Just about to put some Campag Zondas on ebay complete with tubes and 25mm Vittoria Rubino Pro tyres if you are interested? Let me know and I’ll set up the Buy it now price as £125. Postage will be around £15

Statue Park is worth a visit, it appears to be called memento park now. its where they relocated all the old Communist statues that were around the city after the fall of Communist ideals in the late eighties.

Margaret Island is worth visiting on a nice day, just peaceful and quiet. You forget you’re in the middle of a river to be honest.

The walk up Andrassy is nice too, finish at heroes square and wander round the park behind.

There are some nice small museums around Buda castle as well, mostly war/military history etc but I like that sort of thing.

House of Terror museum is pretty sinister but also very good

St Stephens Basillica is also worht visiting for the view from the top.

I’d rely on tripadvisor for food and drink or recommendations from hotel staff, we found it a bit hit and miss but that was about eight years ago.

There is a minibus from the airport to the centre of Pest, its pretty cheap and you get a mini tour thrown in as the driver makes up the route based on the passengers destination.

I use the DK Eye Witness travel guides for European Cities, they are pretty good and the maps are easy to read.

You dont really need a metro card etc, statue park has a dedicated bus, buy a ticket from the tourist booth in the centre of Pest. Other than that, its pretty small in all honesty so walking is your best bet.

The largest note is a 20,000er, thats about £50, fine for dinner etc, some 10s and 5s will be fine for beers etc.

Finally, if you find a drink called Kappy, buy some, its an awesome, super-addictive, sunny delight style, orange juice drink.

I have a 2007 93 estate, its the 150bhp Vector Sport model and its very nice. Mine was immaculate, 115k miles and FSH, I paid about £3750 from a reputable dealer in Bristol about 15 months ago. Happily cruises along the motorway at 75mph giving just under 50 mpg and being a Vauxhall of sorts, is fairly cheap to run and maintain. Around town, short journeys etc though and you will be lucky to get 35mpg.

Things to look for, the EGR valve will most likely need cleaning as the engine isnt the most refined. Its not a massive job but will need doing. Getting fault codes cleared is a bit of a chore, even Saab specialists dont always have the right diagnositics kits. The gearbox is a weak link too and the auto box isnt the best, its just a standard slushbox and will often be confused as to what gear it wants to be in, its always in 3rd when you’d be in 4th etc.

I like it though and I’m glad I bought it over the poverty spec 3 series BMWs

Crikey I’m only trying to find the owner of a recovered bike! ;)

Yes it’s pretty grim for bike theft here though I get frustrated seeing expensive bikes secured with just a cheap cable lock. Does anyone know this guy?

The early models from the early 2000s are now well under £4k so the chavs in Bristol are buying them up. Previously they bought knackered Imprezas and raced them up the ring road having fitted the obligatory whoooosh dump valve. I cant say I blame them to be honest, close ratio six speed box, 190-200 bhp (most will be down on power now but Honda make good engines), must be fun to rag around the roads without a care in the world until ambition exceeds talent or the engine goes bang

That. Looks. Awesome!

Forgot to add, if you are really concerned, just hide in the middle of the starting pen and squash up to the other riders so no one can see your number. You honestly dont need to be there 30 minutes in advance and if you miss your wave, you can join the next one. Its worth getting there early and joining an earlier wave though.

As others have said, the first 25 miles is super quick and we covered it in little over an hour and a quarter despite not really pushing it. Find a big group and hold their wheels, jump onto any groups that pass. Leith Hill is narrow and busy but its short so batter it and push past the plodders. Box Hill was narrow too but the field had massively spread out by this point. Then its flat to the finish bar the short, sharp climb in Wimbledon. The finish is ace, the left turn under Admirality Arch is great. I filmed the finish rather than choosing to sprint my mate (he would have beaten me!) but it was nice as the crowds were forming for the elite race behind us.

I’ve only rode it once in 2013 but despite all the warnings in the literature, the start is very informal. Just roll up and find a queue, the marshals are relaxed about people joining when they can though they will expect yellow numbers in the yellow start area etc they are not fussy about whether you are in the allotted start wave, just whether you are in the right area. Its a lot less formal than the documents suggest.

As the sprinters have had to haul their sorry backsides over the alps for the last four days, the very least they deserve is a day in the spotlight again in Paris.

To be honest, I watched every second of the 2011 World Championships, I was fraught with nerves in those last 10kms as GB just drive the peloton from the front shedding riders after each one had put in 100%, then as Cav was boxed in with 250m to go, I made childish girly yelps, I then went nuts shouting at the telly as he held off Matt Goss in those final metres so if anyone says I dont “deserve” to wear a WC jersey they can **** the **** off….. not that I own a WC jersey but still….

