Birthday boy

Grand old age of 52, the night before in London having a nice steak at the Flat Iron Steak House!

Amsterdam

Wednesday 11th November
Out Wednesday 11th November on an early BA flight our first time with hand luggage only!

Once checked in we went for a wander around the museum quarter and vondel park, in the evening went to the old town. Nice steak meal and an interesting walk around the red light district, beautiful and not so beautiful girls. Made me realise how nannified our country has become, everyone cycles, no one wears a helmet even on scooters and are completely open about sex and drugs. Took some night pics.

Thursday 12th 
Sunny but fresh.
Tram & foot tour, markets, coffee, cake, canals and repeat. Evening photo walk and dinner at a tapas bar which was just ok.

Friday 13th 
Mainly sunny.
Tram & walk to Anne franks huis, massive queue so decided to have some coffee & cake and a canal trip instead, this was very nice. More walking and a lovely lunch in a Thai restaurant in the Joordan quarter. Started to rain so got the tram back to the hotel. Superb evening meal at Humphreys, 3 courses, 2 beers & 2 wines & coffee €70 fantastic.


Saturday 14th
Tram, walking, coffee, cake, nice food, churches, redlight district (again), drug shops but not a chemists, bikes and more bikes, but what a lovely place!
Arrived at the airport in plenty of time, security scare at Gatwick meant flight delayed by 2.5 hours, home very late :(

More pics here...

Engaged

25th October 2015

After weeks of planning, Phil proposed to Gaby and they're now officially engaged!

This was done with bags of style & sophistication, staying at The Shard for the night, private area overlooking the City, hand made bespoke diamond ring, six course meal and champagne!

Setting the bar very high! But we are all so happy & proud of them both.

Birthday Girl

20th October 2015

Went up to London for the afternoon and evening, met up with the boys for dinner, then went to watch "Thriller Live". 

Great, fun and a lively show, the birthday girl was very happy!

Chippenham 3up

11th October 2015

Last time trial of the season for me, the 3up TTT organised by Chippenham Wheelers with Rob & Darryl. Weather was dry but with a strongish Easterly wind. 

Having struggled a bit all year with TTs this was going to be tough and sure enough it was, the two guys were on form and in the flat we were motoring. The hills gave me a chance to shine and did most of the pace making on these. 

We had a great ride bar a chain off on the first big hill and this cost us probably 20 to 30 seconds, aside from this it was smooth and fast.

We finished in 59:06 and were awarded prize money for being the fastest vets.

John Wood RIP

29th September 2015

As usual a sad occasion but also pleasant to hear he had done so much in his life.

Saw some old faces plus these pics;

More sport

27th September 

Milland Hill Surrey League 

Awesome ride from Phil on this sunny morning, in a break with 2 others on the first lap, gap increased to just under 2 minutes.

Unfortunately, the peloton started to chase and the cramp was starting to kick in. On the last lap they were caught by a chasing group and Phil finished a very respectable 7th!

Sport round up

19th September

...a3crg hosted its last TT of the year on the p881R in warm sunshine.

Phil raced and posted a very quick 20:14, which for only his 2nd TT for 2 years was amazing. I managed a pretty average 22:40 something but did have an excuse that my back was really uncomfortable, that's my excuse and I'm using it.

20th September

Myself, Ali & Chris entered the Petersfield Triathlon today, swim went okay - smooth but steady, the morning mist meant for a sluggish bike ride and the run was well, pretty uncomfortable. Nearly embedded myself in a tractor on the bike section but all good, back not too bad. Ali & Chris did very well, seeing as it was only there 3rd or 4th ride on a road bike.

RIP

Thursday 17th September 2015

Sadly, John Wood passed away in the early hours, will be missed by many.

Before he became ill was always very friendly and very happy.

Has left a football legacy in Petersfield Town Juniors.

R.I.P.

Car Fest South

28th August 2015

Fab day at the Chris Evans/Children in Need car and music show. The One Show was filmed live whilst there which was also entertaining...

More pics here...

Cruise from Venice

Cruise diary

Thursday 13th July;
EasyJet flight delayed by 1 hour but rest of journey ok, hilton hotel in Mestre very nice. Purchased a 48hour travel ticket. Bus into Venice. Walked to the Rialto Bridge, reasonable meal close to the canal. Vaporetto back to the bus station. Drink at hotel. 
Very warm.

Friday;
Bus in, walk via Rialto bridge to St Marco Square, very busy. Quick lunch, vaporetto across to San Giorgio Maggiorie bell tower with spectacular views. Gelato then a ride on a Gondola, this was very pleasant. Back to hotel then swim. Bus back in, vaporetto to San Marcuola, walk to Fondamentadella Della Misericordi for a meal, restaurants were very busy. Disappointing meal and bus back. Shattered but a really nice day. Treated to a full on thunderstorm at midnight.Very warm.

