THE AVERAGE resident in the West Midlands hasn’t ridden a bike for eight years and almost one fifth haven’t been in the saddle for 10 years, according to research commissioned by the British Heart Foundation (BHF). And some residents have completely forgotten how to ride a bike.

The charity – the largest independent funder of cardiovascular research – is urging people in the region to get pedalling this year by signing up to the iconic London to Brighton Bike Ride, taking place on Sunday June 18 2017, to raise money for life-saving heart research.

Despite being one of the nation’s favourite sports, the survey of 2,000 UK residents revealed that, astonishingly, 6.3 million people – one in eight – don’t know how to ride a bike. The survey revealed that the average household in the UK owns just one bike, but more worryingly, 41 per cent of households don’t own bike at all.

People in the West Midlands fare similarly to the UK average, with one in eight admitting they can’t ride a bike and 40 per cent of the local community saying they don’t even own one.

Most surprisingly, however, one in 20 of residents in the West Midlands admit it’s been so long since they’ve ridden a bike they’ve forgotten what to do.

Despite this, many of us do have ambitions to get back into cycling this year. One in eight of those surveyed – the equivalent of 6.3 million people – said they received a bike at Christmas. More than half (57 per cent) also said they would consider a cycling challenge as a way of getting back into cycling in 2017.

The BHF wants to help get people in the West Midlands back on their bikes, by encouraging everyone to take on its flagship event, the London to Brighton Bike Ride, and join the fight against heart disease.

With a range of free training guides and nutritional advice on hand, the nation’s heart charity has everything you need to help get you back in the saddle and over the finish line.

Elizabeth Tack, event lead for London to Brighton Bike Ride at the British Heart Foundation, said: “It’s surprising to learn that while there is a clear appetite for cycling in the UK, there is still a vast amount of us who are not getting on our bikes often enough, or even at all.

“Cycling is a fantastic way of keeping your heart healthy, which is why we’re encouraging everyone to dust off their bikes this year and challenge themselves to take on our London to Brighton Bike Ride to help support our vital research into heart disease.

“We can provide all the support you need to get you back in the saddle this year, with free training guides and advice available for all registered cyclists in the run up to the big day. It’s a fantastic day out for all the family and every pound you raise will help make a difference to millions.”

It’s a ride for the fast and the fall behinds, the solo riders and the team players. It’s for the experienced and the newbies, the confident and the cautious. This year’s event is sponsored by Tesco and Jaffa and will take place on Sunday June 18.

By taking part in the London to Brighton Bike Ride participants will help power ground-breaking research, to bring new hope to the seven million people living with cardiovascular disease in the UK, says the BHF.

To sign up for this year’s London to Brighton Bike Ride, visit bhf.org.uk/L2B

• Coronary heart disease (CHD) is a major cause of death both in the UK and worldwide.

• According to the NHS, it's responsible for more than 73,000 deaths in the UK each year. About one in six men and one in 10 women die from CHD.

• In the UK, there are an estimated 2.3 million people living with CHD and around 2 million people affected by angina (the most common symptom of coronary heart disease).

• CHD generally affects more men than women, although from the age of 50 the chances of developing the condition are similar for both sexes.

• As well as angina (chest pain), the main symptoms of CHD are heart attacks and heart failure.

• Coronary heart disease happens when a person’s heart's blood supply is blocked or interrupted by a build-up of fatty substances in the coronary arteries.

• This can be caused by lifestyle factors and other conditions, such as smoking; high cholesterol; high blood pressure (hypertension) and diabetes.

• People can reduce your risk of getting CHD by making some simple lifestyle changes. These include eating a healthy, balanced diet; being physically active; giving up smoking; controlling blood cholesterol and sugar levels.

• Keeping your heart healthy will also have other health benefits, such as helping reduce the risk of stroke and dementia.