Britain's greatest modern paralympian Sarah Storey – or Dame Sarah Storey as she's been since New Year – is due to give birth to her first child in June, yet she hasn't stopped cycling. "My training hours have been anything from 12-18 hours a week, so I'm not skimping so far," she says. By raising her handlebars and moving her knees out of the way of her bump she has been able to keep going, and keep enjoying it. She explains:

Everything's going really well and I'm cautiously waiting for that point when I think I can't cycle anymore, wondering if it'll be tomorrow or the next day and not making too many plans too far in advance.

She admits she'd love to be able to keep riding right up until the birth, "and then baby permitting, as quickly as possible afterwards".

Her attitude towards the sport she loves makes her the perfect fit as ambassador for a campaign to get more people cycling to work set up by Cyclescheme, a company offering the government's tax-saving way by which employees can buy bikes for commuting. Part of this is the first national cycle-to-work day in September, which Storey is looking forward to:

Cycling has taken off massively since the Games, and when Cyclescheme asked me whether I would be interested in being the ambassador it seemed like a really good fit.

Storey, who began her Paralympic career as a teenage swimmer in Barcelona in 1992 before switching to the bike in 2005 after persistent ear infections, adds that women in particular seem to have taken up the sport, with more than ever entering sportives and races.

She hopes the trend will trickle down to others who prefer a slightly more sedate pace:

I started cycling as a means to stay fit and then as a way of getting to the pool, and I became hooked, so when I had to make that decision to switch sports I could make it based on the fact that I loved cycling.

Despite her obvious passion, she is realistic about the barriers people face when getting out on the roads for the first time. But she adds:

Once they've investigated cycling, people should realise that their initial fears perhaps won't materialise, because once you're out on the bike it's a completely different experience.

Most rides to work come in under five miles she explains, adding it would be very easy to go well past that and see big health and fitness benefits. A helmet is an essential piece of kit, she feels – "I feel as if I've left my arm at home if I don't have it on" – but adds that not everyone feels the same and adults will make their own decisions.

While encouraging more people to cycle to work is an exciting prospect for Storey, what she really wants is a much bigger commitment to sport in schools:

The skills that you need on a bike aren't just learned on a bike. We need more physical education in the curriculum, not just cycling or swimming but we used to do music of movement when I was younger, it's about the awareness of your body. A lot of athletes who have done those types of things as a child transfer very well into other sports.

Balance and being worried about proximity to other vehicles on the road can be a big turn-off for new riders, she says:

Being aware of where your arms and legs are will obviously help a lot when you're on a bike. We need to make sure we have that basis in schools so that when people are physically active they have that choice and knowledge base to do whatever sport it is. Schools play a major part in that.

For those new to the sport or a little rusty round the edges, Storey suggests riding with friends, choosing your route carefully and focusing on having fun and enjoying yourself.

For regular commuters and those who race in their spare time there's also fun to be had:

Every minute you spend on the bike cycling is a minute spent building your efficiency. People who race often use it as part of their training – some do all their standing starts on the way to work because there are so many sets of traffic lights. It's about thinking outside the box a bit, and I know from seeing cyclists whizz round it can be like interval training between traffic lights.

Has she experienced a little of that competitive spirit while riding in the capital? She replies with a smile: