David Heatley

Is Cycling Really the New Golf?

By David Heatley
Published 25-Mar-08

A few years ago I read an article in a magazine quoting Bernard Hinault saying that "cycling was the new golf". I quickly dismissed the comment as I was having difficulty picturing executives donning lycra, shaving their legs and jumping on a bike to go out for a quick 120km “ride around the block” before lunchtime on the weekends. Now I’m not that sure. With an unusually high percentage of people attending the Bright Boot Camp coming from either senior management or an entrepreneurial background I’m having second thoughts. Recently I even hear that Sol Trujillo (the Chief Executive Officer of Telstra) was a member of the Waratah Veteran Cyclists Club in NSW making my vision of “executives donning lycra, shaving their legs and jumping on a bike” actually looking a lot more like reality than I would like… I certainly know that there are some people that find it far more interesting spending a holiday away on an adventure involving a bike than hanging out in some boring resort at a poolside doing nothing other than watching the scenery go by while sipping on some exotic and over priced drink. So is cycling the new golf? It would be interesting to know how many bikes vs. golf bags are sold each year. There are more bikes sold in Australia than cars. That’s surprising considering that a new high end bike is usually worth something close to that of an average second-hand car. But then looking at beach road on the weekend you would swear that there are far more bikes travelling along it than cars. Then there is the impact on bike riding due to the price of petrol or the state of Victorian’s tram and train system.

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2 Responses to "Is Cycling Really the New Golf?"

Meppy

said this on 25 Mar 2008 5:49:33 PM EST

Not sure about statistics but my experience definitely seems to be that there are more and more executives getting into cycling. I know there are now many more high end bikes being sold (e.g. Specialized S-Works) and appearing on the roofs of BMW X5s and Porsche Cayennes! I wonder if perhaps with the constant push to be healthier, most of us working longer hours, etc. if cycling is becomming a way for those with means and time to not only get healthy but also show off their wealth and status.

I ride with a mix of people from the racing mad youngsters to business owners and executives in their late 30s to mid 50s who are either rediscovering their love of cycling (and can now afford the time and costs) or discovering it for the first time. With the popularity of the sport growing, and the ability to spend a small fortune on your bike as well as all the clothes and parts I think it is inevitable that more and more financially secure individuals will get into the sport for all sorts of reasons (I think there is even a millionaires ride here in Melbourne and no doubt in other cities).

I don't think it will ever be as popular as golf, but I certainly think it is more fun and better for you!

One other thing to consider is that it probably makes sense that people that push hard and are successful in their business life are also likely to do the same in their sport and passtimes. I know of plenty of execs that are training for overseas tours, etc. In the past triathalons or marathons have been popular, now cycling is taking over perhaps (especially for all us technically minded types who love all the gadgets and technology).