With the dress made and ready for the ride, the remaining thing to sort for my Tweed Run outfit was the hat. When Nisa presented me with my finished garment, she also kindly gave me a small roll of dogtooth tweed that was left over… “this might come in handy later” she said with a knowing smile, and then pointed me in the direction of a milliner she regularly saw in Old Spitalfields Market. Nisa had remembered the there was a matching Pill Box hat in the poster. The last past of the puzzle was falling into place. I won’t lie – I’d never really been a ‘proper’ hat woman. I always […]

 So, you may have noticed I’m even more excited than usual about the Tweed Run. For this years ride, the poster was designed by the brilliant Eliza Southwood. It features a woman (huzzah to that!) and that woman was inspired by… me. It feels pretty unreal to say that, and I’m still quite bowled over by it. I love planning and putting together an outfit for the Tweed Run – its always been one of my favourite things about the event. As this one is a bit special, I decided to have a more fun and let life imitate art: I had to try and recreate the outfit from Eliza’s amazing […]

  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 […]

It’s been a little while since I’ve put one of these together and my CycleStyle radar has been going off like mad with clothing and accessories being brought to my attention! With Spring attempting to make an appearance and me itching to get out and do some longer rides (especially on my new bike) here’s a little selection of what’s caught my eye… 1) Women’s Cotton Rain Trousers – Vulpine: These trousers are a perfect fit for both on and off the saddle. Made from Epic Cotton, they’re breathable, water resistant and designed to withstand tough rides… yet style has not been sacrificed in the design. Vulpine’s Cotton Rain Trousers […]

I had lots of fun playing dress-up in her Redchurch Street shop, and fell for her bike shoe collection in a big way, so I couldn’t wait to put Tracey Neuls’ Bike Fern Boot to the VCG test in the city… I was given* them back in September to test out, and box fresh this is how they looked: buttery smooth leather from the tan inner to the grey outer, and that distinctive reflective ribbon on the back. They were stunning… almost to the point of being worried about wearing them on the bike for fear of scuffing them up! BUT that is the beauty of this ankle boot – […]

This week I visited Tracey Neuls in Shoreditch. As an East London girl, I cycle around Brick Lane a lot & often stop to window shop at the hanging display in her Redchurch Street store… so it was a pleasure to be invited to spend an afternoon trying on her stunning shoes, and have a preview of her exclusive shoe collaboration with Tokyobike for the London Design Festival 2013. Tracey’s footwear has a loyal following amongst women in both the UK and Japan, and has also struck a chord with female cyclists who love the comfort and style of her shoes with their rubber sole to cycle around the city in. […]

 “Sleek and stylish” were the first words that came to mind when I opened my delivery from Michaux. After reviewing their Weekender Bag, I was asked to review* their new Shadow Saddle Bag & couldn’t wait to put it to the test… The Shadow Saddle Bag is made from waterproof bonded canvas and finished with leather trims, featuring the signature Michaux reflective 3M Scotchlite material, to enhance visibility when riding. It’s immediate to the touch that the quality of the canvas used is very high, and as with the Weekender, the Shadow feels like it’s built to last. The versatility of the Shadow is a huge plus on the cycle […]

(UPDATE: The feature is up on the BBC News Magazine site, which can be viewed anywhere in the world! Click here for article and video)   I was back out on my Pashley Princess yesterday for a ride to Broadway Market (fast becoming a favourite place to ride to) for one of my Cycle Saturdays with The Boy. This one was a bit different though, as I spent the morning filming a piece for Newsnight with BBC Hague correspondent Anna Holligan… Keen cyclist Anna, along with producer Hannah & camera man / editor Suraj set off from The Netherlands on 31st July for a grand bike tour to London. I was thrilled […]

What better way to mark Bike Week in the UK by being out on the saddle? It was a tale of two bicycles for me: a day on a Boris Bike rather far away from home, and another going for a spin around Shoreditch on my Pashley resulting in a street-fashion shoot… It was an early start on Tuesday morning, catching the train up to Berkshire to film with The Cycle Show. I spent the day with the crew at the Transport Research Laboratory in Wokingham. We filmed a bicycle safety feature at TRL. It was fantastic and an education to be there, and check out the safer cycling innovations […]

Whoa – a bit of a radio silence from VCG on front… sorry about that! Life has become a bit hectic with lots of exciting bicycle related things going on… all of which I’ve been desperate to blog about & trying to find the time to do it! I’m filming again with The Cycle Show, which returns to ITV4 this July for its second series – huzzah! More updates on that as it happens, and look out for the odd Instagram sneak-peaks from me… In the meantime, here’s an update on another piece of cycling-tv which has come to life. Back in February I met up with the lovely Caz […]

