travel – Page 3 – Jordan Matthews

Open ended travel planning

So yesterday I left the UK on an open ended cycle tour, with the plan of heading East. Since telling family, friends and work about my trip a few months ago, something that was only a thought in my head became a reality, just like that. No amount of planning could get me completely readyContinueContinue reading “Open ended travel planning”

TCRNO7 – DAY 4 – Prokuplje, Serbia – Sabac, Serbia

183.15 Miles 14:31:01 Moving Time 16:49:33 Elapsed Time 9,462 Elevation Gained 12.6mph Average After spending a night under the watchful eyes of Mary hanging on the wall and dreaming about who the old mans slippers were in the bed next to me, the buzz of my bike computer alarm jolted me into life from aContinueContinue reading “TCRNO7 – DAY 4 – Prokuplje, Serbia – Sabac, Serbia”

TCRN07, Day 3: Dupnitsa, Bulgaria – Prokuplje, Serbia

178.60 Miles 15:17:26 Moving Time 17:51:58 Elapsed Time 8,701 Elevation Gained 11.7mph Average 6 dog attacks avoided Starting out from the hotel around 04:30, I spotted a few more bikes in the room where I kept mine, TCR riders. The receptionist was surprised to see me so early, but the other riders must have explainedContinueContinue reading “TCRN07, Day 3: Dupnitsa, Bulgaria – Prokuplje, Serbia”

TCRN07, Day 2: A Forest, Bulgaria – Dupnitsa, Bulgaria

194.49 Miles 16:19:03 Moving Time 19:47:42 Elapsed Time 15,525 Elevation Gained 11.9mph Average Number of horse and carts overtaken by: 1 Not having the best sleep, I woke around 3am, waking during the night to find myself about 2 metres away from my bike. Shouldn’t have slept on a hill I guess. Anyway, IContinueContinue reading “TCRN07, Day 2: A Forest, Bulgaria – Dupnitsa, Bulgaria”

TCRN07, Day 1, Burgas, Bulgaria – A Forest, Bulgaria

208.76 Miles 15:09:39 Moving Time 16:36:24 Elapsed Time 12,402ft Elevation 13.8mph Average 10 Litres of water (a guess, but probably pretty close) I arrived in Burgas by plane a couple days before the start so was well rested and starting to adjust to the heat. The race began on Saturday 27th July at 6am.ContinueContinue reading “TCRN07, Day 1, Burgas, Bulgaria – A Forest, Bulgaria”

TCRNO7 – Transcontinental Race 2019 1.Prologue- My road to Burgas

TCRNO7 – Transcontinental Race 2019 1.Prologue- My road to Burgas The Transcontinental Race. The big one in my eyes. The Transcontinental was the race that caught my attention around 5 years ago while running out of things to search for online at a job that saw me staring out of the window for most ofContinueContinue reading “TCRNO7 – Transcontinental Race 2019 1.Prologue- My road to Burgas”

North Coast 500 – 518 Miles in 2 and a bit days

Booking the train from Durham to Inverness, on a cusp of the moment decision a few months before departure, everything seemed straightforward. Finishing work at 5pm on Saturday, riding up to the station to catch the 17.32 from Durham to Newcastle, then the 18.00 from Newcastle to Edinburgh and then the connection from Edinburgh toContinueContinue reading “North Coast 500 – 518 Miles in 2 and a bit days”

A Winter Ride

A planned Winter ride. Out, head to the wind. Back, wind sailing home. Coffee pushes for the first thirty minutes, forcing two unplanned stops. The gradient continues as the gust is unforgiving. Take the first turn for 20 miles, to the right, thundering down the potholed road, break from the wind at last. Over theContinueContinue reading “A Winter Ride”

The Transatlantic Way and my obsession with all things ultra.

Having followed the Transcontinental bike race for a few years, and watching/ reading/ hearing about the recent upsurge in ultra distance / bikepacking races, my urge to race has been growing. I had never heard about the Transcontinental, until a few years ago I read an article somewhere online about a participant. It had aContinueContinue reading “The Transatlantic Way and my obsession with all things ultra.”

First Time Audaxer, long time pedaler.

So after being hit by a car in May 2016, I have been on a love/hate recovery road back to riding most days, with the possibility of competing again in a fashion. Moving house recently, from having a 10 mile commute to work, into a 20 mile commute to work, so a 40 mile roundContinueContinue reading “First Time Audaxer, long time pedaler.”