Tweed Pig Pin-Up: Alistair Cope

Alistair Cope - Cycling Impresario

How does the sound of dressing in tweeds, cycling through the gentle Devonshire countryside and stopping for afternoon tea grab you? Well head over to Velo Vintage and sign up pretty sharpish, because their next Occasion and Ride is just round the corner - and you can do all of that in the company of like-minded, impeccably polite individuals. Our kind of people. We've added Velo Vintage to our Events page so you don't forget.

Velo Vintage is organised by Devon-cyclist Alistair Cope, with the help of his son Sebastian. He also runs the decidedly more manly adventure cycling and tour company Velo Ventures, for rugged cycling types who enjoy pounding through rough terrain.

About the Photo

Let's find out from Alistair about Velo Vintage and the photo above:

"Having spent a short spell as an officer in the Royal Navy (I think I joined for the uniform & ceremony) and having taken a regular dose of P.G. Wodehouse as a child, I have always irrepressibly hankered after those rather wonderful British times where etiquette and decorum guided you through your daily needs. I am also somewhat addicted to the delights of Devon Cream Teas and bicycles! Most fortunately my eldest son Sebastian shares my passions and we now harness this zeal to create and share some special moments with friends and quite frankly anyone who would like to join us with Velo Vintage.

"Velo Vintage was dreamed of and realised as an opportunity to dress up, cycle and enjoy teas in Devon last year. I think that “time to cycle, converse, take tea and dress with style” rather sums us up quite well. Our next event in June includes afternoon tea at A la Ronde, a truly unique and charming property belonging to the National Trust. The ride will cover 10 miles.

"Our attire is varied and often quite normal for us, as tweed befits our lifestyle, however, as you can see in the photograph, I seem to have adopted a uniformed approach for our occasions, sporting dress trousers from the Royal Marines and a jacket of unknown origin. The shoes are from Joseph Cheaney & Sons which, I believe are on their third sole! My scarf, has lost its label over the years, but belonged to my grandfather. Sebastian, is dressed in a vintage suit, a Charles Tyrwhitt shirt, Morrows socks, Loake shoes and a Joseph Wilson & Sons bowler. The development of our moustaches in this photograph is far from impressive, however where required they are held in place with Extra Firm Bounder Wax. I should give a little mention to our much loved 1935 Hercules tandem, affectionately known as Herbert." 

More Photos

How could we leave out these extra photo's from Alistair? This one from The Tweed Run is notable for the pipes:

The one below is notable for the beer being drunk from proper dimpled beer mugs. The only way to drink bitter. Insist on this and accept no Frenchified glass for your beer. The landlord of your local pub has a moral obligation to supply dimpled mugs. If it's not a legal requirement, it should be. You can buy The Great British Dimple here.

The charming lady in the fetching gloves is Alistair's daughter Rachel.

Herbert in Action