Saturday;
Left hotel at 11:00 with a short taxi ride to the ship.
Set sail at 6pm, weather again very warm.
Very nice meal in the grand Pacific restaurant. Bit of a boogie.

Sunday;
Nice breakfast, very angry storm came in. Myself & Gilly went for a jacuzzi in the storm which was weird with the thunder and lightening.

Arrived at Dubrovnik late due to the storms. Usual bun fight to get off the ship. Walked to the old city, a long walk but some nice views, especially the looming dark storm. Nearly made it into the old city before the heavens opened, probably the worst storm I've been out in, took shelter in a bus stop, moved to another location but got absolutely soaked, very dangerous with the lightening plus flooded roads. We all decided to bail out and clambered onto a shuttle bus, at the last minute I jumped off as it looked to be brightening up, the others stayed on the coach and went back to the ship to dry out.

Rain and thunder eased off and eventually stopped. Dubrovnik was lovely with lots of streets and lanes with cafes, shops etc. did the walk around the walls which was good. Trek back to ship, storm clouds looming again.
Weather - wet but warm.

Monday;
Day at sea.
Very sunny and a bit breezy equals sun burn.
70s dance class was fun.
Meal plus 70s disco till late. Knackered.

Tuesday;
Arrived early at Piraleaus.

Got 2 taxis who took us to the Acropolis who then offered to take us around the sites and back to the ship for €25 each. Started off with the Acropolis which was extremely busy and hot, next stop was the Olympic temple the very original. Next up was where they were changing the guard which was amusing. Then we went to the first modern day Olympic stadium 2500 years ago. The drivers then dropped us off at Plaka (sp) the old town, had some souvlaki which was expensive and dull. Old town was nice though. Back to ship, driver wanted more money which he didn't get. Dined in the Asian restaurant which was very good, plus went for a round of Tequila shots.

Wednesday;
Kusadasi-turkey

Very hot.
Myself, Gilly, Philip, Gaby & Clare jumped in a taxi to Ephesus, walked through the remains of the old roman city which was pretty stunning and not too busy. Clare slipped on the marble but luckily was ok. In particular the old library was stunning. The taxi then picked us and took us to Adaland where we met Tom & Sarah who had caught the bus. Very big & expensive water park, the youngsters however were in their element with the number of slides. I did a couple of the slides but wasn't allowed to wear my glasses which was a real pain.

Taxi then dropped us off near the port and we wandered through the shops. Experienced baclava which was very tasty. Quiz and then a very tasty meal. Then off to the White night disco.

Thursday;
Day at Sea, warm but windy, no sun burn this time!

Gilly feeling under the weather, she went back to bed.

Myself and Tom went for a massage followed by the usual quality meal.

Tour of the onboard shops followed by a Jazz nightcap.

Friday;
Arrived at Split around 10:30am, warm and sunny, disembarked at 11:00am.

Tour of the taxi ranks and tourist shops, Gilly found a reasonable deal to take us to krka national park by minibus, journey took about an hour.

Very picturesque place with a big river and a series of waterfalls. Myself, Phil, Tom & Sarah went for a swim in the river which was nice. GoPro packed up, didn't help dropping it in the water!

Back in time for a quick spin around the old town which was lovely, nice meal again.

Saturday;
Venice arrival
Warm and sunny

Off the ship around 10:30

Vaporetto into San Marco, wandered around Venice, not as busy as before, vaporetto back to cruise terminal.

Fantastic memorable holiday with so much packed in.

Milland Hill Road Race

26th July 2015

Torrential rain for most of this E12 road race today meant this was going to be a tough one, Phil dug in really well and managed to get in the lead-group, finishing an impressive 10th place.

Result – Rake National B Road Race

1. Lloyd Chapman, Richardson Trek RT
2. Max Stedman, Pedal Heaven RT
3. Ashley Dennis, Catford CC at 6 seconds
4. Andrew Feather, Bikeshed Exter Uni
5. Ashley Cox, CC Luton
6. Edward Leverack, JLT Condor
7. Anthony Moye, Easton Ritte
8. Robert McCarty, Pedal Heaven
9. Sam Redding, Easton Ritte at 20 seconds
10. Phillip Peters, Danny Share Stork Racing
11. Mitch Webber, Pedal Heaven
12. Luke Ryan, Richardson Trek RT
13. James Wilson, VC St Raphael
14. Joel Natale, Dulwich Paragon CC
15. Callum Gillesie, Cycleworks

A picture speaks a thousand words...

