Poll shows northerners and Scots get far more time in the saddle than southerners

Cyclists in the north of England and Scotland are getting far more miles in the saddle in than their southern counterparts, a new poll has found.

Those in northern cities spend on average 90 minutes more per week than those down south, with Manchester and Liverpool-based cyclists clocking up an average of 4.8 hours a week on their bikes.

Cyclists in Sheffield and Newcastle follow closely behind with an average of 4.7 hours - trumping the lowest-ranking city, Southampton, where pedallers manage just 3.3 hours.

Other towns on the south coast fare equally poorly, with Plymouth residents managing 3.6 hours - and Brightoners four hours.

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

Glaswegian cyclists came top of the poll, averaging 4.9 hours a week.

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."

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the study seemed to closely link cycle commuting and hours spent in the saddle.

A third of cyclists in Edinburgh commute on their bikes, but the figure for those in Brighton is just seven per cent.