As it happens I did some of the Bay Cycleway in reverse on Monday. I cycled from Cartmel to Lancaster via Morecambe before my body gave up - probably something to do with the 17 courses and 10 glasses of wine at L'Enclume the night before.

Well Baz, I hope you enjoyed today's stage. A quite extraordinary sprint from Froome from way out. I'll need to take a good look at the route for the TOB, to work out where I can get to see the race to the best advantage. My first thought is to aim to see either the start or finish and a hill top.

You didn't find the uphill finish and the cobbles exciting then Baz? You're a hard taskmaster. If you can knock out 100km on an inappropriate bike without much practice you'll be fine for the big ride on the Trek.

Absolutely Abbs. Yesterday was a bit pedestrian but the days before that were as dramatic as the last few days in the mountains usually are.

We were at Northcote last Saturday in the Louis Roederer Room in a party of 42! Given the size of the group the quality of the food was fabulous. Usually a large function is a challenge to deliver high quality but not last week. We didn't stay over this time but we have few times in the past and the experience has never been less than excellent. We're hoping to go to L'Enclume in the next week or so, so it will be interesting to see how the two compare.

I'd also have a look at the Cannondale Synapse Claris. It's a cheaper version of the bike I have, which has been excellent. It's selling for £600 in the UK.

For that length of ride I'd say the road bike would be best, assuming the ride is all on tarmac. I think whilst a hybrid would be a more comfortable ride it would be a lot more effort. I don't know whether hiring a road bike is an option in South Korea, if you don't want to commit a big lump of cash for something you might not use again much.

I'd agree with Paul's advice. The only point I would add is that your speed will be very dependent on what bike you have. Assuming you are not a regular cyclist I assume you don't have a decent bike. If the ride is on Tarmac then a road bike will be a lot easier than a hybrid or mountain bike.

Back yesterday from another wonderful week at Glastonbury - my ninth. Reading the comments above shows what a gap there is between the perception of Glastonbury from those who have never been to the actuality of going there. Not anyone's fault but the image the media portray is the problem. The BBC coverage hasn't changed for years except that they now film a couple more stage and the website and iPlayer allows them to make more available. The shows on BBC2 every night have followed the same formula for a long time - show extended highlights of the main headliner (unless they can't) and a couple of numbers from a random selection of others on the main stages. Then a few live performances in their studio (usually the most interesting bit). Then a desperately embarrassing series of films from some third rate young BBC3 presenter about the other "wild and wacky" things that go on across the site. In truth there could easily be a three hour programme on all those which would be a lot more entertaining than most of the other coverage. It's not helped the rest if the media, who are only interested in three things - if it's sunny, then pictures of young girls getting burnt, if it's wet then pictures of people covered in mud and then anything controversial a performer does. It used to be the traffic as well but they've pretty much sorted that out. Meanwhile everyone who goes just gets on with having a good time in whatever way they choose, many thousands not going anywhere near the main stands and many not seeing any music at all. I spent Saturday night from 8 to 12 working in King's Meadow and talking to an amazing range of people, from the guy who drives the performers into and offsite to a guy whose job is to go round every night kicking people lying on the floor - if they move he leaves them, if not he gets the medical services in. Anyway to the music I saw: - Raghu Dixit - wonderful life-affirming stuff and probably the best set of the festival The Unthanks - with a full orchestra at 11am - a first time for clog dancing on the Pyramid Stage Songhoy Blues - excellent rock from the home of the blues Wilko Johnson - the lazarus of rock and roll, back from the dead and still duckwalking across the stage Goat - weird but wonderful psychedelic rock Kate Tempest - the person to see if you think you don't like rap FFS - a fantastic collaboration. Notable for my moment of the festival - Ron Mael disco dancing in his wellies Lolaloop - never heard of them - found them in the Small World tent around midnight on Friday after having given up on Florence (she was OK but the crowd of @#/? up teenage girls were too irritating to last more than 3 numbers) and Lamb (not who I thought they were!) King Creosote - as wonderful as ever on the Avalon stage Clean Bandit - classical/pop combo with last year's biggest hit. My eldest son knows the parents of the two brothers in the band - imagine how old that makes me feel I didn't see Lionel Ritchie or Kanye West - I was working when both were on but doubt that I would have gone anyway. Motorhead I could have seen but they're not for me (although modest claim to fame - I once had a pint with Lemmy in the Marriott in Cardiff. We were having a nightcap after a long day's work and I think he'd just got up). I would have loved to have seen Belle and Sebastian but again was working.