I love how precious roadies get over trade team and national jerseys, its just a jersey that you are applying an overstated emotional context to, it does not happen in any other sport. If you were cold and wet on a long ride and someone handed you a WC jersey to wear to warm you up, if you didnt take it because you didnt believe you had earned the right to wear it by winning a race that 0.001% of competitive cyclists would ever have the chance of even riding in, you’d be a spectacular moron.

1kg possibly, 295g certainly not.

But thinking about it I start a sportive with two 550ml bidons full of water, when I finish I am usually empty, (ok, some of the fluid is now in me but then I assume I lose a bit of weight on a long ride too?).

Now 1100ml of water is 1.1kg, do I consciously notice the difference between the weight of the bike at the start of the ride and at the finish? no.

You wont notice the difference in weight at all…

… but Campag hubs are far smoother than Mavic at that sort of price bracket so its a worthwhile upgrade in that sense.

Wheel weight arguments are irrelevant without knowing where that weight is saved, ie hubs, rims or spokes as its all about rotating mass rather than “dead” weight like the frame or touch points.

Good quality tyres and latex tubes are easy weight saving measures and affect rotating mass so you stand more chance of noticing the difference.

Sky wont win the TTT, they will lose time to Movistar for sure which helps Quintana, I dont see Astana ar Tinkoff having particularly special TTT teams but that might not be so much of a problem.

Also the 2013 Tour Froome won had 65 kms of TT in it which suited Froome well so not having any team mates wasnt an issue for the mountain stages as he had already built up a cushion of 4:30 on Bertie before Alpe d’Huex and the Col de Madaleine.

As above, a moron in a car is dangerous at 20, 30 or 40 mph. If someone doesnt have for example, lane discipline, good observation skills and spatial awareness, the only thing that 20 limits do is reduce the impact speed.

I’m all for the 20 limit dont get me wrong but it wont improve the driving ability of the average Bristolian and they will just get more angry when they see bikes fly past them. The biggest danger now is you have small vulnerable road users who can travel at the same speed as the big heavy stuff so the cars cant speed up and pass safely and you are travelling alongside the cars and vans doing 20mph

The road book is available online, I think there is a link in the main TdF thread here, its worth downloading it and then you can see the route and will know which roads to avoid/use to move about. You should be able to pick a few spots to watch from on each stage. They are “only” doing 45-50kmh or so so you can watch, then jump in the car, head on up the stage and park up again.

Stage starts and finishes are hugely over rated, very busy and a bit dull, you’ll need to be there very early to see anything. I’d personally find some small towns on route, they get into the spirit of it all and are nice places to stop for a few beers.

There arent any hills in the first week of note, you could try to get to one of the cobbled sections on stage 4 but it will be very busy so you will need to plan ahead.

Interesting that Astana have left Aru at home to avoid any more issues with him out-riding Nibbles… personally I dont think Nibbles has enough support to go for GC, Fuglsang is the only rider who can last with the other GC riders as Scarponi is just too old. Boom will be looking forward to the first week.

Contador has a lot of support in comparison, Kreuziger, Majka, Rogers, similar situation for Froome and Quintana to be honest, I can just see those three teams really pushing Astana.

I’m a bit of a fan of the Slipstream team of old so will be rooting for Talansky and hoping the likes of Dan Martin and Van Barrle get some breakaways action going.

I still think this is the most open and exciting tour in years, as others have said it wont be won in the first week but the start of the third week will see only 3 or 4 left in it.

Brailsford’s comments about the TTT were interesting, he was saying this year that its all about how quick your fifth man is rather than an ITT where its down to the GC guy to pull out the time and some teams will suffer badly

Italian Pinot Grigio if I am poor
Sancerre if I am flush

stages usually start around 1100 local time and are usually about 5 and a half hours long.

Stages that could be interesting….
3 – some kicks in the last 30kms that could encourage attacking breaks, one big kick in the last 5kms
4 – 30 kms of pave over 6 sections
8 – first summit finish (though not a massive climb) could see GC contenders make early claim
9 – TTT – only 30kms long but GC contenders could lose a fair bit of time here
10 – Bastille day, first big summit finish after a rest day…
11 – Col de Tourmalet
12 – 3 big cat 1 climbs pretty much equally spaced throughoput the day, nearly 200kms long too….
17 – Another big mountain stage after a rest day so expect fireworks
18 – Col de Glandon, anyone suffering from yesterday will pay for it today and I suspect a few GC hopefuls will fade today
19 – Straight into a big climb from the off so there will be a break, then they summit Col de CdF so if the break stays clear it could really be interesting as they then summit La Toussaire…
20 – Col de Telegraphie, Galibier then Alpe d’Huez….

Thos last four stages will be epic, I think its the best finishing week to a tour in decades, do you go big early on 17 or 18 and hope to put time into your rivals and make them attack on the latter stages or do you just stick with them and hope you have something left for the final day?… of course that all depends on the whehter you have lost any time in the preceding two weeks….

