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The glamorous life of a magazine editor (and part-time model.)

Rob Spedding, Editor Thursday, Apr 17, 2008 10.15am

It's a chilly April day on a Wiltshire hilltop. I've just shaved my legs and they're reflecting the mid-morning sun as well as any mirror. Two women on horseback are staring and giggling at me and tech editor Jez Loftus. Well, you can hardly blame them Jeremy is standing on a wall in a pair of bib shorts and I've been caught - literally - with my pants down...

Yep, modelling for Cycling Plus is very glamorous. Tight budgets - and tighter deadlines - mean that when gear needs shooting it's the team on the mag who take on the catwalk duties. Today Jez and I are climbing in and out of Lycra as our snapper Paul Smith tries not the shake with laughter at the numpties posing for him. Luckily in Paul, and Robert Smith - no relation - we've two brilliant photographers who, with good lighting and judicious cropping, can make even me and the boy Loftus look vaguely respectable.

Okay, so maybe 'vaguely respectable' is an exaggeration. That said, I think I look pretty heroic in one of the shots above. Can you guess which one? Actually, my moody album cover image was taken by Rob on an airfield on the day we forced our Reader Team to ride about in the cold and gale force winds. The results, though, were stunning and you'll be able to see more of the two Smith's stirling work in future issues of the mag. And trust me, some of the pictures in our next issue - 210, on sale in early May - are stunning!

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User Comments

There are 5 comments on this post

Showing 1 - 5 of 5 comments

  • So, I was browsing the internet looking for things bicycle-related and look what I found!

    Still, at least it's not a set of fairy wings and a lacy thong, eh Mr Spedding? (I still have nightmares...)

    oli

  • Rob, I'm still wiping the tears from my eyes and will be for some time, but please do us all a favour and either

    a) Get some fake tan on that translucent skin of yours (are you a vampire?)

    b) Spend more time outdoors activating your bodies natural UV protection (skin)

    or

    c) Cover up.

    Ho hum. You've made my day...

  • Sadly the legs are all mine

  • Amazing what wonders Photoshop can do isn't it?

    Whose legs are they by they way?

  • Looking good Rob. You look much less camp than usual.

  • 1

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