Over the past couple of years, we have noticed the presence of a lot more Mamils in Cranleigh.
In fact, Cranleigh High Street has become something of a Mecca for Mamils, especially on a sunny Saturday morning when they grace the pavements outside Costa Coffee, Cromwells and Take-It.
What are these strange creatures?
Mamils are middle-aged men in lycra.
London 2012 and the Tour of Britain has massively boosted the number of road cyclists in Surrey, with Cranleigh becoming something of an epicentre for middle-aged men in lycra and their expensive carbon machines.
It’s the Bradley Wiggins effect.
I write this as a newbie to road cycling.
I’ve been a mountain biker since I was a teenager, exploring the Downs Link and Surrey Hills on heavy, rugged bikes with knobbly tyres and suspension.
Last week I took delivery of a road bike, wanting to add this type of training to my running and swimming, with the eventual goal of completing a triathlon or two.
This afternoon I took the road bike out for the first time; a gentle 7 mile circuit from Cranleigh into Ellens Green and back through Ewhurst to Cranleigh.
Those 29 minutes were an education in balance, clipping in (and out) of pedals and avoiding potholes, while trying not to swerve in front of cars.
It’s a very different experience to riding a mountain bike, and one I’m looking forward to doing more of in the future, perhaps attempting a sportive or two.
Living and working in Cranleigh, it’s easy to see the appeal of road cycling around here, and understand why the village is attracting so many Mamils.
Across the road from where I live is Barhatch Lane, a Cat 1 hill climb of 2.5km with a gradient of 8% and ramps of up to 21%. It’s steep. Really steep.
A short ride over the hill is Shere, where the London 2012 Road Race passed through and more recently the Prudential Ride London sportive cruised past.
Whether or not Mamils are having a mid-life crisis (and hopefully, at 35 years old, I’m not quite there yet), it is a great form of social exercise which is to be applauded, even if some car drivers find it frustrating having to pass cyclists safely on the narrow country lanes.
Local cafe owners are surely appreciating the new patrons, even if some are sporting beer bellies and tight lycra.
Stage seven of the Tour of Britain next month does not pass through Cranleigh on its way from Camberley to Brighton, but does pass nearby through Wisborough Green on 13th September.
