You know, there is nothing wrong with just having a bit of fun on a bicycle. No racing, laps or hard climbs – just a day on a bike taking your time and having a laugh. That’s exactly what VCG did on the Pashley Picnic Ride last month to celebrate a big birthday… and what a giggle it was indeed. As expected, England’s longest established cycle manufacturer marked its 90th anniversary in style. Their annual picnic for Pashley owners became a weekend long celebration of the brand, filled with bikes, vintage flare, booze… and some culture to boot. Adrian Williams (MD of Pashley) and his team laid on entertainment from […]

Wondering what’s going on with the Pashley Picnic Ride? Well, wonder no more! It’s coming back this September, and looks set to be quite the party! Pashley are holding their annual bike ride little later than usual this year, across the 17th – 18th September. After attending last May, and experiencing a fun-filled and quintessentially British extravaganza in one day, it’s awesome to see what they have planned for the weekend long event! The Saturday (17th September) is all set for Shakespeare: the bike-powered drama troupe ‘HandleBards’ will be performing ‘Much Ado About Nothing’ on the banks of the River Avon. It’s worth noting this is all tied-in with their 90th anniversary… I’m predicting something pretty […]

 VCG’s ‘Summer of Cycling’ is now in gear, and was kicked off in style when I attended the Pashley Picnic Ride! After 5 years of owning Frankie, it has certainly been a long time coming, and thanks to the amazing people at Pashley Cycles, me and The Boy went to the birthplace of my bike for a splendid stay and cycling adventure in Stratford-Upon-Avon. Pashley started the Picnic Rides back in 2012, as a way to celebrate the heritage of the company and thank customers of the brand for their loyal support. Held in association with the Traditional Cycle Shop, the annual ride draws a large crowd, with over 100 […]

 The 7th annual Tweed Run rolled into London on the 18th of April and after weeks of planning, the day had come for me to bring that poster to life (in more detail than I anticipated), and ride alongside 700 stylish cyclists through the city… Glorious sunshine was the order of the day as that elusive yellow orb made an appearance in a clear blue sky- result! Before riding off on the Pashley and Colourbolt, me and the dashingly dressed Boy checked off the VCG list of essential Tweed Run requirements… Outfits: pressed and presentable  ✔️ Bicycles: roadworthy and clean ✔️ Phones & cameras: charged ✔️ Picnic: wrapped & packed ✔️ Appetite: large and […]

Coffee and bikes – a well known combination loved by many cyclists, including myself… but what if I said the same could apply to tea? Always partial to a good Rosie Lee (well, I am from East London!), I’ve been enjoying some quality blends recently – so I was thrilled and intrigued when Tokyobike invited me round for a cuppa or two at the Good & Proper Tea Brew Bar which was in residence at their shop for four weeks… They say that tea in hot weather cools you down, so the surprise spring heat a few weekends ago was the perfect chance to hop on my Pashley, head to Shoreditch and put the theory into action surrounded […]

(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 […]

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 […]