VCG in 2014 - A year in review...

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 forward to a return in 2015. Flipping over to the BBC, I found myself recording live on Newsnight! I was invited on to discuss cycling culture in Britain and the various perceptions of cyclists across the country. Although I've been on Newsnight before, this was a very different experience doing it live... and truth be told, I almost said "no". I'm pleased that I did as I wanted to get a positive message across about cycling in Britain...

I got to play out properly on my Road Bike! My beloved Aprire (which I've had for a year now... omg) was screaming at me for a real ride. I finally got to down tools for a week, and took her with me to Portsmouth for planned rides with The Boy and our friend Jordan. Best ride on it that week was a round trip from Southsea to Bognor Regis. The weather was perfect, and at last it felt like I was getting to grips with road biking. I still have plenty to learn, but it was great to get out there.

Big bike rides featured heavily this year with the London Tweed Run and riding Eroica Britannia in Derbyshire... two very different styles of cycling indeed! As always, it was a blast being back on the Tweed Run, taking in the gorgeous sights of my city, seeing old and making new friends and of course drooling over all the bikes and outfits! Eroica saw me borrowing a vintage Italian road bike, and riding for 30 miles on terrain that was not my usual cycling route... and it was amazing! Thanks to Lush Cosmetics, I attended the inaugural British leg of the iconic event, which was transported from the rolling hills of Tuscany to the beautiful Peak District. I honestly can not wait for it to return next year and hope to be part of it again.

Photoshoots and magazines popped up in 2014: I was back in front of the lens of my dear friend Horst Friedrichs for a couple of photo shoots around East London. We got together for a feature in Stern Magazine which was a lot of fun to do, especially as one of the shoots became a Saturday Cycle through London... via some food stops. VCG also managed to pop-up in Momentum Magazine in Canada and America, Time Out talking about 'Secret London' , and Bicycle Navi magazine in Japan... Now I need to work on getting over to those places...

I hooked up with some great designers for rides and reviews this year. Friend of VCG and bloody cool bloke Mark Meadows loaned me his gorgeous Series One Milk Bike which I had the pleasure of riding for a few weeks... and then there was the recent Slowroll across London with Jason Hall and Shinola, on their Ladies Bixby Bike.

Work life was also rather busy while being lots of fun too... a trip to Malaga for a photoshoot saw me riding around and down (no climbs on a singlespeed) mountains on my Colourbolt. It was wonderful to visit Spain for the first time and to ride with colleagues/friends for almost a week. Oh, and then there was a rather special trip we took up to Manchester to ride with Sir Chris Hoy for a day... as you do!

Well, there you have it! It's been a mixed year, but it's not going out on a down note - it's been great to be back on the saddle again and pedalling life back into VCG. Here's to a cycling filled 2015 for everyone... Happy New Year and happy riding!