A Rainy Ride

The rain hammered hard. It fell from the clouds and dragged my spirit with it, it ran from my head, rolled down my back, round the cheeks of my butt and eventually fell off the rear of my saddle into my rear wheel, only to be slung around and splatted against my white staining jersey. This was going to happen for at least another 50 kilometres. The joy.

Glasses don’t really help either, they fog up as my heavy respiration forces warm breath from my mouth upwards onto the cold lenses. I wiped them often, but they just get smudged and grimy from the dates I ate and the sugary energy bars that kept me going..

My helmet may as well have been a swimming pool. Every time I tilted my head captured rain would fall through the vents and run down my back. The helmet was essential due to the fact that the chances of crashing were considerably higher as the lack of friction was becoming a problem.

Damn the rain.

I aquaplaned a few times leaning into corners. It’s scary, but exciting in an adrenaline boosting way, it grabs your attention and makes sure you don’t forget that every corner is now your enemy.

My shoes were completely waterlogged. Each turn of the pedals created a squelch, an irritating noise it would seem as time goes by. My toes were going numb, a feeling I’m still getting used to.

The only parts of me that stayed warm were my hands and legs. Mainly because I had two pairs of gloves on and my legs were constantly spinning around.

Had it been a warm day we would have been travelling a lot faster as there would have been a reduced risk of crashing. But no, I had decided I would ride in this weather.

People often ask why one would go and ride in the rain. The answer is simple.

I love cycling more than anything in the world. More than eating rhubarb and custard sweets, more than a cold one in the summer, more than the smile on my girlfriends face…

When you truly love something you’ll do anything to feel that feeling of happiness, joy, ecstasy…

New Year and Stuff.

So, here it is. The New Year.

Happy New Year to you, I wish you all the best for the coming 365 days.

I’ve got quite a few plans for this year, most of which are cycling, education and fitness related. Maybe a little bit of self improvement too?!

I would like to thank everyone who has taken the time to read my blog/s. Without seeing the hits on my posts I’m really doing this for nothing, it would look like I’m only typing to clear my head. However the stats show me that people from all corners of the world have read and continue to read my blog/s.

To start…

The year just passed.

If you’ve read my blog throughout the past year you’ll know that a lot has happened to me, some good and some bad. I did a lot for myself last year and really just started to understand who I am and what I’m doing here on this planet. I did quite a few things I’d never really do, I regretted some of the decisions I made but I also took opportunities I would never take too!

Everything I did has helped me to become who I am now and has helped me in planning a future based around the things I love.

The year ahead.

This year I aim to give you as much information as possible about what I’m doing, Training, Food, Music, Races… blah blah… And in return I’d like to hear back from you. Does anything I write about offend you? Motivate you? Even interest you? Let me know so I can improve what you see.

I have a secret plan for this year. I can’t tell you what it is obviously but I’m sure as the years comes to a close you’ll guess and maybe even understand what’s happening. Everything I do this year is working towards the secret… Dun dun dun…

You can follow me on…

Twitter; @Irideroad

Facebook; RideWithI

Instagram; @irideroad

Stay Flemish,

Orca Out.

A personal one.

My name's Jordan, I'm awesome!

So today I just really want to talk about life,

Recently mine has been all over the place; I've been lower than I have ever been before and felt so terrible for the things I've done and said, for the people I've hurt and those I've ignored.

However from doing this to everyone I have personally had the greatest 2 months of my life, I haven't had to worry about anyone else but myself, I've been able to do whatever I want, when I want. I know it sounds selfish, but when you've been constantly working for other people a little time out is needed.

So I've been out riding the bikes, chilling with my true friends, I've moved house, worked hard, met new genuine people, tried a different diet, taken chances I would never usually take (and maybe regretted some of them) listened to some awesome new tracks and most of all, I have actually felt good about myself... This to me is the most important point.

No one should have to feel left out, alone, sad.... the list goes on, making a few simple changes in your life can change everything. I know, I just did it and I feel great.

So over the last few weeks what have I done?

We visited some hoes!

Riding....

I've been out so much recently, most rides I have been accompanied by the most amazing guy I have ever had the chance to meet, work with and ride with.
This guy (and partner) have done so much for me over the past 2 months, I really can not thank them enough.

Dale "The Wheels" Elder: Ultimate ride partner.

Dale, Bossing it as usual!

I met Dale About 2 1/2 years ago and we hit it off straight away. He's funny as hell, hard working and just a really cool guy. I got him to come out riding with me, god what a mission it was for the first few rides!

But, he stuck at it, in 2 years he's gone from "back of the pack" to "domestique extraordinaire".
Sticking on my wheel up climbs, breaking wind in front of me and setting me up for sprints like a one man sprint train and he's a motivational diva.

Pin-up girl material.

