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Mamil

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Middle Aged Man In Lycra

Mamil[1] or MAMIL[2] (an acronym standing for "middle-aged man in lycra"[3]) is someone who rides an expensive racing bicycle[1] for leisure, wearing endurance- and performance-enhancing body-hugging jerseys and 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] held in London. The UCI World Championships victory in recent years have also spurred interest.[5]

In Australia the popularity of this sort of cycling has been associated with the Tour Down Under and the 2011 Tour de France winner Cadel Evans.[6] Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott has been described as a "mamil".[7]

Buying an expensive road bicycle has been described as a more healthy and affordable response to a midlife crisis than buying an expensive sports car.[8][9]

There are documentaries investigating this cycling culture. MAMIL is the title of a one-man play by New Zealand playwright Greg Cooper, written for actor Mark Hadlow [10]. It is also the title of a feature-length documentary directed by Nickolas Bird and produced by Bird, Eleanor Sharpe and Mark Bird.[11][12]

References

  1. ^ a b Dominic Casciani (14 August 2010). "Rise of the Mamils (middle-aged men in lycra)". BBC News. British Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 14 December 2013.
  2. ^ a b Wallace, Wade (2 September 2012). "Middle Aged Men In Lycra". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 14 December 2013.
  3. ^ "Mamil". Collins English Dictionary. HarperCollins. Retrieved 14 December 2013.
  4. ^ a b Matt Seaton (11 September 2012). "The humble Mamil: why we need 'middle-aged men in Lycra'". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 14 December 2013.
  5. ^ [1][dead link]
  6. ^ Verity Edwards (21 January 2012). "A new species of mamil hits the road". The Australian. News Corp Australia. Retrieved 14 December 2013.
  7. ^ Huynh, Kim (16 October 2013). "Pest or indigenous species, the mamil abounds". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 14 December 2013.
  8. ^ Jennifer Parker (16 November 2013). "In the Land of the Mamils: Where Men Are Men and Bikes Are a Semester at Yale". Bloomberg Television. Bloomberg L.P. Retrieved 5 January 2014.
  9. ^ "Mamil at the crack of dawn". The Brunei Times. 19 October 2013. Archived from the original on 8 January 2014. Retrieved 8 January 2014. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  10. ^ "Middle aged man in lycra takes his issues to the road". Stuff.
  11. ^ "New Documentary Explores the MAMIL Mindset". 17 October 2017.
  12. ^ "Mamil - Demand.Film United States". 24 February 2018.
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