What Ho dear readers! I must say, The Tweed Run has to be the best & most stylish cycling event in London… utterly spiffing! Riding towards St Paul’s in the splendid sunshine, I was filled with excitement – every so often we’d encounter other participants heading there, who dinged their bells or tooted their horns to say “Pip Pip!”  This was an understatement of how friendly everyone there was going to be 🙂 Even though I knew that it was a big event, it was still breathtaking to see so many cyclists together in Paternoster Square all decked out in seriously chic Tweed… Cycling through the roads of Central London was unbelievable! The […]

I finally have my outfit together for the Tweed Run! The Shoes and the Bag were the last items needed to complete it… almost had a breakdown at work today as the delivery didn’t show up until 16:00 – and our Post Room closes at 16:30! Just a quick iPhone picture of it – there will of course be proper pictures and details (including accessories) on the day, but this is a taster of it 🙂 Again, if anyone wants to meet / say “hello” on Saturday, drop me a message on Twitter (@ladyvelo) or email me using the link on the blog… see you on Saturday… Pip Pip! 🙂

It may not have been blazing hot, but finally the sunshine touched East London over the weekend. Me and The Boy took advantage of this & got on our bikes for a Cycle Saturday. It just so happened it was the weekend the Tweed Run registration packs were ready for collection, so cycling to Shoreditch to get them made perfect sense! As we were out so early, there was no way that we couldn’t do a bit of breakfast and food shopping… of course 😉 Taking a leisurely cycle via Tower Bridge, our first stop was Maltby Street in Bermondsey to buy the MOST delicious doughnuts (and Sourdough Bread) you will […]

Tomorrow will be the 1st anniversary of having my Pashley Princess :)I wanted to mark the occasion by getting a little something made especially by one of my favourite London based Jewellery Designers. I got a call on Wednesday telling me my order was ready, so yesterday me and The Boy went out on a special Cycle Saturday to Brick Lane (via Spitalfields) to collect my piece. First stop was St John Bread & Wine for breakfast – we’d set off early enough (breakfast is only served between 10 – 11am) to stop there for something to eat. On a cold March morning, the pots of Tea and quite possibly the best “door […]

I absolutely love Vivienne Westwood. Anyone who knows me is more than aware of this… so finding this picture of her on a Pashley really made me smile… so I had to share it 🙂

These new and very blue Brogues arrived today – and they were only £10 from the Office Outlet shop on eBay – bargain or what?! I ordered these knowing that at some point soon I would be riding in them. Now, some people may say that they are not very practical cycling shoes at all: the main material is Suede, the laces are made of Ribbon and they hardly have any grip on the soles (they’re rather polished underneath)… but I reckon that with these shoes, I’m adhering to Point 2 of the fantastic Cycle Chic Manifesto: “I embrace my responsibility to contribute visually to a more aesthetically pleasing urban landscape” […]

Even though we’re not out of Winter, I’m preparing for the change of season on Frankie. I’m getting bored of the darkness – you could say that I’m desperately craving sunshine and Spring. This craving is resulting in new additions to the wardrobe and plans to remix the old with the new for more Cycle Chic 🙂 The latest additions will arrive next week: First to come should be this Markus Lupfer T-shirt from The Outnet. I love the look of this: simplistic chic, and I reckon it will be comfortable to ride in too. Feeling very inspired to re-create the outfit it features in on its Outnet page, but I think […]

I’m back on my bike! Boy does it feel good to be back on the Saddle – it has been way too long. The tail-end of last year was a bit messy for me… I had a major bout of illness that wiped me out! There were hospital stays, copious amounts of steroids and antibiotics to take and lots bed rest which equated to a very bored and unhealthy feeling girl. Unfortunately cycling was one of the last things that I could have done, so my Pashley remained inside the house for the longest stint ever. Now that most of that is behind me, I intend on getting back into both my cycling routine and back […]

Relaxed Sunday Cycle-Chic:  *Misfits T-shirt: Urban Outfitters *Skinny Jeans: Topshop *3D Glasses Necklace: Tatty Devine *Indian Slipper Shoes: Stratford Market Me and The Boy headed out on our bikes for the day – I took him (yes – I actually lead the way!) to Columbia Road to meet up with Tyla for lunch and shopping – which was a 1st as I’ve never carried more than my Handbag, Camera and Lock in Frankie’s basket! Although I still need to sort out Panniers for the bike, getting stuff home in the basket was fine – especially when you encounter thoughtful shop owners. I bought a new top and a pair of […]

My excitement of finally being able to cycle to work again (back in my normal office after having to move out for a major refurb) is what probably caused me to neglect checking the weather report before leaving home this morning. This meant that I pulled the rookie-move of not being quite rain-proof on my Pashley! When I left it wasn’t raining – then the sky collapsed over East London at lunchtime, and I knew I was gonna be a bit screwed! Leaving the office there was not a drop of rain, so I gathered evidence in the Cycle-Shed of a dry, but unprepared Lady Vélo… Rookie-exhibit A: Lack of […]

