Northern cyclists 'spending more time in the saddle'

Cyclists in the north of England spend around 90 minutes longer in the saddle each week than their southern counterparts, according to a new study.

Manchester and Liverpool-based cyclists clock up an average of 4.8 hours a week on their bikes, while those in Sheffield and Newcastle are not far behind at 4.7 hours.

Cyclists in Southampton were bottom of the table - clocking up just 3.3 hours, just below Plymouth (3.6 hours) and Brighton (four hours).

More than 1,000 people with an interest in cycling from 15 cities around the UK were polled.

Glaswegian cyclists came top, averaging 4.9 hours a week.

The research was commissioned by Czech car manufacturer Skoda to mark its sponsorship of the Tour of Britain cycle race, which reaches its conclusion in London on Sunday.

Andrew Cullis, head of marketing for Skoda UK, said: "We were interested to understand how cycling habits compare and contrast across Britain.

"It seems that people in the South need to don the Lycra and hit the open road more often - cyclists in the North are racing ahead."

The study also revealed huge discrepancies in the proportion of cyclists who commute to work on two wheels.

A third (33%) of cyclists in Edinburgh commute on their bikes, but the figure for those in Brighton is just 7%.