I'd second the suggestion to get a proper bike fitting for anyone but particularly if you have an issue with your back. I had a fitting by Paul Hewitt in Leyland. He charges £50 (or he did a few years ago), but it's free if you go on to buy a bike from him. I have two bikes, a Cheviot tourer from Paul and a Cannonade Synapse Tiagra road bike from Broadgate Cycles in Preston. The Cannondale was about £950 in April 2014. I see the new Tiagra has disc brakes - mine doesn't. There are a couple of models in the range cheaper than that. I've found it very comfortable at rides up to almost 100 miles. On where to buy, it depends a bit on how you bike maintenance skills are. Mine are beyond useless so I make sure I buy from a local bike shop that will look after you. You will be able to buy bikes cheaper from the internet and bike warehouses buy you might find it difficult to get a local bike shop to help you with servicing etc. That's not a problem if you're confident enough to do it yourself. Overall I'd recommend a local bike shop. The 2 I've mentioned are good and I think Paul recommends Ewood Bikes. Of the big multiples Evans are decent - they now have a shop in Preston. Decathlon's own brand bikes have a strong reputation for value but the nearest shop to round here is in Bolton. Don't go anywhere near Halfords.

I worry for your eyesight then Al. To suggest that the majority of bad behaviour on the roads is by cyclists is frankly ludicrous. On Tuesday I went out for a ride across West Lancashire. It was a nice warm day so there were lots and lots of cyclists out, both out for longer rides like me or just pottering round locally. The only incident of bad behaviour was a car driver (I think it was a BMW for the record), who overtook me dangerously on a country lane and screeched into a gap between me and two other riders forcing me to break suddenly and almost come off. Now, like Paul, I don't assume that because I came across a driver behaving stupidly that the majority of car drivers behave badly. But it seems to be OK to make these sweeping generalisations about cyclists.

There's no need to go on the A6 at all on that ride. If you come off the Jubilee Tower road and head south for Bay Horse you pick up route 6, which you can follow through Scorton all the way south to Preston or cut off at Grimsargh if you want to go further east. Or you can avoid Jubilee Tower by taking the first left after the top of the Trough and meeting route 6 in Scorton.

The cafes in Chipping and Slaidburn are better. To ease your way back have a look at national cycle route 6 - it goes north from Preston to Lancaster along the Bowland foothills. Beware the Lancs cycle way. Beyond Whalley it gets seriously lumpy. Although if you go the other way it's flat as a pancake for a long way.

The A59 is a road to be avoided along its whole length on a bike. Luckily there are plenty of alternatives. For your ride you could have followed the Lancashire cycle way from Mellor over to Ramsgreave & Wilpshire station then back up over York to Whalley. Lumpier than the A59 but pretty quiet and a fabulous long descent not Whalley. If you're on Strava you should be able to see my rides all over Lancashire over the last few years.

I need to have a good look to plan where the best place(s) will be to see the race. Ideally the top of a hill followed by the finish in Colne. Still, plenty of time to sort it yet.

Would that be the same KP that has just managed 2 against Lancs?

It's now widely reported that Trevor Bayliss is about to be appointed as England's new coach.

We booked a table of 12 last Saturday at the New Holly in Forton and were asked to order in advance (for 2 courses anyway). All went very smoothly with the food for everyone coming out together. Food itself was OK but nothing special.

Don't be silly, for course he's not. Maybe he was a few years ago but not now. As Chaddy points out, Jimmy Anderson would be my outstanding England player at the moment, followed closely by Joe Root. The size of the contract is important - if he had had one as he has had previously he would never have bothered coming back. And he's off to the IPL now anyway and isn't available for the tests against New Zealand. Is he allowed to pick and choose which tests he plays in? As far as I'm aware there was no contract or agreement. He was told that the best way to get back into the England team would be to get his head down and make some runs. I'm not aware that there was a promise that if he made runs that he was in. Plenty of other cricketers make plenty of runs in the early season and don't get picked. Bear in mind his 355 was against a team that have not won a county game in over two years. Gary Lineker, Graeme Smith and Geoffrey Boycott don't agree with Strauss and the ECB - that's 3 more reasons to support them.

No he wasn't - he was only offered a modest contract this year. I have a friend who lives near him in London. He is a complete and utter to**er and he should not be anywhere near the England team. The Independent reported this morning that he's going to the IPL for the knockout games and he would not have been available to play the tests against New Zealand anyway. So much for committing to county cricket. Strauss says that he can't be trusted and that's exactly what my mate has said about him.

Was it closed roads Paul? Wonderful effort in what i imagine were horrible conditions. My experience at Ride London last year was somewhat similar although nothing like the climbing you did. 84 miles in the back end of a hurricane, but still hugely satisfying passing thousands all along the route. I've just checked on Strava and I think my biggest ride for climbing is c5,500'.

My guess would be Paul as I know he has been round there. I've been back a week from two weeks in Mallorca - 500km and 5,000 metres of climbing, including my fourth time up Sa Calobra. Wonderful riding as usual and every time we go we find more fantastic food and drink.

It's not road tax though, it doesn't exist. It's vehicle excise duty and that's calculated on the CO2 emissions from your car. Yours costs you £200, my car costs nowt and neither do my bikes.

It doesn't really matter whether you drive or not. Road tax, a tax on road users to pay for the upkeep of roads, was abolished in the 1930s. Since then roads have been paid for out of general taxation, so every taxpayer contributes whether they use the roads with a car, bus, bike or just walk.

It sounds like a considerably more enticing prospect than Leeds away Paul!