The Bikeability Trust reveals the ‘lost generation’ lacking confidence cycling on today’s roads
The Bikeability Trust reveals the ‘lost generation’ lacking confidence cycling on today’s roads – and how investment in infrastructure and adult cycle training can change this.
June 11, 2026
Bikeability has now reached 6 million children trained as the programme celebrates its 18th birthday.
The Bikeability programme offers a first-time road experience for many children, with over a quarter of Level 2 trainees never having cycled on roads before the training. And after taking Level 2, 93% of riders feel more confident cycling on roads, 92% feel safer, and trainees’ intention to cycle is nearly six times higher than before the training.
The ‘lost generation’
But despite rising numbers of Gen Alpha children receiving critical on-road cycle training skills, older generations lack the skills and confidence to ride on today’s roads, with three-quarters of adults not cycling at all in the past year, according to new YouGov data commissioned by The Bikeability Trust.
Despite a rising interest in cycling for health, climate and cost savings, in its new report Re-engaging a lost generation: the role of confidence and training in adult cycling participation, The Bikeability Trust identifies a ‘lost generation’ of adults who missed out on cycle training as children – falling in the gap between the decline of the cycling proficiency programme and the introduction of Bikeability. Further investing in adult specific cycling training programmes and infrastructure, would help bridge this gap.
The report is being launched at a reception at the Houses of Parliament, marking Bikeability’s 18th birthday and bringing together MPs, ministers, metro mayors and active travel leaders to make the case for adult cycle training through additional investment. Guests attending include Minister for Local Transport Lilian Greenwood MP, National Active Travel Commissioner Chris Boardman CBE, and Ruth Cadbury MP, alongside The Bikeability Trust’s CEO Emily Cherry, with the Trust calling for additional investment in cycling and cycling infrastructure.
The new research, based on a YouGov survey of more than 2,000 UK adults, shows that cycling among adults remains low and is overwhelmingly fitness- and leisure‑focused. Only 36% of adult cyclists do so regularly for everyday journeys such as commuting or school runs.
The cycling gender gap
Survey findings also indicated that women are substantially less likely than men to report feeling confident cycling in traffic, navigating junctions, or dealing with unexpected situations. This suggests the gender gap in cycling participation (men are more than twice as likely to cycle as women) is not driven by ability or infrastructure, but by differences in confidence in real-world traffic conditions – with the report recommending adult cycle training as the solution.
The importance of formal cycle training
Formal cycle training remains strongly associated with childhood and adult training remains rare, with fewer than 1% of non-cyclist survey respondents having taken adult training. Only 5% of those who currently cycle reported that they had taken training as adults, with interviewees indicating that it is this lack of training that limits their confidence and reasons to cycle, limiting them to traffic-free routes for leisure rather than transport.
Adult cyclists are significantly more likely to have received formal training at any time than those who do not cycle. Among non-cycling adults, more than half (54%) have never had formal cycle training; while only 41% of adult cyclists have never had training – pointing to training as a marker of sustained engagement rather than a one‑off intervention.
Emily Cherry, Chief Executive of The Bikeability Trust, said: “Adult cycle training remains fragmented, inconsistent and poorly measured – but Bikeability offers a national gold standard, guaranteeing safety, consistency and accountability wherever training is delivered. With sustained Government investing in active travel and centralising adult training through Bikeability, we can provide robust data and outcome tracking to show the return on active travel investment.
“Confident cycling is one of the most effective tools we have to tackle transport poverty, giving people a safe, low‑cost and healthy way to get to work, school and services. But people need a clear, trusted pathway to become confident riders. That’s what CycleIn is about: giving people the skills to use the infrastructure we have.”
The Bikeability Trust’s latest report is sponsored by Forest, London’s affordable and sustainable shared ebikes.