Cancellara must be odds on for the prologue but I fancy Chavanel as an outsider. It should be a cracking tour, four real GC contenders, the highest number in years and some really tough stages. That last week will be very punishing and I cant wait for all those mountains and this year we have time bonuses for the stage winners and a re-shuffled points jersey scoring system from 45-35-30 to 50-30-20

local coffee shop made up some kits through Castelli, quality is superb and its the comfy kiss3 pad in the shorts so I didnt mind paying a bit more.

I have custom order Owayo kit too, its good kit, the regular range (not pro fit) is comparable to Altura I’d say, their customer support is great.

I forgot to add stretching is almost as important as running itself. Dont be afraid to swap a run for a stretching session if you are struggling to summoun the energy or enthusiasm for a run. Make it a good 30 min session though with varied stretches, quads, glutes, hamstring etc etc and maybe some very light step-type activity too.

M5 will be fine, A37 southbound from Bath and the A361 towards Shepton Mallet will be chaos. Worthy Farm is about five miles east of Glastonbury itself so it shouldnt affect the M5

Interval training will help you run faster in the long run, its essentially getting your body used to working in the higher (anaerobic) HR zones rather than the lower (fat burning/aerobic ) zones so improving your CV fitness

Also make sure your upper body is doing something, when I was getting physio for my knee, he watched me run and commented that I would be much faster and smoother if I used my arms in conjunction with my legs. So now I try to pin my elbows back and use them to help drive my legs forwards. It takes some getting used to and you have to exaggerate it at first but then it becomes normal and you find a happy medium.

I am convinced the National Trust own every car park in the South West within a mile of the coast so membership is essential.

Another Evade user here, I love it, not the most ventilated of helmets but it does get some air into it and its so light, if you head fits Specialised helmets, you will love it I’m sure….

Pretty much yes, fuel wont be linear, as in what you need for 100 miles may not be as easy as simply doubling it for 200. I find a few bananas, cereal bars and a gel enough for 100 but would want something solid like a sandwich or a pasty in my pocket that actually fills my stomach rather than just full of carbs in my pocket for 200.

The easiest thing to do is pinch GPX files of Audax routes from various online sources, they are usually based on achieving a set distance to qualify for an award so a lot of the organisers purposely pick flat routes rather than hills. If you want to tick off distances, this is the best place to find a good route. Swap between miles and kms too, Now you have done 100 miles, go for 200kms, then 200 miles etc.

Have a look at the Saab 93, I really like mine, may not be as spacious as the Volvo but its a nice car and great value for money. Loads of spares, indy support etc too so dont be put off by things like that. The 150bhp TiD engine is ok, not as refined as some but quick enough, the TTiD, Aero and Hot must be great fun.

a couple off the top of my head

Fair stood the Wind for France by HE Bates
Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks
Dry by Augusten Boroughs
Writing Home by Alan Bennett
England’s Lane by Joseph Connolly
Ordinary Thunderstorms by William Boyd
Alone in Berlin by Hans Fallada

True story. A friend went on a school ski trip, he fell out of bed on the first night, broke his arm or something and had to go home early. The school offered to pay for his trip the following year, as he got off the coach on arrival to the resort, he slipped on the ice and broke something else. The school didnt offer again. He now lives in Sweden.

To be honest, you dont need to worry too much about costs and things until much later as Bambino karts will most likely be supplied by the track you are racing at so you can control costs as its just just pay per drive

I was intrigued so had a look, the junior classes referred to are all using sealed engines and only a limited number of tyres are available throughout the year but the difference will be how often the kids can get out and that is the noticeable factor. Even then, the good engine builders have a reputation and they can charge a fair bit for a rebuild. Expect to pay about £1k for a good Bambino second hand.

Kids can start at the age of 6 in Bambino and most of the larger circuits will have Bambino karts and a structured lesson programme. The child wont be allowed out on the track on their own until they have passed some form of assessment. Its surprisingly quick, there will be videos on youtube and the racing is very close. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQ_5LhIkN3U

From 8 it gets super competitive in the Cadet class which have Comer or Honda engines, Comers are 2 stroke, Hondas are 4 stroke both with centrifgual clutches and they race together at most clubs. On the Child’s 11th birthday they can move up to mini-max and it gets more competitive and more expensive…

I had a Rotax Max (125cc, single cylinder, water cooled) for a while, I tested a fair bit at Llandow but couldnt afford to race as it would cost about £300 per meeting all in plus I was too heavy to be competitive in the lightweights and not heavy enough to go into the heavyweight class with slapping a lot of lead on the chassis. I assume the junior classes may be a little more restricted in order to keep costs down…

Bambino will be fun though and a thrilling experience for a 6 year old.

