Cycling in England, by the numbers

Start with how people ride. The DfT walking and cycling statistics for England 2023 say that in England in 2023 people cycled an estimated 0.9 billion stages, from the National Travel Survey (as of Nov 2026).

The same release says the average person in England in 2023 made 15 cycling trips and cycled 47 miles; 2% of all trips and 1% of distance were by cycle (as of Nov 2026).

Two notes on the data itself. The DfT walking and cycling statistics collection is based on the National Travel Survey and Active Lives Survey, and DfT noted on 27 March 2025 that the Cycling Traffic Index publication was suspended (as of Nov 2026).

Reading those figures as a writer

Here's what I take from them. Cycling is a small share of trips, which means most readers aren't committed riders yet. They're commuters thinking about it, parents weighing up a bike for the school run, or people who bought one and stopped using it.

So the articles that work here meet those readers where they are. A pitch that assumes everyone owns three bikes and races at weekends will miss most of them.

And because one DfT publication was suspended, don't build a piece on a trend line you can't source. Use the figures above with their dates, or tell me where yours come from.

One more thing the numbers suggest. Average distance per person is short, which tells me plenty of riding is local: errands, school runs, short commutes. Those everyday trips are badly served by most cycling content, which leans towards long rides and racing. If you can write well about the ordinary ride, you'll have readers who rarely see themselves in a cycling article.

Gaps worth filling, and who should fill them

The gap	Who can fill it	What I decline
Getting back on a bike after years off	A coach or ride leader who's guided returners	Generic motivation with no plan
Commuting by bike in all weathers	Someone who's done it for at least a full winter	Kit lists copied from a shop page
Keeping a bike running for little effort	A mechanic or shop owner	Repair steps you haven't done yourself
Choosing between an e-bike and a standard bike	A rider or retailer who's lived with both	Spec sheets with no verdict
Running a cycling club or small cycling business	An organiser or owner with real numbers	Brand stories and press releases

If your idea isn't in the table but you can fill it from experience, pitch it anyway. The table shows the bar, not the limit.

What a strong cycling pitch sounds like

A weak pitch reads: "I'd like to write about the benefits of cycling to work." There's no rider, no result and nothing a reader couldn't guess.

A strong one reads: "I've commuted by bike through two winters on a hilly route. Here's the clothing, lights and routine that stopped me giving up in January, and the one purchase I'd skip." That tells me your background, who it helps and why you're the person to write it, before I've opened a draft.

Bikes and titles readers already follow

Trek, Giant, Specialized, Cannondale, Canyon, Brompton, Pinarello and Bianchi are the bikes readers already know, and Cycling Weekly, Procycling and Cycling Plus are the titles many of them read. I'm not after another review of a frame they can read about anywhere. I want pitches that add something these don't: what living with a folding bike on a train commute is like after a year, or how a small shop decides which brands to stock.

Send it over

Pitch through the contact page with one idea, who it's for, and the first-hand result that proves you can write it. One line is plenty for the result; I'll ask for more if I need it.

If you're writing about e-bikes, read my electric bike guide first so we don't overlap. Trail, hiking and camping ideas fit better on the outdoor contributor page.

Accepted pieces get an edit, a byline and one contextual link to your own site. I won't take anything under eight hundred words or anything already out there.

Still wondering?

I'm a weekend rider, not a pro. Can I still pitch?

Yes. Most readers here aren't pros either. What matters is a clear lesson from your own riding, not your race results.

Which figures should I use in a cycling article?

Official ones with a date, like the DfT statistics above, and say where they came from. If a source has been suspended or replaced, don't quote it as current.

Is there a minimum word count?

I decline anything under eight hundred words. Most accepted pieces cover one problem in depth rather than ten in passing.

Do I get a link to my shop, club or blog?

One contextual link to your own site is included, placed where it helps the reader.

Can I name the bike brand I ride?

Of course, as part of your story. Just don't turn the article into a pitch for it, and don't link to the brand.

What if my article has run elsewhere already?

Then it isn't a fit. I only publish new pieces that haven't appeared anywhere else.