Mamil

Mamil[1] or MAMIL[2] (an acronym standing for "middle-aged man in lycra".[3]) is a middle aged man who rides an expensive racing bicycle[1] for leisure, wearing professional style body-hugging bicycle jerseys and bicycle shorts.[2]

The word was reportedly coined by British marketing research firm Mintel in 2010.[4] It gained further popularity in the United Kingdom with the success of Bradley Wiggins in the 2012 Tour de France and at the 2012 Summer Olympics[4]

Buying an expensive road bicycle has been described as a more healthy response to a midlife crisis than buying an expensive sports car.[5][6]

In Australia the popularity of cycling with middle-aged men wearing lycra has been described as associated with the Tour Down Under and the 2011 Tour de France winner Cadel Evans.[7] The former Prime Minister of Australia Tony Abbott has been described as a "mamil".[8] This rise in popularity has been echoed in the United Kingdom where Olympic, Tour de France, and UCI World Championships victories in recent years have spurred interest.[9]

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External links

Look up MAMIL in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
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