Road of Bones Expedition departs today from London‏

Today is the day that the 14 riders and support vehicle depart from London's Ace café heading 28,500 kilometres East with final destination Magadan, Eastern Russia. Along the way they will pass through 16 countries, ride through all weather conditions and experience some of the best adventure motorcycling in the world.

Compass Expeditions founder Mick McDonald is undertaking this challenging ride for the third time as ride leader and for most it is an opportunity to ride the Road of Bones which has long been a part of Motorcycle Culture due to the previous expeditions of the likes of Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman. For the 2014 Expedition, the group will be accompanied by award-winning documentary filmmaker Robin Newell of Thought Films, who will be producing a DVD of this epic journey.

We'd also like to thank Touratech, BMW Motorrad, Motorworks UK for their support of this Expedition and of course Simon Pavey for support and Rider Training at Off Road Skills in Wales.

Also thanks to Charley Boorman who has been doing a wonderful job of promoting Adventure Motorcycling worldwide and who we've enjoyed the pleasure of working with over the last couple of years.

Compass Expeditions Motorcycle Tours and Rentals

Compass Expeditions London to Magadan - Road of Bones

Also follow along with the journey

The Pata Honda team will re-assemble in the United Kingdom this weekend (23-25 May) for round five of the 2014 World Superbike Championship at the Donington Park circuit to the north-east of Birmingham.

After a home round for the team at Assen in the Netherlands last month, title partners Pata enjoyed their own home event at Imola’s fourth round in Italy last time out. Now it’s the turn of Honda Motor Europe – based at Langley near London – to enjoy its own home round, along with the team’s British riders Jonathan Rea and Leon Haslam, who lives just 30 minutes drive to the north of the historic 4.023km Donington Park circuit.

Haslam has enjoyed two World Superbike podiums in recent years at Donington including a second place in 2009 during an earlier spell on Honda’s CBR1000RR Fireblade. The Derbyshire rider will be more determined than ever to provide those kind results that have so far eluded him since his return to Honda in 2013.

Despite valiant efforts to the contrary in practice sessions, 30-year-old Haslam was unable to race at Donington Park last season after breaking his left leg in a practice crash at Assen just four weeks earlier.

Pata Honda rider Jonathan Rea, meanwhile, will be seeking to extend his stunning run of recent form which has seen the 27-year-old British rider take his Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade SP to podium finishes in five of the last six races, including victories in the last three with a dominant double in the last round at Imola.

That run of results has given Rea a four-point lead at the top of the championship table, but the Northern Irishman has been on the Donington podium just once in his World Superbike career. That was a visit to the top step following his victory in race two in 2012.

This weekend Sam Lowes heads to the historic Le Mans circuit in France for round five of the Moto2 championship, The Monster Energy Grand Prix de France.

Sam will be looking to make amends following the previous round at Jerez where he unfortunately twice crashed out of the race, after a weekend plagued with tyre issues. The young Brit has shown huge potential during his maiden season in the Moto2 championship, including a sixth place at the opening round in Qatar.

Le Mans will be another new circuit for Sam, who already during the last four rounds has learnt three new circuits; with Jerez being the only one he had previously ridden at.

Sam Lowes

I’m really looking forward to the weekend and to ride at another new circuit. The team are working really hard to improve and I’m hoping for a strong weekend. I’m excited to get out there for FP1.

The Monster Energy Grand Prix de France takes place on Sunday 18 May, starting at 1220 French time, 1120 British Summer Time.

For news, blogs and updates follow Sam’s official Twitter @samlowes11 and visit www.samlowes.com

Drivers are against the idea of a blanket 20mph speed limit on urban roads, according to research published today by road safety charity, Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM).

Half of drivers from the UK are against a blanket 20mph speed limit with under a third willing to embrace the idea and a fifth are undecided. Male drivers are more likely to be against the idea than female.

Fifty-five per cent of young drivers were against 20mph zones as a speed limit for towns while thirty-four per cent of older drivers were in favour.

Drivers are very supportive of lower speed limits outside schools, with ninety-four per cent of respondents agreeing that this would be a good idea. Areas with high numbers of pedestrians such as parks (34 per cent), hospitals and shops were the next most popular with 21 per cent of drivers in favour. Only eight per cent of respondents opted for 20 mph near cycle lanes.

Over three quarters of drivers believe that 20mph speed limits help to increase safety for pedestrians; however, only a fifth saw it as a positive advantage for cyclists. Pollution and noise were not seen as important benefits.

Using 20mph speed limit signs only to enforce lower limits was twice as popular as physical traffic calming measures and three times more popular than the use of speed cameras. Only a fifth of drivers think enforcing 20 limits should be a police priority.

Sixty-eight per cent of drivers would like to see a specially tailored re-education course for drivers caught doing up to 30mph in a 20mph zone.

There is a difference between speed limits and zones. Councils have the power to introduce 20 mph speed limits and zones without obtaining consent from the Secretary of State.

Speed zones are a collection of streets with a 20 mph limit whereas speed limits are set for individual roads. Some local authorities have set 20 mph speed limits on a number of individual roads so creating blanket coverage of residential areas with a 20 mph speed limit.

20 mph speed limits can be introduced without any form of traffic calming. In many areas they are being used across the whole area. Whilst not as effective as 20mph speed zones they can still produce significant lowering of speeds over a wide area for very little cost. Compliance is increased by publicity, driver awareness and community involvement. This can and does play a large part in self-enforcement.

IAM chief executive Simon Best said: “Drivers are not as negative about 20mph speed limits as many commentators would have us believe. Those responding to our survey found it quite easy to stick to 20 and there is large scale support for 20mph outside schools.”

“However, most drivers don’t want 30mph zones to be replaced with 20mph in towns. Many drivers still need to be convinced it would be a benefit. Re-education is also much more popular than prosecution. The total number of under 16s involved in accidents between school rush hours in the morning and afternoon is 6, 106. Good design and widespread consultation is the key to the successful use of 20mph zones as a road safety tool because limits that match the road environment enforce themselves.”

Telecommunications company Sure has backed Isle of Man based film producer Glenn Whorrall, of yourmoviecrew, to create a TT 'tilt shift' film of the 2013 Isle of Man TT Races.

The film, which has been called 'TT Microworlds' was filmed during the 2013 meeting and features shots from a couple of the races interspersed with festival images and footage of the Isle of Man during the fortnight.

The film will be screened at the Villa Broadway during race week. It will be shown before the 'Road' documentary featuring the Dunlop family and will be promoted via the TT's Facebook and Twitter accounts and be posted as a news story on the official iomtt.com website.

The tilt shift filming technique features the use of a tilt to create a selective focus and digital post-production simulates a particular scene in miniature. Tilt shift films currently posted on youtube include an edit on Rio Carnival that has had millions of views while Melbourne, New York and Sydney are among the world's leading cities that have been featured in the time lapse technique.

Sarah Jarvis, Marketing Manager of Sure, the TT's official Mobile and Broadband Partner, commented: "The film has been really well edited and represents a great snapshot of the TT festival. It clearly has great potential to go viral and is a great advert for both the TT Races and the Isle of Man."

She continued: "As a company Sure is keen to support the local arts scene and as an official TT partner the film represents a great fit for our company."

Glenn Whorrall, MD, yourmoviecrew, commented: "I'm a passionate TT fan and wanted to create something different that shows off the event. It's very difficult to sum up all of the action that goes on during the two week festival in just two and a half minutes but hopefully my film will give people who know the event a different perspective and people who don't an idea of what it's about."