First cycle wearing white Lycra of 2016!

Since you voted for it, I went out cycling wearing white Lycra for the first time this year! If you don’t follow me on twitter, then you miss out on fun polls like this! So remember to follow me!

Pearl Izumi Team Garmin-Chipotle team kit

UK TV programmes to watch this week : 28/05/2016

Top Gear - 29-05-2016 - YouView appCountryfile (BBC 1/HD | 7:00pm to 8:00pm | Sunday 29th May 2016)

Countryfile is in Snowdonia. John Craven races a hill runner to the summit of Snowdon and meets the volunteers protecting the area’s ospreys. Anita Rani dons her wetsuit to discover that you don’t need to be near the sea to go surfing. Joe Crowley meets the artist whose work is taking centre stage in this landscape. And it’s all going down on Adam Henson’s farm as spring takes hold. The EU referendum is arguably the biggest decision facing our countryside for decades; Tom Heap meets up with the leading figures from both sides of the argument and asks the prime minister and Boris Johnson why rural Britain should vote with them.

Top Gear (BBC 2/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Sunday 29th May 2016)

In the first show of the new series, Chris Evans takes the Dodge Viper ACR to the home of Top Gun in Nevada, to battle Sabine Schmitz in a Chevrolet Corvette Z06. Matt LeBlanc tackles wildest Morocco in Somerset’s finest off-roader, the Ariel Nomad. Back on British soil, Evans and LeBlanc take a rather soggy road trip to Blackpool in a pair of roofless Reliant three-wheelers, whereupon they are tasked with defending the honour of their nations in a series of gruelling UK-versus-USA challenges. Back in the studio, this week’s celebrity guests are Social Network star Jesse Eisenberg and Gordon Ramsey.

Britain and Europe: For Richer or Poorer? (BBC 2/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Tuesday 31st May 2016)

Ahead of the EU referendum, Laura Kuenssberg examines the economic costs and benefits of EU membership. She talks to politicians and business leaders on both sides of the debate in a bid to find out what leaving could mean for trade and jobs, for red tape and people’s livelihoods. Kuenssberg also looks at what the UK brings to the EU, and what it gets back, before hearing the views of the public on whether Britain is better off in or out.

Highlands – Scotland’s Wild Heart (BBC 1 Scotland/HD & BBC iPlayer only | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Wednesday 1st June 2016)

Ewan McGregor narrates this landmark series about the wildlife of the Scottish Highlands. This edition charts how damaging an effect human impact had in the past, with the cutting down of forests, warming seas and the loss of iconic species like bears and wolves. But now things are are changing, as people work hard to protect the Highlands’ precious ospreys, eagles, red kites, seabirds and dolphins, in order to restore the wild Highlands to its full glory.

Living with Dementia: Chris’s Story (BBC 1/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Thursday 2nd June 2016)

In a powerful, multi-textured documentary filmed over almost two years, one family living with dementia reveals what life is really like behind closed doors. Using CCTV cameras, video diaries and a small, immersive film crew, the programme follows 55-year-old Chris Roberts from north Wales as he, his wife Jayne and his youngest daughter Kate come to terms with his Alzheimer’s diagnosis. From making the decision to choose his own care home to writing a living will, getting lost in his own house and not recognising his family, Chris chronicles his changing life as his independence slips away. Once a businessman and a keen biker, he now struggles to walk and talk – his life is beset by frustration, yet his remarkable insight allows us into his world.

All TV guide information taken from DigiGuide — www.getdigiguide.tv/?p=1&r=15119.

First 50+ mile cycle of 2016!

At long last, I’ve just done the first 50+ mile cycle of the year! Let’s hope it’s the first of many! Also really hoping, I do at least one 100 mile cycle this year! Not done one of them, in a number of years!

I will now leave you with the route map, elevation graph and route statistics.

Route map:-

24-05-2016 - bike ride route map

Elevation graph:-

24-05-2016 - bike ride elevation graph

Route statistics:-

  • Start time: 11:30 am.
  • Distance: 53.51 miles.
  • Time: 3:58:07 (h:m:s).
  • Elapsed Time: 4:39:28 (h:m:s).
  • Avg Speed: 13.5 mph.
  • Max Speed: 31.9 mph.
  • Elevation Gain: 485 meters.
  • Min Elevation: 10 meters.
  • Max Elevation: 164 meters.

Data from: Garmin Connect.

Vinyl: These People, by Richard Ashcroft

Just added another record to my vinyl collection. This time, These People, by Richard Ashcroft. Paid a bit more to get the blue vinyl version. So it was £25, instead of £20 for the black version.

