Jools Walker

Jools Walker is an English bicyclist, TV presenter and author. Her first book, Back in the Frame,[1] was published by Little, Brown Book Group in May 2019 and she is represented by Bell Lomax Moreton.[2]

Early life

Walker grew up in Canning Town, east London with the first bike she owned being a 'metallic green trike'.[3] Later, she started riding a BMX her older brother restored and taught her to ride.[4] However, she says that the 'disgusting comments' she got riding her bike to school made her cycle less and less, eventually stopping in her late teens.[5]

Career

Walker started her blog Velo-City Girl in 2010 after purchasing 'the bike of my dreams', a Pashley Princess using the Cycle to Work scheme her employer, the University of East London, offered.[6] In 2012 she joined cycle clothing firm Vulpine as the operation's manager[7] and started presenting on ITV4's The Cycle Show,[8] with Walker leading on features including the annual vintage cycling festival, l'Eroica festival[9] as well as appearing on the BBC's Newsnight, on a feature on cycling culture.[10] She was featured in the online edition of La Fuga, the cycling industry periodical, in one of their 'Industry Portrait' features.[11] In 2015 she was highlighted as one of Bike Biz's '100 Women of the Year.[12]

In 2018 she started work with the London Bike Kitchen on a regular Women of Colour cycling meet-up[13] after realising that one of the barriers for her to starting cycling again was not seeing 'anyone I identified with'.[14] She now speaks regularly of the need for more diversity in cycling at all levels and of the barriers that keep prevent Women of Colour from accessing cycling.[15]

Cycling and health

In 2016 Walker suffered a stroke[16] and Back in the Frame describes Walker's life with depression.[17] She described its description of her experiences in an interview with The Guardian, saying:, "I’m not trying to be the poster child for what cycling can do for you, but in my book I try to use the experiences that I’ve had on and off a bike, and turn it all into a positive.[18]” In May 2019 an extract from Back in the Frame was published in The Daily Telegraph.[19]

References
  1. Back in the Frame. 2019-02-05.
  2. "Jools Walker (a.k.a Lady Vélo)". Bell Lomax Moreton Agency Limited. 2017-06-07. Retrieved 2019-06-26.
  3. "Jools Walker: Why I Ride..." Casquette. Retrieved 2019-06-26.
  4. "The Cycle Revolution". Velo City Girl. 2010-03-02. Retrieved 2019-06-18.
  5. Wilder, Robyn (2019-05-11). "Meet the blogger powering a cycle revolution". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 2019-06-18.
  6. Back in the Frame with Jools Walker, retrieved 2019-06-18
  7. "Jools Walker aka Lady Velo". Momentum Mag. 2014-09-09. Retrieved 2019-06-26.
  8. "Jools Walker | Five Minutes With Interview". Total Women's Cycling. Retrieved 2019-06-26.
  9. Fullcircle (2014-07-16), Eroica - Cycle Show ITV 15 Jul 2014, retrieved 2019-06-18
  10. "Remarkable Women Who Ride: Jools Walker". Evans Cycles. Retrieved 2019-06-18.
  11. "Industry Portrait: Jools Walker aka 'Lady Velo'". La Fuga. 2016-02-18. Retrieved 2019-06-26.
  12. "BikeBiz Women of the Year 2015: Part Two". BikeBiz. Retrieved 2019-06-26.
  13. hands!, Look mum no. "Women of colour cycling meetup | Look mum no hands!". www.lookmumnohands.com. Retrieved 2019-06-18.
  14. Richardson, Hollie (2019-05-23). "Cycling for women and how to get back on your bike". Stylist. Retrieved 2019-06-26.
  15. "Jools Walker on women and cycling". Sustrans. Retrieved 2019-06-18.
  16. "Jools Walker: Why I Ride..." Casquette. Retrieved 2019-06-18.
  17. "Jools Walker talks cycling and depression | Cycling UK". www.cyclinguk.org. Retrieved 2019-06-18.
  18. Wilder, Robyn (2019-05-11). "Meet the blogger powering a cycle revolution". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 2019-06-18.
  19. Walker, Jools (2019-05-16). "'Cycling is not just for the white, Lycra-clad middle class'". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2019-06-26.
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