The Tour de France is no longer a late-night gimmick for
Australian Francophiles to watch on television in search of
inspiration for their next European vacation. Neither is cycling a
sport that Australian fans take up for one month a year to
"experience" the pain the Tour riders go through, in the short time
these fans have left between sitting up at all hours to watch the
great race and putting in a full day at work.

Australians now better understand the Tour - the history,
tactics, rules and names - especially with a wealth of Australian
riders coming through, and one of them, Cadel Evans, has a chance
to win this year. SBS ratings for its Tour coverage are up by 31
per cent on last year.

Australians are making the pilgrimage to France in increasing
numbers to follow the race on bikes, in cars or camper vans.

In the 19 years I have covered the Tour, the sight of an
Australian flag or boxing kangaroo among the average 1 million
people who line the route every day has gone from being a rarity to
commonplace.

And among the many demands from home for official merchandise,
it is requests for a winner's yellow jersey for children younger
than four that are on the rise - showing that our fascination
envelops the young, too.

But, the booming interest in the Tour also reflects a rapid
increase in participation in cycling in Australia, where many have
caught on to its value as a sport. Over the past five years cycling
has become a sport that is enjoying record success at all levels
and ages - from the elite to recreational, commercial to charity,
Tour viewers to across-the-board interest. Unlike running, cycling
is non-impact - unless you crash - and offers good health and
conditioning, as well as the camaraderie that comes from riding in
a bunch.

It says something about Australia's increasing passion for
cycling that it has evolved despite the many doping scandals that
have recently marred the sport and have seen riders caught or fall
on their swords with teary confessions.

Australians, it seems, can't get enough of "the bike" - and
those who don't believe it had best accept the truth.

Cycling in Australia may not have the tradition and status it
has in Europe, where the sport has working-class origins dating
back before the 20th century, when racing was seen as a more
pleasant way to earn money for food.

Sporting historians may beg to differ by reminding of the days
when stadiums like the Sydney Cricket Ground were packed with fans
and punters alike to watch great professional events like the
Sydney Thousand. But nothing can compare to the flourishing
interest and participation in Australian cycling today.

Cycling Australia, the sport's competitive arm, last year
recorded a 17 per cent increase in a membership base that now
numbers about 25,000.

But this does not include the growing mass of recreational
cyclists. At dawn or dusk they can be seen training in packs bonded
by their love of cycling; by day their jobs range from white-collar
bankers, lawyers and doctors, to name a few, to blue-collar
tradesmen.

Nor does Cycling Australia membership include the majority of
those in organised rides such as the Sydney to the Gong charity
event, which has more than 6000 entries, the Around the Bay in a
Day benefit ride in Victoria, which attracts 8000-plus, or the Be
Active Tour in South Australia, which, has more than 2000 entries
and runs during the professional Tour Down Under.

Ditto for other fund-raising rides like those for the Amy
Gillett Foundation or the corporate charity ride of the former
Wallabies Simon Poidevin and Warwick Waugh, which is held alongside
the Goulburn to Sydney race on September 23.

Little wonder that Cycling Promotion Fund figures show the sales
of bicycles in Australia have almost doubled since 1998 to exceed a
million a year for the past four years - more than the number of
car sales in Australia.

Little wonder, too, that statistics from independent research
cited by Cycling Australia show a "base population cycling
audience" - those who have an interest in cycling, whether they
ride, watch, read about or discuss the sport - of 7 million.

If you suspect the statistics, let's make it simple. Just put
your head outside and take a good look around.