Kate Middleton, Sophie Wessex and more royals cycling to inspire you during lockdown

January 10, 2021 - 11:04 GMT Danielle Stacey

10 brilliant photos of the royals cycling to inspire you this January

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Bike sales increased across the UK during the first national lockdown last April as people took up new hobbies for exercise and found new ways to travel. The trend looks set to continue for 2021, particularly with the January sales and new year health kicks.

Whether you're new to cycling or not, the royals have always had a love for the hobby, with the Queen and her sister Margaret often pictured trundling around the Windsor estate as young Princesses.

Members of the Firm are also renowned for being sporty, including the Duchess of Cambridge and Countess of Wessex, and have taken on gruelling cycling challenges in recent years. So quicker than you can say "on your bike," here are some of our favourite photos of royals cycling.

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A young Elizabeth and Margaret cycle around their childhood home, Royal Lodge in Windsor, in 1942.

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Harry enjoyed a bike ride around the incredible Sportcampus Zuiderpark to launch the Invictus Games in The Hague, The Netherlands, in 2019.

MORE: New Year sportswear inspiration from Kate Middleton, Princess Beatrice, Meghan Markle and Co

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WATCH: Sporty royals! William, Kate and Harry race one another in training session

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Taken at around the time Meghan Markle was first thought to be dating Prince Harry, she and former Made in Chelsea star, Millie Mackintosh, hired vintage bikes to cycle around Soho Farmhouse.

MORE: Meghan Markle's 9 health and fitness secrets are not what you'd expect

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Before she became a Duchess, Kate would regularly cycle near her parents' home in Bucklebury. She's pictured wearing sportswear and sunglasses in 2008.

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The Countess of Wessex completed the 450-mile Diamond Challenge as she cycled from Edinburgh to London in 2016. A jubilant Sophie was greeted by her husband, Prince Edward and their children, Lady Louise Windsor and James, Viscount Severn, when she arrived at Buckingham Palace.

MORE: 8 photos that prove just how close Kate Middleton and the Countess of Wessex are

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And Sophie isn’t the only royal to have taken on a challenge – Princess Eugenie took part in a 64-mile charity bike ride event in 2012.

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Prince Charles appears to be putting in all the work as he cycles around with a then-six-year-old Prince Harry on the back of his bike. The pair, along with Prince William, enjoyed a ride around the Queen's Sandringham estate in 1990.