NO bearded bikers in sight at York Barbican, then two shows ride into the listings diary in quick succession.

First to be announced was An Evening With The Hairy Bikers on February 24 on their 2019 tour of cooking conversations with Si King and Dave Myers.

This was quickly followed by Sir Bradley Wiggins, Britain’s most decorated Olympian, being booked in for November 15 for the only Yorkshire show of this autumn's six-date tour.

Tickets for both shows go on sale on Friday, The Hairy Bikers from 9am at gigsandtours.com and ticketmaster.co.uk; Wiggins from 10am at myticket.co.uk. Bookings also can be made on 0844 854 2757, at yorkbarbican.co.uk or in person from the Barbican box office.

The Hairy Bikers will take to the road for 37 dates, opening at Hull City Hall on February 15, as they return to York for a third time, switching to the Barbican after selling out the Grand Opera House on their Larger Than Life tour in March 2013 and debut Big Night Out travels in March 2010.

Down-to-earth cooks King and Myers have been cooking together for more than 20 years, creating haute-cuisine dishes with Michelin-starred chefs, travelling the world and exploring the British Isles to discover new recipes and create new takes on cooking classics.

They have made a whole heap of television series, from The Hairy Bikers' Mississippi Adventure to Mums Know Best and have more than 20 books to their name, including four diet books (none of them slim volumes, by the way). Their latest addition,The Hairy Bikers' British Classics, will be published on November 1.

Sir Bradley Wiggins' tour de Britain will take the 38-year-old former British professional road and track racing cyclist to Manchester, London, Guildford, York, Cardiff and Nottingham this November.

He last rode in York on the inaugural Tour de Yorkshire in May 2015 and now returns with An Evening With...show, where he swaps cycle seat for stage to tell stories from his latest book, Icons, reflect on his career and take questions from the floor, with television presenter Matt Barbet moderating at the 8pm show. Cycling fans can "get up close" to iconic Bradley Wiggins bikes and memorabilia too.

When retiring from professional cycling, Wiggins said: "2016 is the end of the road for this chapter, onwards and upwards. 'Feet on the ground, head in the clouds' kids from Kilburn don’t win Olympic Golds and Tour de Frances! They do now." A new chapter begins this November.

Charles Hutchinson