He's definitely changed, for the best of course. At the same time I would like him to always stay the same, right now everything is perfect.

So we've been riding around and the distances we go are getting longer and the chats we have on the bikes are getting stranger. We've recently started "getting lost".

Getting lost?

Getting lost is just riding in any direction, finding a place you've never been and just keep going. We've ridden in circles which is very annoying. We've climbed hundreds of hills and have even tried cyclocross... Unintentionally, but quite thankfully. Its a thrill, the adrenaline feels amazing, the fear of crashing keeps you on edge and the possibility of punctures makes you want to quit. Which we did not, we rode that trail like true Flandrian Hard Men.

And in getting lost we have started using my Garmin to its full capacity and using the maps. So we don't get completely lost...
Planning routes of 50-70 miles for only 2 people to ride is quite hard as distance and time are hard to keep track of when looking on a scree,. riding the route on the road, not knowing if you're going to be climbing or descending is a hassle and you don't want to be out all night in the cold and under-fed, so planning ahead is crucial.

We recently did a ride with a friend of a friend, which I was very insistent that Dale was ready for as I didn't want to look "un-Pro". Dales partner had prepared musettes for the three of us! That was amazing! Peanut butter sandwiches, Granola bars, Brownies and Flapjacks! Everything an ever hungry cyclist needs for a ride.

So we did the ride, got halfway and our tag along had a mechanical issue, so the returning half of the ride was at a slower pace... until his chain snapped. Fuck!

I've never seen a chain snap, I don't even know anyone who's had a chain snap, this was a first and I was quite shocked at how easily a snap can happen. Thankfully I have spares, but not with me on that ride, so we said goodnight and road on...

The rainbow road.

Rainbow Road Ridin'

One of the best things about riding is, you never know what's going to happen.

Me and Dale were out riding and we reached a junction on a bike path, I said
"Let's go left"
So we start riding along this bike path until we get to the most amazing thing I have ever seen while riding my bike.

The whole bike path was covered in Pink, Red, Blue, Green and Yellow chalk! It was everywhere! We rode through it, the bikes got covered in chalk, we were getting chalk on us and the chalk was being kicked up into the air, it was beautiful!

Impromptu Photoshoot!

This was easily one of the best rides I've ever been on, it was so unexpected and really raised our moods. I will always remember that night, riding with my best friend, in chalk, at night.... Bliss.

Getting Fancy with the Camera

More recently,

Just standing in a field, asking you to love me.

We rode from Portsmouth to Southampton via Clanfield and Bishops Waltham.
A big loop round the top of Portsmouth and then back down through to Fareham.

This ride was just brilliant because of the amount of climbing we did. We had never ridden on 70% of the roads, and this is when we tried cyclocross.


I am planning to complete 2 Strava challenges in one ride next Sunday (10.08) The SiS Summer 100 and the Strava Gran Fondo 8.

The first being a ride of 100 miles in one ride and the other being 130km in one ride. So my pre-planned route of 156 mile should be plenty to complete both challenges and rocket me up the leaderboard. If you would like to join me just drop me a message on any of the social networks at the bottom of the page and I'll send you the .gpx file!

Getting messed up!

Work/Coffee

Work has been good, same old.

Not exactly.

Well, being appointed Head Barista is pretty sick, a little bit of control and influence is always a good thing...
You know when you just like things done a certain way? Being able to pick up on the little things is awesome and knowing that things are being done correctly gives a sense of accomplishment, picking which coffees we serve is amazing too. I can pick flavours I like and hopefully get others to like them too!

There's also a new girl! She's pretty cool, into the whole Health and Fitness... I don't know if anyone else has this problem? But is it just me or is it really hard to find a girl who is genuinely into Health and Fitness? These girls are so rare!
Check out her Blog The Endorphin Diaries

I am still working on improving myself, a few new designs are being practised at the moment, not got them perfect enough yet to want to show anyone pictures. I've been searching for loads of different little things I can do to improve my skill set. Tara bought an amazing book called Coffee Obsession by Anette Moldvaer.

Its a brilliant read with some great basic information on coffee, but the main reason for mentioning this book is the recipes inside! They're awesome. They all contain coffee, some with alcohol and some with fruit... Just check it out for yourself and create some amazing drinks!

I tried the Coffee Cola recipe, using a double shot of our Jailbreak Espresso from HasBean, Ice and 250ml of Coca Cola.... It was really tasty, you can distinguish both coffee and cola but there seemed to be a hint of really juicy red cherries too! But saying that, I wouldn't drink too much of it because your teeth will fall out...

At home I've been making cold brewed Cascara and cold brewed Vanilla Iced Tea, both of which are super tasty, I made my housemates try the Cascara, they loved it which is a win, I mentioned it tasted like Marmalade and they were begging me for it! However the Vanilla Iced Tea is just too good to let anyone else have. But you can go buy some and make it yourself? I get my Vanilla tea from All About Tea and the Cascara from Hasbean.