This morning I cycled to Columbia Road Flower Market, to meet up with my good friend Tyla for a Photography shoot of the Market being set up. Nothing too unusual sounding about this – other than I left my house at 04:10a.m and completed my 1st cycle from Canning Town to another part of London and back… alone! Although I’ve cycled part of that route before, I’ve never done it solo – nor done anything like that on my Pashley before sunrise! It was fantastic & so peaceful. Seeing East London before it was “awake” from the Vélo-view was also an eye opener… from the odd Fox scuttling back home, […]

It’s Day 2 of the Barclays Cycle Hire Scheme, and I had the pleasure of interviewing one of the newly registered members of it! Meet Tyla: she lives & works in London and is an enthusiastic and rather chic cyclist, which is exactly what we like to see 🙂 Today was Tyla’s first time using the Scheme. She tells Vélo-City about her initial experience using the Cycle Hire Scheme in London… *What was the nature of your journey today? The nature of my journey was leisure & to commute back home. I hate changing at Green Park as it’s very crowded and stuffy and I nearly passed out the night […]

Today sees the official launch of the Barclays Cycle Hire Scheme in London. I’m not one of the people who registered for it, but I’m very keen to have a go when the casual scheme launches! Be great to see these bikes in action in London: it’s always fabulous to see more people cycling around the city. There has been talk of perhaps extending the scheme to allow Oyster PAYG customers to use their cards to pay for the hire – be interesting if that were an option, as I would certainly use it. As highlighted by Mark over on his wonderful i b i k e l o n […]

I love finding new things to wear to add to my Cycle-Chic wardrobe – and this T-shirt will be mine when it comes back into stock: This “Cycle-Cheek” comes from the very style focused Copenhagen Cycle Chic online shop. More designs can be found here and are certainly worth checking out. I’m sure this tee and the rest like it will turn some heads on the roads! 🙂

I went on a “Cycle-Date” from East London to Richmond with the Boy and our friend Tyla on Saturday. I was pretty excited about this, as it would be my 1st ‘real’ riding experience in London (and beyond) on Frankie – something that was long overdue! The date-plan: meet Tyla at Richmond Station & then cycle along the River to Hampton Court Palace. The weather was kind enough to hold back on the rain that we’ve been having in London this week (huzzah!) – allowing me to wear my planned cycle-chic for the day 🙂 I raided my wardrobe and put this together: This was my 1st time cycling in […]

A few months ago, I did a cycle-interview with the rather cool Bianca for a project that she was working on… this project has now come to fruition in the form of the excellent Inside My Locker – a blogazine for women who like to mix style with sport. It’s always fabulous to see fashion & cycling together – especially when the message is being promoted to a wider audience & reminding girls that you can look good while on two wheels! It was lovey to be featured on their Bicyclette Edition in this interview. I totally recommend checking the site out – I know I’ll certainly be keeping my […]

The withdrawal symptoms I was suffering last weekend have gone: I’ve been cycling into work all week & loving it! It’s funny how much I missed it – especially when I was in Portsmouth last weekend where it felt like every chic being was on a bike… Anyway – back to this week: Weather has been fabulous for cycling in London (not too hot and not too cold), so it’s been early morning starts for a leisurely ride to the office. The boots have been replaced with Ballet Pumps… the stuffy & sweaty carraiges of the DLR in the evenings after work have been replaced with fresh air and views […]

“Thank you!” Spring for finally showing your sunny face today… “Thank you!” Easter Holidays for giving me clear & quiet roads this morning… After not getting to ride over Easter, a cycle on Frankie was just what I needed to start up the (short) week. Left home at 08:00 in the sunshine & took a leisurely pace… clear roads meant that I wasn’t freaked by cars – I even managed not to get spooked by any Buses behind or in front of me. Cycling back at 18:00 was really lovely: sun was still out and everything looked rather nice in my corner of East London from the Vélo view… I’ve […]

The feelings of attachment to my Pashley are official: this weekend will be my first without Frankie and I’m going to miss her terribly! I’m heading to Portsmouth to see The Boy for the weekend, but will not be taking her with me. As I’m still not cycling to work yet (currently sorting out a personal Bay in the secure Bike Parking sheds for staff on the Campus), I can’t peddle her in on Friday & have her parked-up someplace secure. I’m also no where near the point of being brave enough to ride to Waterloo from East London… When the time does come for me to take Frankie to […]

After nearly a week of not riding I was back on Frankie* today. There was the plan of heading out for rides in the week but due to working late (boo) and meeting up with friends (yay!), it didn’t quite happen. It was great to get back on the Saddle today & continue finding my cycle legs. As it was just a casual ride to work out a cycle route, it called for casual cycle-chic – or my take on it at least… Hat: Missoni Track Top: Emilo Pucci for Adidas Scoop Neck Top: Topshop Jeans: Topshop Trainers: Adidas Bagwise – practical and the right size to fit in Frankie’s […]