I am really excited about the launch of Casquette, a new quarterly print magazine and website for the discerning female cyclist.

I’m always keen to report good news stories about women’s cycling and the media. I also love magazines, having spent much of my adult life working on everything from Just 17 to Marie Claire as a beauty editor and, more recently and at a complete tangent, writing about mountain biking for Singletrack.

So, I got my hands on a copy and also had a quick chat with editor and founder Danielle Welton.

“The content is a balance of inspiration, good humour and style and includes the fun, sociability, coffee culture and freedom that comes with cycling.” Danielle Welton, editor.

Danielle tells me that she set out to create a magazine that she wanted to read but that did not exist – and crucially it is one that she believes there is a readership for.

It is aimed at women who ride and those who would like to, and deliberately puts a decidedly positive spin on the whole experience.

The theme, aptly, of the first issue of Casquette is #JFDI (Just F***ing Do It!). There is a choice of two covers – Emily Chappell or Nicole Cooke – and the Emily cover kicks off with a boldly placed quote ‘ Back yourself: How to look fear in the face and win’. The editor’s letter on page 3 – on what motivates female cyclists to make stuff happen – includes the words ‘peeing it down’. So, it’s not Woman’s Weekly then.

Instead Casquette is kind of cycling’s version of Stylist or Glamour – a slick, pro-women lifestyle read with aspirational photography and a clean, confident design. This is, however, most definitely a cycling publication – so when they refer to ‘Brad’ they mean Mr Wiggins and not Mr Pitt.

This issue kicks off with a Lust List spread of cycling accessories – basically a cycling centric mix of everything from the fantastic Grand Tour Cookbook to a limited edition Ass Saver.

There follows an interview with blogger and cycling girl-about-town Jools Walker, before moving on to contributions from and interviews with inspirational women who ride including Alicia Bamford of Queen of the Mountains, Kimberley Coats of Team Rwanda, Emily Chappell, Nicole Cooke and British Cycling coach Holly Seear. There’s also a piece on Drops Cycling with some great photography by JoJo Harper.

The features are interspersed with more usual women’s magazine content, although all of it skewed to cycling: style, recipes, fashion and beauty and travel all get a look in, as do lots of lovely road bikes.

It’s not easy or cheap to get a magazine off the ground so its good to see the following advertisers supporting this new venture: Assos (yes them, the brand who have gone from bad to badass!), Neals Yard (I use their rose facial oil to make my own moisturiser, but that’s another story), tokyobike, Chapeau!, Brooks England, Vulpine and Condor Cycles.

If you love women’s cycling then I urge you to get your hands on this first issue before they all get snapped up. It is a good looking magazine, a great read and a great big confident leap forward for women’s cycling.

Casquette is available for free at selected stockists or by post with a small p&p charge. Check it out on line or find out where to pick up or order a copy of Casquette here.