Personal/Other Stuff

So on the girl front... I don't even know anymore? I guess I sort of give up? I'm currently just very happy being me, doing what I want. But, you know, if there's someone out there who likes the same stuff as me and isn't a complete nightmare....

My Nan was in hospital for a few days with a suspected Heart Attack, which sucked big time. This lady has really done more than she should have had to do with her life already, I can't express my love for her enough without crying and looking a complete mess. You'll never understand true love until someone has given up 18 years of their life to raise you even though they shouldn't have, she should have been enjoying her life. (And  I know she would argue that if she would have done it a hundred times over and never regretted anything) I am truly thankful and blessed for everything she has done and when something like the above has happened it really gets you going...

I emailed Portsmouth University about my Course next year too! Excited to start that!

IRR.cc, I am still currently trying to sort this out, its a nightmare trying to fit stuff in and around other things...
But, things are looking good for the .cc so I'm happy... for now...

IRR.cc - Best Bro's

Music has been pretty sweet, there's a new Gaslight anthem out soon, so I'm stoked!
I borrowed my housemates guitar last night and had a solo jam session, at least I've not forgotten everything.

Looking at buying an S-Works Venge too! Really happy about this, going to take a while to build the frame up, fortunately I have a few spares banging around... A nice new project to keep me busy.

The France and Belgium trip is still being planned, I also started planning a 2-3 day training trip to Wales. So I'm really excited that its starting to feel a bit more realistic.




Thanks very much for popping by and reading about my life....
I promise more bike related stuff soon....

If I've not bored you to death and you want to keep up to date please follow the links below!
Alternatively click on one of those Cups/Mugs on the side bar!

Facebook// Irideroad.cc
Twitter// @irideroad
Instagram// IRideRoad


Also If you're on Strava hit me up... Jordan Clarke on Strava
Alternatively Garmin me? Irideroad

IRIDEROAD presents How To Be A Roadie Part 1

We all want to know, so here are some quick tips.

Start watching every race. Even if you're at work.

Always talk about races, riders & new tech and clothing.

 Buy a bike which costs more than a family car, the reason for this is to prove how dedicated to cycling you are and to give you bragging rights.

"Hey man, how much did that cost? £800? Pffft. Look at this! £13,000 beauty!"

Go out and buy all the best equipment. Helmet, Shoes, Garmin, Bib Shorts, Bib Tights, Jerseys, Rain Jackets, Gilets, Glasses, Shoe covers, Long Socks, Ankle Socks, Base Layers and Gloves. You must spend a minimum of£1000 on this. You know why? Because next season you're going to throw it all away and buy the new stuff anyway!

Shave your legs!

Tell everyone you know that you shave your legs!

"Don't tell anyone but... I shaved my legs..."

Try at least 6 different diets. Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian, High Carb, Low Carb...

Talk about how you could have been Pro...

"I was offered a slot on ---- Team, but i have a family now and don't want to be away from them"

Start looking for group rides on Saturday evenings.

Turn up at a Sunday ride. Even if you know nobody. Continue to speed off all day and say stuff like...

"Come on! My Son is faster than you"

"Looks like you should have had a banana instead of that cake at the last stop"

"This is my Recovery day and I'm still faster than you guys"

"Have I seen you before? Oh Yeah! You're the guy I dropped half an hour ago"

Start hanging out at Coffee Shops and shun others who don't.

Start ignoring people riding bikes cheaper than yours.

"You are not worthy!"

Ignore all Mountain Bike riders. They're stupid.

Always wave at other Road bike users, unless they're Hipsters riding Fixed.

"If you don't ride with drop bars... We can't be friends"

Never let anyone else ride your bike. She's precious.

Even when you're not riding, wear something which shows you'e a cyclist, be it a T-Shirt, Cuffed Socks or just your ICE Band.

Talk about all your KOMs on Strava.

"I'm so fast man, just check my Strava"

Never tell your partner how much you spent on bike parts/clothing this month.

Pass off brands like Fox and Red Bull, you'd rather have Vulpine and a refreshing homemade smoothie.

"Gives you wings? Yeah right! More like gives you the shits"

Say no to drugs! You don't want to be Lance of your Sunday group ride.

"No, the only Belgian Mix I want is a selection of beers"

Stop at red lights, we need to end that stereotype.

"We all know its Hipsters and Mountain Bike riders, us Roadies are good guys"

Ride between 9pm and 3am, there's no traffic and it shows dedication.


Expect more. Want to add a tip? Let me know on...

Facebook/ridewithi
Twitter: @irideroad
Instagram: irideroad