There is PLENTY going on in Yorkshire when it comes to cycling over the next few days. Not only has the Tour de Yorkshire kicked off today, the Women and Cycling Conference is coming to Bradford next week. With the aim of “inspiring more women to cycle more often to more places”, the conference will be filled with plenty of conversations and encouragement… and I’m thrilled to announce I’ll be the Keynote Speaker, alongside hosting workshops through the day! It won’t just be me on my cycling soapbox at the event – Olympic medallist and Commonwealth and World road race Champion, Lizzie Deignan (nee Armitstead) will also be taking to […]

Its been a while since I’ve attended a big cycling trade show, and there now has to be quite a pull for me to go to one these days. So when VeloVixen spoke to me about an idea they had put together with The Cycle Show at the NEC, they had my attention… and me saying “HELL YES” to being part of their plan. VeloVixen created the Women’s Cycling Hub: a year in the making, they laid on an area solely devoted to women’s cycling. It offered a mix of female-specific clothing brands to try and buy and it boasted its own speaking zone – giving a platform to women […]

I’ve taken on the luscious green hills of the Peak District twice and become a hero on home soil. After wondering what it would be like to do it in Tuscany, I got the chance to ride the climbs, descents and Strade Bianchi of Gaiole. It was a very wet and rain soaked Sunday – not the cycling scenario I’d usually be into. But this wasn’t hell. Surprisingly to myself, I loved every muddy & exhausting minute of it. Back in June at Eroica Britannia, me and The Boy were invited by Brooks England to experience L’Eroica in its birthplace. There I was, mentally preparing myself to ride the Peaks again, while […]

Well, it was an interesting one to say the least! A real mix of not so great stuff (#houseflood) to some rather ace stuff on two wheels went down in 2014. I didn’t get to blog as much I wanted to, but I certainly didn’t forget how to ride a bike in those 12 months… here’s a quick look back at some VCG highlights… TV and bikes played a big role this year – I was back with ITV for The Cycle Show, reporting on Eroica Britannia and chatting the very lovely Matt Barbet on the sofa. It was great to be back working with the team, and I look […]

A few weeks ago I was blasting around Derbyshire on a vintage Italian road bike climbing and descending for 30 miles… certainly not your average weekend ride for me, as I took part in L’Eroica Britannia! Courtesy of Lush Handmade Cosmetics, VCG attended the inaugural British leg of the iconic event, which was transported from the rolling hills of Tuscany to the beautiful Peak District. Founded in 1997 with just 92 riders, L’Eroica (which literally translates as ‘The Heroic’) is a vintage themed sportive, born from the love of cycling, history and literature of Italy. Its original intention was to raise awareness of the traditional ’strade bianchi’ (white gravel roads) […]

  My favourite cycling event of the year swung around again last Saturday: the sixth annual London Tweed Run! Although VCG was there in spirit last year, I was counting down the days to taking part in the ride this time. With the temperature hitting 23 degrees, organiser Ted Young-Ing couldn’t have chosen a better day for the event… which also led to a last moment change of my planned outfit for the day. I doff my cap to those who preserved in full tweed, but I suspect I would have baked in Central London with the suit I had in mind! To be perfectly honest, my cyclestyle for the day faded […]

Last month saw the 5th anniversary of The London Tweed Run. As I was unable to attend, The Boy (Ian James) went along to represent for VCG! Here is his report on the day along with some beautiful photography he did at the event…  I was determined to be more prepared for the Tweed Run than ever this year. But it was always going to be a bit different as sadly Lady Velo was going to be out of town ogling lots of lovely hand-made British bicycles at Bespoked Bristol. So, that left me, The Boy on a bit of a solo mission. But you’re never alone on the Tweed Run: it’s […]

 What-what?! Saturday sees the return of London’s most stylish bike ride… The Tweed Run is back! Celebrating its fifth birthday, this years Tweed Run is set to be a marvellous day. With yet another wonderful route planned around the city and the weather promising to be good, I’m sure all those who won a place will have a fantastic time. This year I won’t be on the Tweed Run, as I’m off to the South West today with Vulpine for an amazing weekend at Bespoked Bristol! But wait – Frankie has been given a clean and is ready to roll on Saturday morning… as The Boy will be riding on […]

When Sweaty Betty contacted me about #TheFitCrowd, they certainly got my curiosity. Then, a couple of weeks later when I got an invitation to attend an evening of fashion and fitness, they definitely got my attention. Empowering women though fitness is Sweaty Betty’s primary aim, and since launching in 1998 there are no signs of this mission slowing down. Their latest stage in this is ‘The Fit Crowd‘ – a collective of likeminded women working together with SB to inspire new communities of fitness focused women. This was something that really appealed to me for two reasons: My absolute belief in cycling having a wonderful impact on your health and lifestyle Being inspired myself […]

I’m stunned at what’s happened with the blog over the past 12 months and the adventures that have occurred. I’m thankful for all the love and support I’ve had from all of you this year… with a majority of you thinking I’m mad for the late nights infront of my laptop! I do it because I love cycling & I adore blogging about it all; it gives me the greatest amount of joy and if 2012 is anything to go by, my heart might actually burst in 2013… It’s almost the end of the year. Time to stop for a moment, and take stock of some of the highlights of 2012 […]