Dorset

10th July 2015

Lovely weekend in Dorset, myself and Gill left earlyish on Friday morning via the New Forest, usual wrestle with traffic but arrived in Lulworth Cove for lunch-time, Phil and Gaby arrived in the evening.
Stayed in the Lulworth Lodge which was a very pleasant hotel on the lane down to the Cove.
Lovely weather on the Friday and Saturday with plenty of walking on the Saturday, I braved the cold sea for a very brief swim but we all caught the sun!
Left for home in drizzle on the Sunday but paid a visit to the deserted town of Tyneham plus a tour of the Corfe Castle village which was very picturesque even in the dull weather.

Images from Dorset

Summer luvin

July 2015

Seb and Claires wedding at Pembrook Lodge, Richmond Park..

Sotonia Road Race

July 2015

Phil raced this 2/3/4 cat  race on the Owslebury course with just one team mate, Rob. 
Early break of 4 got away and held quite a large gap, Phil then attacked and was joined by Ben Marks of CycleWorks, these two worked well together and bridged the gap to the lead-group.

This group stayed away until the end of the race where Ben Marks got away with James Boyman to finish first and second respectively, Phil finished close behind for 3rd and came away with £60 prize money. (Also 3rd in the prime).

Great result for Phil.

Link to more pictures...

Race report....

More June

June 2015

Enjoying some sunshine at last, we went to see Chris do his tandem skydive, unfortunately right at the last minute it was put on hold due to strong winds. Stayed for the rest of afternoon but the rest of the days skydives were cancelled. Nice afternoon though for a picnic.

Taste London

20th June 2015

Tom was working with Roux at Parliament Square's stand at the Taste London food festival, Hyde Park.

Smuggled in by Tom with staff passes we were well looked after by the Roux team, with food and champagne.

Met plenty of celebrity chefs and we both had a very enjoyable day.

Timetrials

3rd May 2015

Myself & Rob finished a 2up and Phil & Paddy rode as well..

Lake Garda

Day - 1
Flight with EasyJet went ok, although late by about 45 minutes. Usual car rip off, extra insurance required at a cost plus the smallest Peugeot ever, who drives this crap? Greeted by typical UK weather, rain! Drove to Sirmione, hotel in a fabulous location on the waters edge, cross between Brugge/Prague & Venice. Had a wander, late lunch and a late meal. Knackered!

Day - 2
Woke up to a cloudy day, ok breakfast, lovely boat-trip around the peninsula. Pizza for lunch followed by the rain, so a wet trip around the Castle. Went to the spa which was very good, natural hot spring water ala Iceland, very warm and sulphurous. Very nice meal out, got talking to an Isreali couple who recommended Portofino as a holiday destination.

Day - 3
Sunshine! Set off around 10am for a drive around the island, West coast was extremely pretty, Loadsa cyclists and lots of long tunnels. Stopped at Riva Del Garda to look around plus lunch. Drove back along the East Coast which was more beachy but still pretty. Traffic busy as we got closer to Sirmione. Coffee and cake by the lake, quick spa. Watched the sunset and went for a meal, bumped into the Isreali couple and awkwardly ended up having a meal with them. Interesting couple.

Day - 4
I woke up early at 6:30 and went for a wander. Breakfast and then a stroll before heading off to the airport. Fairly straightforward trip home.

Conclusion:- Extremely pretty place, lovely hotel in a fantastic location. 




More pics here...

South Divisional Champsionships

17th May 2015

Big race this one, E123, 11 laps of the Owslebury course and some very tough opposition.

Team mates were Matt and Rob.

Phil started an early move and this formed into a good group including Will Bergfelt and some of the top other riders, This lasted for quite a few laps but alas the group split up and Phil ended up back in the bunch.

Finished 25th in the end but this wasn't a true reflection of a superb ride by Phil, shame the break didn't stick!

Tour of the Milburys

Phil, Matt, Irish Phil & James competed in this very popular 2 stage event. 

This was Phil's best performance in this event finished 11th in the TT and 16th ish in the RR. On GC he finished a very respectable 8th.

His team mate did well to hang in there with his other team mates suffering from mechanicals.

Results here...

Images here...

Surrey League 3 day

Phil along with a few team mates raced this event which was based around Surrey & Kent. Very tough event with Phil finishing in 16th place on GC.

We watched the last stage in Kent and paid a quick visit to Hever Castle after the race.

Full results here..

http://www.velouk.net/2015/05/05/results-surrey-league-3-day/

Hever Castle pics here....

Liege Bastogne Liege

Liege with Phil, Rob & Drew

Friday - Busy traffic journey, arrived approx 5pm, cycled over to the Halles to register.


