Middle aged men in Lycra a term coined by leading market research firm Mintel.
Michael Oliver, who wrote the report, said: "Thirty or 40 years ago, people would ride a bike for economic reasons, but our research suggests that nowadays a bicycle is more a lifestyle addition, a way of demonstrating how affluent you are."
The research shows that growth in bike sales is being propelled by 35- to 45-year-old men with families, who instead of going off and buying a sports car as they approach middle age now go for high-end bike instead.
Spring will usually bring Mamils out of hibernation in search of fresh Lycra and carbon fiber - their staple diet.
Lycra is like Spandex in USA
A word in the Fuegian language of Tierra del Fuego in extreme southern South America (in both Chile and Argentina). Holds the Guinness Book of World Records record for "most succinct word".
The word mamihlapinatapei means "a look shared by two people with each wishing that the other will initiate something that neither one wants to start"
(Yagan, an indigenous language of Tierra del Fuego): The wordless yet meaningful look shared by two people who desire to initiate something, but are both reluctant to start.
Neither of you has mustered the courage to make a move, yet. Hands haven’t been placed on knees; you’ve not kissed. But you’ve both conveyed enough to know that it will happen soon… very soon, you've got mamihlapinatapei!