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 […]

With the clocks going forward, British Summer Time is officially here. March certainly didn’t bring much Spring cheer – lets hope April does a better job. If like me you’re longing for warmer days, brighter evenings and lots of rides in the sunshine, here’s a little injection of colour to get your wardrobe in a Spring-Cycling mood… Dress – Lisa Wrap, People Tree: Makers of Fair Trade fashion, People Tree have come up with this dress featuring a cute bicycle print. Made in a simple everyday shape, it’ll make a great summer wardrobe staple, and a comfy dress to ride in. Hat: Straw Fedora, Topshop: Made from natural straw with unfussy detailing, the […]

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 […]

Since starting VCG, I’ve made some wonderful friends in the cycling/blogging community and it’s always a joy to meet them beyond my laptop. This week, that finally happened with Caz Nicklin –  founder of online cycling accessories shop, Cyclechic! Although we’ve been in contact for almost two years, the first ever product review on VCG was for Cyclechic AND we live in the same city, our cycle paths didn’t cross until Wednesday… how long overdue is that?! We met-up after Caz asked me to work with her on an upcoming and rather exciting project, which involved us filming together at her lovely home and around Chiswick, West London. With perfect sunshine and […]

Last month I sent out a public tweet, searching for an illustrator to do a little something for Vélo-City-Girl. I’d been on the hunt for one for quite some time, and had an idea of the style I wanted, but hadn’t found any illustrators who quite “got” what I was after. Coming pretty close to giving up on the idea of the piece, I got a tweet from Ste Johnson offering to have a go at a sketch for me. He’s the gentleman behind the Cycling & Fashion blog, The Discerning Cyclist. A fellow bike-lover AND an illustrator? This sat very well with me indeed… We exchanged a few emails about […]

 It’s been an exciting couple of weeks for Vélo-City-Girl. After doing a quick photo-shoot and interview last week for the Evening Standard, on Sunday I filmed at Look Mum No Hands for The Cycle Show on ITV4!  I was their guest presenter for episode two, interviewing the Near Naked Man cycling group & chatting on the sofa. I thrilled to be asked to be a part of it – especially as it’s a brand new show dedicated to something so close to my heart. Of course, it wouldn’t be VCG if there wasn’t a touch of Cycle Chic to my outfit for the day… Bike Lane Dress: Anthropologie Cardigan: Monsoon […]

Time for another cycling product review, and this time it’s brought to you by Ian James! He’s guest posting on Vélo-City-Girl after falling in love with the Ally Capellino Tommo Bag and insisting on reviewing* it. The Boy has put the bag through its paces on his bike, and brings us this review of the Tommo…   So, ‘The Boy’ here doing a guest post on a rather lovely bag for Velo-City-Girl. This is entirely because from the moment I saw the Ally Capellino Tommo Despatch Bag I had to have it and have pretty much stole it from Lady Velo! It pretty much hasn’t left my side (on and off my Cannondale) relegating all […]

 Well, ring my bell…  this Monday I found out VCG made the final shortlist for the Cosmopolitan Blog Awards! Vélo-City-Girl is up for Best Lifestyle blog… and I owe every single reader / follower a massive “thank you” for nominating me! Running VCG is an absolute pleasure, and it’s fantastic to know that it has struck a chord with so many people… and of course brilliant to see Cycling & Fashion (and everything that happens in between on my bike) is being picked-up on a wider scale. There are some familiar & fabulous blogs who have been nominated in other categories, including Anna of South Moulton St Style (please check her out and give her […]

It’s rather hard to believe it’s Summer in the UK at the moment. Torrential rain, dark skies and wearing wellies in July? I think we’ve been robbed of the sunshine for long enough! Something that has injected some rays of light into my world is the colour Pink. Now, I’m not usually a pink girl, but thanks to the Cambridge Satchel Company releasing their limited edition ‘Pastel’ range of bags, I was inspired to put together a fuchsia-fashion mix (yes, a handbag can set off a whole new outfit for me) which I reckon would look damned ace on the Pashley…or any bicycle for that matter… Rio Top by Vivienne of Holloway: The vintage violet […]

The London Nocturne came back to the streets of Smithfield Market last month. With another eclectic mix of bikes and varied agility races, there was something there to please everyone… Gent on a Guv’nor – not sure he was racing though! Team preparations… Fast riding in the Leigh Day & Co Kermesse, which I especially enjoyed watching… Of course while I was there, I was on a mission to hunt for more cycling-fashion! It was brilliant to see some new faces amongst the established cycling brands with pop-up stalls at the event – one of which was the Michaux Club. Founded by Rachel Bonney (pictured above), the Michaux bag range began […]