'Cycling to work is now a passion'

The stress of an hour-long commute and worries over his children's education last year led financial worker Jonathan Clayton and his wife Annabel to consider moving out of London.

Instead, Mr Clayton took up cycling from his Islington home to work in the West End - and became such an enthusiast that he completed a stretch of the Tour de France last month.

"Commuting was less than ideal," he said. "Queuing for tickets, queuing for trains, standing up and sweating for an hour. And the Tubes are terrible for picking up bugs. If someone's got a cold, then everyone's got it." But moving out of the capital would only have made Mr Clayton's transport frustrations worse.

"I was concerned about the longer commute, and whether it would mean I would see even less of my children," he said. "The uncertainty and unreliability of using public transport so much put me off." After four years of travelling to work by Tube and bus, Mr Clayton bought his bicycle in January.

The change has meant shorter journey times, less stress, and has helped him lose nearly 2st. The couple have also decided to send their children - three-year-old Jude and Bluebell, one - to private school. "We wanted to decide whether to stay in London or move out before they started school," said Mr Clayton.

"The schools around us in Islington are not very good. If you're going to stay in London and give your kids a decent chance in life, you've got to pay up, basically.

He added: "In the end we decided the best option was to stay in London and buy somewhere in the country for the weekends."