Have you ever seen cycling knickers this pretty?

‘Sexy’ and ‘padded underwear’ are words never generally found too close together, but a new British brand has got probably nearer than ever before to making bike knickers cute.

Lili Millar, the creator of Bike nicks, said: “I realised that assumptions are made about women who cycle by the women themselves and the people who make ‘stuff’ for them. It seems to be that these women are considered unfashionable, unstylish and unfeminine. Well not any more!”

In various styles to complement skin tight or flowing outfits, all the knickers feature padding, but the styling emulates high end lingerie.

 Lili said: “ I searched everywhere for a solution to my problem and I just didn’t want to wear those ugly cycle shorts! My chuff stung, my chaffinch ached and my lady garden was in sore need of a solution.”

So Bike nicks was born last year and has gone from strength to strength, now entered into the Virgin Media Business VOOM 2016, a chance to pitch to Richard Branson and win a share of £1 million (€1.2 million) in prizes and business advice.

“Fitness is so important to daily lives," said Lili. "People should be able to cycle around and get fit without having to worry about bringing a whole new outfit – these knickers fit seamlessly into daily life.”

Last year we reviewed The Brigitte briefs, one of two designs from Urbanist Cycling, a Texan brand that was supported by successful Kickstarter funding.

They are also designed for city cycling, or indeed anything short of long distance or race rides.

At the time, our reviewer felt they turned normal clothing into cycling gear with more style than anything currently comparable on the market.