Olympic gold medallist and British Cycling policy adviser Chris Boardman, 49, reveals the best ways for older riders to embrace the fun and fitness benefits of cycling

1. Remember why you first started riding a bike

“My life in cycling has changed so much over the years and the wonderful thing about cycling is that – unlike any other sport – it means different things to different people, and even different things to the same person at different points in their life.

"As a kid, cycling was my way to have fun and explore further. Then it became my social life and my sport. Then it became my job. And since I have retired it has gone full circle and become a means of fun and adventure again.

"Nowadays I don’t take any measuring devices other than an app to read a map. I don’t care about my speed, pulse or power. Cycling has gone back to being a simple way to explore where I am, a way to keep healthy, and a way to pop up to the pub. I’m very happy about that.”

2. Build cycling into your everyday life

“Cycling is a great form of transport and that is the key here: people talk about exercise but the best way to get exercise from a bicycle is to forget about exercise at all and just use it for doing the things you normally do, like going to the shop or to a café. If you do those things on a bike, you don’t even notice you’re doing any exercise because you’re just enjoying it.