conference, the Tour of Britain got its largest TV audience ever (won by Jonathan Tiernan Locke), it was revealed that one million more Brits are getting on their bikes more regularly and NEC Cycle Show attendance grew too
-October also saw Neil Merry retire from the cycle business. The former CSG UK joint MD first joined (then named) Hot Wheels in 1984.
-Italian newspaper La Repubblica reported that sales of bicycles had outstripped those of motor vehicles in Italy for the first time since the ‘60s
-Statistics revealed a rise in British bike manufacture
November
–Decathlon unveiled plans to open 100 stores and 30 sports villages in the UK
-PON Holdings acquired Union Bicycles from the Dutch Bicycle Group, the latest is a line takeovers that saw it snap up Cervelo in February
-The lead up to the launch of Madison Genesis Pro team continued with a team up with Volvo
-DfT figures revealed a nine per cent rise in cyclists killed or seriously injured on the roads.
-The Times kept up its cycle advocacy with a strong call to make cities adapt to bikes
December
-The BBC evoked a few strong reactions from the cycle community. It started well with a documentary on ‘Peak Car’ and the bike boom, but a few days later it became clear the ‘War on the Roads’ documentary might be cause for concern.
-Sadly, Dr Alex Moulton passed away, weeks after Moulton Bikes celebrated its 50th anniversary.
-But December also saw plenty of welcome news, including the Chancellor announcing that £42m would be dedicated to cycling.
-The month also saw confirmation that Yorkshire would be hosting part of the 2014 Tour de France
-We’ve polished BikeBiz’s crystal ball and through the mists (or dust) we’ve seen some extraordinary sights for 2013. There will be a blazing hot summer, a new commitment to spend cash on cycle infrastructure from the government, an increase in the cycle to work threshold to over £1,000, a cut in business rates, free coffee for cyclists…OK, not all of these will necessarily happen, but we live in hope. In the unlikely event that all this has failed to sate your desire for 2012 headlines head to www.bikebiz.com/news/archive for hundreds of more stories from 2012.
PIC CREDIT: Tour of Britain