KTM looks nice and has a good review in CW, most importantly they rave about the frame which in your situation, is just what you want. A good base to serve as an upgrade platform. Nothing else jumps out as doing what you want, essentially you want the best frame you can get for the money but the likes of Trek and Specialised cheat and use lower spec frames compared to the upper end, I think Trek have at least four grades of carbon throughout the range so you get a down spec’d components on down spec’d frames hence I love Cervelo who have just one frame spec for each model and but as you say the 1485 spec frame is used on all but the top 2 KTM bikes.

I’d go for the KTM personally, it looks nice.

Wiggle have Campag Neutron Ultras for £429 in both freehub flavours at the moment, they are an older wheelset compared to the C24s but they are superb, lightweight and I love campag hubs, they just roll and roll. They are cup and cone bearings so fully serviceable and Big Maggy rode them to victory at Paris Roubaix.

Nice is stunning, you can easily spend a few days walking around the city. The old town has a nice charm to it in the evening. We found a few good places to eat there, not sure there are many bad places to be honest,
some over priced but then its a tourist destination so you sort of expect that. We werent being cheap but had big lunches and it was really hot so didnt eat that much. The restaurants on the Promenade Anglais are a bit pricey but the beach side terraces are quite nice for a posh night out!. We had breakfast out most mornings just soaking up the atmosphere and enjoying the nice relaxed start to the day, 5-7 euros will get you a few pastries and a coffee from pretty much anywhere. Everyone seems to buy an ice cream or waffles and wander round on warm summer evenings.

The Promendade des Anglais is miles long and just hugs the coastline so you can walk for ages back towards the airport and the view doesnt change! When we were there they were rebuilding the Promenade du Pallion but I think its finished now and should look nice.

Arm yourself with a map and the walk over to Villefranche is worthwhile too, another beautiful little town. Get the train/bus back!

Get the train to Monaco too and just wander round, its a fascinating place and well worth the trip. There are a few pavement cafes overlooking Plage Neptune which are surprisingly cheap btw. Then just walk around the grand prix track and make car noises when you see some red and white kerbing. Wander round the harbour too and pick a yacht. There isnt that much in Monte Carlo at all, its basically the casino and the bank but a day in Monaco is an experience. Wealth like you just wouldnt believe. I like cars a lot but I got bored when I saw the seventh Lamborari in the first ten minutes of being there

A day in Antibes or Cannes is nice too, lovely scenic train journeys hugging the coast and some nice bits in each.

I have to be honest having ridden in sportives since 2011 littering is something that I rarely see in the South West, only on the first Ride London was it particularly bad and on that one occasion it was immediately after a feed stop where they were handing out gels. I do agree though, even the pro tour teams are getting fined for littering outside designated areas now, we should challenge cyclists who litter on sportives. Some events are already causing anger amongst residents whom live on the route, the last thing we need is to add to their list of complaints. One organiser started giving you a free gel at the end for every wrapper you brought back subject to a maximum of two I think which wasnt a bad idea.

Worse than littering is the sight of riders at the start of a 100km ride loading themselves up with enough food and drink for a party of eight riding twice the distance. Often there are feed stops thirty odd miles from the start but they set off with two full bidons, pockets full of gels and energy bars and dont get me started on why they need gels and energy bars in the first place….

I appreciate you said money is tight but….. I’d seriously consider buying something like a Mondeo, Passat, Volvo V40 etc with a good service history and just use that, then bring it home and sell it on. Worst case you lose a bit of money and its a minor faff either side. Dont worry about mileage, it will be high but be picky and find a car with lots of invoices that has been well maintained. Get European breakdown cover just in case but to be honest if you are ok at spotting lemons, you should be fine without it.

Eg http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201504293028799/

There is an Ibis in Greenwich which can normally be booked pretty cheap through London Town, London Nights etc, Greenwich is nice and the park would be a pleasant place to be with kids too. Pretty sure the Maritime museum has finished its refurb too.

Do you have any clubcard points or nectar points? not sure what chians they can be used with but we always got good deals with Hilton through one of them.

You are all wrong, the best chippy in Whitby is the Riverside on Church St opposite the shipbuilders.

Conveniently, its about 100 yards from a good pub too.

It really depends what you want, a good day out or simply to just say yeah I’ve walked up that. The Llanberis track does the latter, its dull but very easy, its the longest too and pretty much follows the train track up so you are always “safe” as it were. Most paths are very easy to follow and no nav is required, even crib coch has a very defined route. I took a friend up via crib coch, he had never walked/hiked/climbed before but was sensible when it came to the climbing bits, took care with his footing and declared it a most enjoyable day. He did it all on Marlboro lights and bottles of coke too. The PyG track is good fun too, the walk to the reservoir is easy enough but from there is does get more interesting.