Saturday - Up at 5:30, breakfast and rode to the Halles to the start, damp conditions, rain at times, head wind to Bastogne. Luckily bit of a tail wind back at times on way back. Unbelievable amount of climbing, 4500 metres. Relentless. 10.5 hours ride time. Cote de Stockeu & la redoute were the toughest, Stockeu in particular was 20% for most of it.


Sunday - Eventually found the start of the pro-race, sneaked into the VIP area. Phil pic with David Brailsford! Lunch in centre. Watched final 2 hours of pro race in a bar. Worst recovery ride ever - hammered down! Pizza for evening meal plus a couple of beers!


Monday - Terrible nights sleep, touch of the trotskys! No breakfast, left around 8:15, arrived home 15:00, knackered!

More pictures here...

Cycling

19th April 2015

Myself and Rob lined for the Sussex CA 2 up TT eager to better our disastrous Harting 2up but also to equal last years performance, 3rd overall and 1st Vets. 

The first was very smooth and fairly quick which was promising, alas the cycling gods were not smiling and unbelievably Rob punctured again. I carried on and sure enough if we'd finished we would've  done well. 

Our other team mates did well coming first.

Phil was also racing today in the 90 mile Les Ingham memorial RR with his team mates against top teams. A great ride saw him finish in the top 30.

Cycling

29th March 2015

Myself and Rob Sherrin teamed up for our club's "hurting on Harting" TTT. Wet and extremely windy conditions contributed to an extremely frustrating 23 miles, I wasn't on form and Rob was flying and I struggled big time. Final ingredients for a miserable morning was Rob's gears got stuck and then he punctured, meaning our 2nd best time didn't count! Course was good though.

On a brighter note Phil finished 11th in the Owslebury 2-3 road race.

On a even brighter note the meal at the Milburys was scrummy.

Wally Gimber

22nd March 2015

After Saturdays disappointment at CycloPark near Bluewater where Phil and all of his team mates dropped out of this fast furious circuit race. Pride was restored on the Sunday at the Wally Gimber RR in Kent, 100 miles on a tough course with the big boys where Phil got in an early break with some top names, kept in with this group which had swelled to approx 23/24 riders until the last lap, ended up in the second group and finished a very respectable 26th.

Into the semis

Tom has reached the semifinals of this year Annual Award of Excellence. Albert Roux sent him this lovely email!

Puppies

14th March 2015

Dotty the last of the puppies went this morning to a very pleasant family living in Lindford, they were also just on their way to pick up another puppy so Dotty will have a playmate. It's been a great experience and we've been extremely lucky.

Lots of pictures and here....

and some here from the early days...

Majorca with Phil

21st February 2015
Day 1 (21st)

All went according to plan.
Hotel in Puerto Soller is nice.
Wet short ride, twice round Fornalutx.

Day 2
60 very hilly ride today, sunny, windy and cold on top of the cols, brief snow flurry. Chilled at Puerto Soller, dinner 8 ish. Suffered today and really tired.

Day 3
Ride to Port de Andratx via Valldemossa, warm and sunny. 93 miles for me, 102 for Phil. Last 45 was painful plus accent of Col de Soller to finish off the day. Very tough ride. 3 main courses and 2 desserts. Bum muscles ache but not saddle sore.

Day 4
Very windy but dry. Phil went for a long ride, I went on a photo shoot, met Phil at Pollensa stopped for a baguette in Puerto Alcudia and rode into the headwind back to the car.

Day 5
Climbing day today, up Puig Major, Sa Colabra and back over Col de Soller, very cold on top of the mountains and a strong headwind on the flat. A very tough 78 miles.

Day 6
Easy ride out to Valdemosa, cafe stop there and back via the Col de Soller, added an extra loop via Fornalutx and a race back with the tram. Wet but mild day.

Day 7
Packing day.
Phil went out for a 1 hour spin.

Stats;
6 days cycling
327.9 miles
30120 ft of climbing
Longest ride 93.2 miles, most climbing day = 8924 ft.

Show

1st February 2015

Myself and Gill went up to see The Commitments at the Palace Theatre, London. Parked in Chelsea and caught the bus to the West End, met Tom, had a meal, watched show, drove home. Nice and fun on a bitterly cold evening. 

Puppies

19th January 2015

Getting bigger, playful and can wee non-stop!

More pics here....

AirKix

11th January 2015

Boys had treated me to an indoor skydive, great fun but also fairly tricky with every movement amplified. Looked a plonker in the jumpsuit, goggles and helmet.

  

more pics here....

Miss Saigon

2nd January 2015

Very enjoyable show tonight with Gilly. Emotional story - singing, staging etc was epic.