The day I got my cape on... well, capes. The Tweed Run 2013.

I am somewhat of a fair-weather cyclist (who wants to go out in the rain really?) but that didn't stop me looking forward to spending the day astride a velocopide of my own, taking in some of London's most iconic landmarks.  The event I am talking about is of course TheTweed Run, an amazing day when the streets of London are filled with be-tweeded (?) folk going for a leisurely jaunt, all in aid of charity.

The first time I'd attended the Tweed Run was the Ralph Lauren Rugby sponsored event in November 2011 and we returned for the April edition last year.

Competitor for most English photo ever?

 The route this year took in some of the most iconic sites in London including the Houses of Parliament, Regent Street, Trafalgar Square and Buckingham Palace - the tourists really got their money's worth that day!  We also revisited a few places we've filmed in the past, including the Athenaeum Club and Savile Row.



 

I am indebted to AuntieMaureen, who answered my plea for a tweed outfit at short notice.  The weather was quite changeable, so for the ride itself I wore a combination of a 1970s tweed cape suit, a lovely knitted woollen top and the tweed jacket I wore last year.   During the tea break, I got a bit chilly, so I changed the short cape for a knee length houndstooth number, which I also wore when I went to see The 39 Steps earlier in the week.  To complete my outfit, I wore a 1960s (I think) Edward Mann felt hat, which I had to stretch the night before because it was just a tad tight, a green snood, my 1940s dead stock brogues, elbow length leather gloves and a scarf that I got from Lush when I used to work there.  Being the rubbish blogger that I am, I didn't get any proper photos of my outfits (yes, plural) so this will have to do (also see the picture of me during an interview further down). 



Courtesy of Jim Moore



 My camerawork and presenting skills were really put to the test, as I was filming and doing pieces to camera - all while riding an unfamiliar bike (a beautiful Pashley I may add) in a pencil skirt! 



Courtesy of Jim Moore

 My formative years were spent listening to punk and new wave (this is going somewhere), so when I had the opportunity to interview David Vanian, lead singer of the Damned, I was a little over excited!  We had a lovely chat about bikes and tried very hard not to be a total fangirl!  

Look at that contained excitement!

 I touched upon it in our newsreel, but all of the riders owe a huge thank you to the marshals who kept all 500 of us out of harm's way - quite a task when you imagine so many cyclists of varying levels of experience, careering across Oxford Circus in the middle of the day!



The marshals all gathered at the start

I had so much fun, even when it started raining towards the end of the ride and it was lovely being able to catch up with a few London friends (and one cheeky chap from Brighton of course).

The lovely Katie and Mai, who came for an impromtu jaunt
down to Brighton after the Run



I'm not sure why Jenni is quite so excited,
she gets her photo taken all the time!



Zack, on Regent Street, in one of my favourite photos of the day

I can't wait to take part next year - perhaps my bike mounted camera work will have improved by then?!  Anyway, here is the film we made if you fancy seeing more of what the day is about.  Let me know what you think, were you there or would you love to attend a Tweed Run near you?