SALES of bikes seem to have gone up as a result of the Tour de France.

It hasn’t been a spectacular increase. But online shopping comparison website Price Spy UK reported a 3.5 per cent increase in online bike sales in York around the time of the Grand Départ, while bike shop Giant York, on Lord Mayor’s Walk, also reported an increase in sales in the days beforehand.

Modest the increase may be, but we hope it represents the beginning of an upsurge in interest in cycling.

It’s a healthy, pollution-free way to get about – and would be a lasting legacy of this great sporting event.