These People, by Richard Ashcroft
These People, by Richard Ashcroft

UK TV programmes to watch this week : 21/05/2016

Secret Life of the Human Pups - 25-05-2016 - YouView appHorizon (BBC 2/HD | 9:30pm to 10:35pm | Sunday 22nd May 2016)

Michael Mosley investigates the dramatic rise in e-cigarettes. They are everywhere these days, but what does the latest scientific research on them reveal? Michael reveals what e-cigarettes are really doing to your health. Are they really better for you than cigarettes? What is actually in them? Is passive vapour harmful? And can they really stop you from smoking? Michael meets some of the scientists around the world studying them, asks a group of volunteers to try to give up smoking regular cigarettes using them, and even takes up ‘vaping’ himself, smoking an e-cigarette every day for a month to see the effects on his own health – no easy task for such a committed non-smoker.

Storm Troupers: The Fight to Forecast the Weather (BBC 4/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Monday 23rd May 2016)

Series in which Alok Jha charts the history of weather forecasting from its origins in the 19th century. To begin, he investigates how forecasting was transformed from superstition into science. At the heart of story is meteorologist Robert Fitzroy. Driven to prevent disasters at sea – like the wrecking of a passenger ship off the Anglesey coast in 1859 – Fitzroy issued Britain’s first storm warnings and came up with the first forecast to be published in a newspaper. Alok explores the knowledge Fitzroy was building on. He investigates weather folklore, asking if sayings such as ‘red sky at night, shepherd’s delight’ have any merit. He tells the stories of the other heroes of meteorology – people like Evangelista Torricelli, a student of Galileo’s, who invented the barometer; Luke Howard, who classified the clouds; and Francis Beaufort, who came up with the famous wind scale. Alok also discovers that public complaints about weather forecasts date back to the very first ones.

Boris v Dave: The Battle for Europe (Channel 4/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Wednesday 25th May 2016)

With less than a month to go before the European referendum, Michael Crick examines how the campaign has become a battle between Britain’s most high-profile politicians. Through revealing interviews with their friends, families and political allies and foes, Crick examines the history behind this very public duel and how it has come to a head over Europe. David Cameron and Boris Johnson have a shared past, first at Eton, then at Oxford as members of the elite Bullingdon Club, and now in the top echelons of the Conservative Party. The documentary explores the dynamic between the two men. Crick provides his insight into the backgrounds of the two big-hitters and explores the incidents that have shaped and formed their political views. This landmark programme provides a definitive look at the personal battle that will define both Britain’s future relationship with Europe and the leadership of the Tory Party and the country.

Secret Life of the Human Pups (Channel 4/HD | 10:00pm to 10:50pm | Wednesday 25th May 2016)

A quarter of British households have a dog. But some people don’t just want to own a dog; they want to be one. Secret Life of the Human Pups introduces a previously unseen subculture of ordinary men who lead extraordinary double lives, dressing up in elaborate dog suits that cost thousands of pounds as they strive to become their very own pet. Human puppy play has become a global phenomenon in recent years and there are now an estimated 10,000 ‘human pups’ in the UK alone. But what makes these grown men covet doggy treats, belly rubs and squeaky toys? And why has it risen in popularity? Getting under the skin of this weird and wonderful world, this documentary explores what it takes to become a human pup, the impact it has on friends and loved ones and why, for some people, it has become a way of life.

The Truth About Alcohol (BBC 1/HD | 9:00pm to 10:00pm | Thursday 26th May 2016)

A&E doctor Javid Abdelmoneim is on a mission to find out the truth about alcohol. In January, the government released its new alcohol guidelines. For men, the recommended weekly limit was cut by a third to 14 units per week, equivalent to about seven pints of beer, bringing it in line with the amount recommended for women. So what is behind the change? This is just one question of many that Javid aims to answer as he explores the science of drinking and the new evidence for the health risks of alcohol. Why do some people get drunk quicker than others? What is behind red wine’s healthy reputation? Is a nightcap actually good for your sleep? Does lining your stomach work? And can alcohol actually make you eat more?

George Clarke’s Amazing Homes on Wheels (Channel 4/HD | 8:00pm to 9:00pm | Friday 27th May 2016)

George looks back across five series of Amazing Spaces and the incredible works of engineering people have achieved with their vehicles – from the scrap Learjet turned into a luxury garden studio to the restoration of the only surviving British mobile cinema truck. There is also the 1950s railway carriage converted into a three bedroom home and an incredibly stylish custom-designed Jeep transformed into a cocktail bar.

All TV guide information taken from DigiGuide — www.getdigiguide.tv/?p=1&r=15119.

Falkirk Wheel, Blackness Castle and Forth Bridge

Neil joined us again for the last full day of Nick’s and myself mini tour of Scotland! Today we went to the Falkirk Wheel, Blackness Castle, Forth (Rail) Bridge and also walked half way over the Forth Road Bridge.

You would not believe that all these photos have been taken on the same day! When walking on the Forth Road Bridge, it was that wet, even my underwear was wet right thought!