So, you’re the first cycling and walking commissioner for Greater Manchester. How come?

Because Andy Burnham [the mayor of Greater Manchester] phoned and asked me. I was quite taken aback, because do I have any qualifications? No. But I was taken with his enthusiasm. From the first few seconds it was pretty scary because I have been on the other side of the fence campaigning and lobbying [as British Cycling’s policy advisor] and saying what should be done, and then someone else says “go on, then” – you’re in a difficult position if you don’t want to be a hypocrite.

How often do you ride a bike nowadays?



A lot less in the last year – not that I want to make an issue of it, but after my mum died [she was hit by a truck while out cycling – a man has been charged with causing death by dangerous driving and perverting the course of justice] I just lost interest and I had other things to do and I’m slowly coming back to it. Yesterday I had an appointment six miles away and I got on my wife’s shopper and rode down to that in West Kirby, along the Wirral Way. It’s nice, just 350m on the road in a 12-mile round trip. So compared to most people: fairly frequently. Compared with what I was, even just two years ago: a lot less.

Do you race at all?

No, I’m totally normal now.

Why do you ride a bike?

The beauty of [cycling] is it’s different things to different people and it’s different things to the same person at different points in their life. So for me, it was my first way to explore, then it was my hobby and what I did with my mates, then it was my job, then a way of keeping fit and now it’s just a way of moving around. So now, if we are going up to a pub or a cafe in the village, which is just at the top of the hill, then we ride up there. It’s dead easy. A little bit, just to be fit enough, so that if somebody says “Are we going to do this sportive?” it’s fun rather than an ordeal. But I would class myself as healthy rather than fit these days.

Where’s your favourite place to ride?

Scotland, and specifically the Cairngorms. I just like the fact that you can get on the sleeper train from Crewe, have a great breakfast in Aviemore and then go out for three hours and see no one. Fantastic roads. Bizarrely, around Aviemore, which is low traffic by anyone’s standards, it’s all cycle paths, all properly joined up. So you see families there on holiday and the whole family go out because it’s appealing.

OS map or Garmin?

I said when I retired, so nearly two decades ago now, I’m never measuring anything again. No power, no pulse, the only thing I want to know is where I am. When I’m in the Cairngorms I go out into the wilderness with an OS map and do a loop and just go and explore. That’s what having a bike is for me – it’s not actually so much about riding it as extending your exploring range.

Strava?

Oh god, no. I’m the last person who would want to use Strava. Everybody says, “Oh you’d love it!” I stopped [riding professionally] because I lost interest in seeing how fast I could go. I’ve put that one to bed.

But you’re all about the marginal gains!

See, there’s a stereotype. That was yesteryear.

Where is your favourite climb?

It’s the Old Burma Road in Aviemore, which is a track which gets you across into the next valley. It’s probably 40 minutes, some of it is 1:3, above the snowline. You get to the top and the view, wow, you can see this track disappearing into the distance.

What’s the best thing about cycling?

The utter simplicity and ease of use. It’s easy and it should be easier.

How long does it take you to change an inner tube?

I’ve actually done this for Ned Boulting’s Bikeology tour, on camera. He wanted to put it up on screen but he didn’t tell me he was going to get Chris Hoy to do the same thing and measure us against each other. I think it was about one minute 40 seconds, from puncture, change, to reinflation.

Chamois cream: yes or no?

No, because I tend not to be doing any ride that means I’m in the saddle for so long that I require it. I used to be a participant.

Uphill or downhill?

Up.

Energy gels or real food?

Never, ever energy gels. Why would you squeeze something of that consistency into your mouth when you could have a sandwich?

Boris bikes or Mobikes?

Mobikes without question. It’s the most scarily innovative scheme I’ve seen in many years. It’s so exciting, the potential for change, because it’s all about the user. A brilliant invention, you can just get on and off, go where you want to go, don’t have to find places to park.

Do you agree with Chris Hoy that only eight-stone professionals with 5% body fat should wear Lycra?

I like to see people ride a bike in whatever they want to wear. I’m not going to judge people on their appearance, whatever makes them happy.

Headwind or downpour?

That’s a really good question. It would depend on the distance, but I would probably go rain. Headwind is like being constantly flicked in the face.



Which professional bike rider do you most admire a) of all time and b) riding professionally today?

Probably Miguel Indurain, because he was a nice man and that’s something I value more than results. He had both and when he retired nobody had a bad word to say about him and when you’re that successful that’s something. Nowadays, it’s probably Peter Sagan, again, not because he wins – though he does, frequently – but because he’s an entertainer and he’s fun to watch and you’re never sure quite what’s going to happen.

Should everyone wear a helmet?

My stance on helmets is just to ignore them. It’s a subject of great angst to me because we’ve had 25 years of politicians wanting to do something about cycle safety and not actually doing anything. So the way they solve it is to make posters saying everybody should be wearing a helmet, then they feel they have done their bit. The reality is that’s not even in the top 10 things you can do to make people safe. Safe is space, to stop collisions. Look at the Netherlands, if helmets are the answer, how can you have 5% helmet use and the lowest incident of head injuries in the world? Because the system is safe.

Proportionately, the highest use of helmets in the world have the highest incidents of head injury. Because the helmet is a symptom of people feeling really uncomfortable and wanting to do something, and the politicians, rather than taking away the danger, pushed a campaign of put this on, this body armour, rather than asking ‘why are we getting shot at’, and saying it’s your fault if you’re not wearing body armour and you get killed.

Cycling is statistically a safe and happy and healthy thing to do and that’s how I want to portray it. People in normal clothes doing normal things.