OLYMPIC and Tour de France champion Sir Bradley Wiggins may be in the twilight of his career.

But the impact of his road and track heroics have not waned over the intervening four years, according to a husband-and-wife team offering cycling holidays.

Hove-based Ally and Andy Harmer are passionate cyclists with successful careers in the travel industry.

After both being made redundant during a turbulent time for the industry, they used their pay-outs to go it alone and set up Flexitreks three years ago.

Already they have surpassed their expectations – a feat they attribute to the internet, as well as the Wiggins effect.

Andy said: “Cycling is one of our great passions in life, and we wanted to do something we loved.

“We’re a small business running from a spare bedroom of our house in Hove, but we’ve grown every year.”

Flexitreks offers 170 tours, and though the spike interest might be attributable to the popularity of elite cycling, their trips are far more leisurely.

Andy said: “Ever since the Tour de France and British velodrome success at the Olympics, it has helped evolve cycling into a popular sport.

“It’s much sexier than 20 years ago, with lightweight bikes and stylish clothing.

“But we’re very much about leisurely cycling. We have nice comfortable bikes and go through pleasant countryside. It’s for people of average fitness – not Bradley Wiggins levels stuff. There’s something for everybody.

“Most people learn to ride a bike when their young, it’s a rite of passage, and it’s often something people turn back to get fit.”

Another critical aspect of Flexitreks’ growth has been their ability to reach a global audience via online marketing, with free digital training from Google Digital Grange. 

Andy added: “We advertise in the UK and to other English-speaking countries around the world, such as the USA, Australia and Canada, and Google helps me tailor my campaigns to those markets”

“It’s easy to forget that a few years ago you couldn’t have done what we have – start a company selling products from the back bedroom of our house and be in a position to let the whole world know what we offer.”