New single is great and last week they joined the digital age and put all their music online, so assume you can get the album for free once released

There was suspicion of doping at HT500 wasn’t there with Tramadol being found on the route when only the top ten had passed through and Jay Petevary is the oft mentioned example of cheating in ultra’s, so of course it goes on but I don’t think there is any reason to suspect people by default. Pretty much all the winners of TCR have gone from unknown to limelight, James is probably the only one who didn’t as he was known for being the guy who got shermers and had to withdraw but still wasn’t some star of the sport with a long pedigree of ultra’s competition. It is just the nature of a emerging sport and people who have often been riding impressive distances in their own time/ audax and then enter events and turn out to be better than everyone else which doesn’t really happen with more established sports.

there is a company in Brighton (or was, never used them) that would scoot around the city picking up commuters bikes in a little van, fix or service them and then run them back to the owners in the afternoon. (I think thats the basis of the company anyway)

South Coast Bikes https://www.southcoastbikes.co.uk/ it always seems quite a good model and when I see the little van driving around it is loaded with bikes so they appear to keep busy

Yeh surprised Inneos didn’t try and get Bernal to chase so he could pick up Yellow, White and Polka dot

I don’t think the ITV commentators mentioned Valverde once the whole episode and then he ride’s in to second

Yes the coverage was awful for the final 1km,missed it all

Someone get Nibali a bib

Heartbreaking for Pinot

Nairo is flying if he doesn’t go pop, got that contract dangling over him he wants signed

Quintana actually pulling on the front today, maybe he is feeling good after all

I did Annapurna in 2001 and loved it but from what I understand, its pretty much all drivable now isn’t it? So like the suggestion above about flying to Jomsom, you can now just get a jeep from Jomsom to Pokhara.

I haven’t done it but was looking last year at go back and Mansalu and Tsum looks like the ‘new’ Annapurna circuit and looks great

I think Alaphilipe has dug too deep have been multiple stages where he has crossed the line and basically collapsed against the barrier, needed support to stay upright, you can’t dig that deep day after day, expect him to explode like Yates in the Giro last year.

Expect Pinot to crumble in the heat, G to ride in to better form and Kruijswijk to be battling with Thomas in the mountains for Yellow come the end. Landa to go stage hunting beating him in being the only Movistar rider to win a stage.

Valverde rode straight past him as well without a sideways glance

There is still a long way to go, Alaphilippe isn’t showing any signs of struggling yet but one bad day or doing a Yates in last years Giro and imploding the in the final week after looking strong and leading for two weeks are all still possible, I think only if he continues to dominate until the end is it worth raising any questions around his form

Quintana has to be one of the best in the peleton for putting himself in the wrong position, why is his team working so hard while he just chats away at the back

Had a bunch of these over the years, I find it weird when one day you realise they are no longer there and left wondering what happened to them

Screams Honda Jazz, should tick all those boxes at a economical and reliable package (coming from someone sticking 400-500 miles a week on one)

If you are drinking Mactha to replace coffee consider trying Yerba Mate it’s a popular South American drink with a decent pick me up affect

I haven’t used clickmechanic for this but they do offer it, have used for other work and liked the service. It’s a bit like airbnb for mechanics.

I’ve seen someone in speedo’s and trainers walking up on a summers day and another time a guy in three piece suit, bowler hat and umbrella over his wrist, takes all sorts

My friend recently had just this, was due to high pressure in his eye from pigment that had been rubbed off his iris from being short sighted blocking however the pressure is supposed to be relieved. Was picked up by an optician and now he is having it resolved and then will be back on the bike. Don’t ignore it like he did as he has now lost some of his range of vision although fortunately only on the periphery where you don’t really notice.

On a similar theme, I recommend the Radiolab podcast epsiode on Dutee Chand

https://www.wnycstudios.org/story/dutee?tab=summary

In 2014, India’s Dutee Chand was a rising female track and field star, crushing national records. But then, that summer, something unexpected happened: she failed a gender test. And was banned from the sport. Before she knew it, Dutee was thrown into the middle of a controversy that started long before her, and continues on today: how to separate males and females in sport.

I park one road over from Preston Park where the parking restrictions end, I normally city bike it in from there but several bus stops as well or preston park station

It just got ranked lowest on a quality of life survey, says plenty

Some scrotes on the city bikes riding around inside the station and going up on the lift as the barriers were open last saturday night when I was there, menances

JP what about the ecological collapse currently happening? Is that also a prediction that isn’t based on reality?

Electronics, start with and Arduino or Pi kit, endless tutorials online

Also Dan Carlin Ghosts of the Ostfront is a great listen

If you want somewhere at the other end of the park, would recommend Dinas, between Barmouth and Harlech

Trans Siberian into China? Anyone done?

I did Moscow, trans mongolian train to Beijing stopping at Lake Baikal and in Mongolia to trek. From Beijing, did the great wall, Xian and terracotta army and then across to Tibet. Everest Base camp (northern side), monastery trips, general site seeing around Tibet and then in to Nepal. Took a couple of months, so you either do that slower, add trekking in one of the locations or fly from Kathmandu to somewhere else for a month. Tibet was definitely the highlight of the trip.

Also in the don’t pay it off early camp. Getting a mortgage is probably the only time most of us will get leveraged lending and very cheap rates, so it makes far more sense to stick in pension or stock and shares ISA rather than pay off the mortgage,as you’ll earn more interest than it is costing you too borrow and over time that makes a massive difference to your savings.

Enjoyed it but have to wonder what old age looks like in that lifestyle

Check this out op:

http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/01/13/the-shockingly-simple-math-behind-early-retirement

Mama tom yum for me

He’s on the JRE tomorrow, wonder if this will come up, can’t see Joe bringing it up

I’d love to go, was booked to go in autumn 2001 but we got as far Iran and changed plans due to the safety situation at the time. The hunza valley looks amazing, not sure I’d go currently though and would just go Indian himalayas and Kashmir. Look equally amazing and safer domestic situation.

So I guess frannie didn’t get that fortnightly visitation she was promised?

Good news is the next and last series is meant to be seven years in the future, so we skip Carries treatment and any loose ends

Also enjoyed him on jre so bought the book