Dave and his Bike

Days 38, 39, 40 & 41.

Day 38.

Instead of straight-lining it to Istanbul from Edirne, I have chosen to deviate slightly in favour of smaller, quieter roads. It adds a few kilometres, but takes me off some dual carriageways.

So after an average (bread and honey) breakfast, I had a leisurely start, setting out at about 0945hrs. After a slight detour (my mistake!) and a brief stop at a bakery to stock up with some lunch I headed northeast out of town. Within a few hundred metres I met another touring cyclist heading in my direction. We spoke briefly at the side of the road, ascertained that we were aiming for the same overnight stop, then headed off. Stefan is from Zurich, is younger than me but a far more experienced cycle tourist. He has been on a tour of the Balkans for the last few weeks.

I was slightly quicker than him up the hills out of town (hard to believe I know), and crept ahead by a short distance. On a small descent, the Turkish dogs sprang into action. Whilst I was busy watching one approach from my left, I started to accelerate. At that point the two (or more – I didn’t stop to count) on my right launched a noisy chase. Once they had given up on me I looked behind to see that the car behind me had seen my frantic actions, and had stopped to distract the dog and provide protection for Stefan. What a nice gesture.

At the next village we stopped for a quick discussion, and decided to find some lunch a few kilometres down the road at our halfway point. So we did.

Soup, bread, tea and coffee, with conversations about our respective rides, and dog tactics, made for an enjoyable lunch break in Süloğlu. Stefan’s bike is interesting. He found it in the street in Zurich, will use it for this ride then give it away at the end so that he doesn’t have to transport it back. Great idea.

The afternoon roads remained relatively empty, with varying surfaces, and a couple of opportunities to test Stefan’s theory of slowing or stopping for barking dogs.

It worked well. They give up sooner. We also had the opportunity to take some ‘action’ cycling photos, which are always nice.

As much as it was a flat day in principle, the steady rise and fall of the road throughout the day, with a couple of slightly more serious but not long climbs in the last 15km meant that I still managed over 900m of ascent somehow.

I managed to get a room at the cheap but smart hotel that Stefan was booked into (and I paid less!), and we met for a kebab, some baklava and a beer in the evening. It has been great having someone to ride and exchange cycling stories with for the day. Sadly we go in opposite directions in the morning.

Mileage so far: 2710km.

Day 39.

A visit to the bakery first thing this morning for breakfast and lunch, bread and pastry based fodder, followed by a coffee in my room. Packed, Stefan and I bid our farewells, on the road by 0945hrs again.

Zero navigation required today. One road all the way to Saray. It is a main road, which is in the process of being converted into a dual carriageway. The down side of the new bits is that it feels like a motorway. The plus side is that there’s a massive hard shoulder, so much safer. It still isn’t a particularly pleasant ride. Quite boring in fact.

One thing that struck me today was the choice of car in Turkey. If you ever wondered (you almost certainly haven’t) why you don’t see many Renault 12s in the UK and France, it’s because they are all here. They have a particular fondness for the estate version.

I couldn’t be bothered to navigate back roads and farm tracks today, I’ve got to the point where I just want to get there now. It’s the same road tomorrow, down to the coast and the outskirts of Istanbul. The hotel in Saray is OK. Not the best, but easily the cheapest so far.

No photos from the ride today. Nothing really to look at. I’ll try harder tomorrow! I have, however just been into the town centre for the statutory kebab and some rather addictive baklava. So I took a photo whilst I was there. It’s quite nice.

Mileage so far: 2787km

Day 40.

Bread and honey again for breakfast. I just don’t fancy cucumber and olives at that time of day. Not so cold now, so I was away a little bit earlier, around 0920hrs. Still cool enough to see your breath, but not bad.

The road out of Saray was easy to find, followed by about 3km once I had joined the main road. I had woken a couple of times in the night feeling a bit breathless, and in the morning light it was sadly rather easy to see the air pollution. I’ve forgotten (or lost) my inhaler, so Jane is bringing me one at the weekend as no doubt I’ll need it in Mumbai as well. She’s also bringing me a face mask.

Feeling more positive this morning, I had a change of plan. I decided before I left the hotel to try to get off the main (tedious) road. I had hoped that the minor roads would be quieter, which they were, but still had a fair number of lorries on them. There is industry all around, in addition to the roadworks and quarries, so it is to be expected. Still a bit frustrating though. The one bit of very quiet road I found had quite an appalling surface which slowed me down somewhat, but it was nice without any traffic.

Having negotiated a major conurbation (Çerkezköy), a few smaller villages, and a handful of smallish climbs, I got my first view of the sea. I am going to follow the Sea of Marmara coastline as much as possible tomorrow into Istanbul, to avoid the major and very busy dual carriageway. I used this tactic this afternoon for 20km. It’s better than the arterial route, but I do have to keep stopping to check navigation, so the going is slow. I’m pleased it’s only about 55km tomorrow.

I found another small hotel in Büyükçekmece, more expensive than last night, but far better quality. Having caught up with Jane, I ventured out for a kebab. Not great food, and not much of it. Bought some orange juice and a Twix on the way back to the hotel.

Tomorrow should be my last day on the bike for a week or so. I’m excited about arriving in the city, meeting up with most of my family at the weekend, and having a rest from the bike. The fact that I have almost ridden to Istanbul from home hasn’t really sunk in yet. It’s a bit surreal.

Mileage so far: 2870km

Day 41.

The call to prayer at 0615hrs from the mosque a few metres away woke me this morning. I had slept well though, so it wasn’t an issue, and made me feel like I’m really well into the trip. Breakfast was the usual affair, except for the fact that it wasn’t a buffet, but I was presented with a plate of food. In a break from the norm, I ate the boiled egg, ham and cheese, as well as my usual bread and honey. The bread was particularly good today. I still didn’t do the cucumber and olives.

On the road for 0900hrs. By my reckoning it was about 55km to the centre of Istanbul, and I estimated about five hours for that. I wanted to avoid the main road all together if possible. That meant lots of navigation through suburbs, traffic lights, congestion, basically stopping and starting all the time. Which is exactly what it turned out to be. The first major bridge I came to had a massive footpath alongside it, which made things easier.

The rest of the morning continued in the same vein – well actually the whole day did. Istanbul has more hills than I thought. Not big ones, but some cheeky 7 to 12% climbs for a couple of hundred metres just to remind my legs that they still had a job to do. Right on the coast I could see countless oil tankers, lining up (I assume) waiting for passage through the Bosphorus Strait into the Black Sea.

Parts of the ride were quite pleasant – through pretty streets, parks and marinas. Others not so, as the traffic was intense and the roads not great. I didn’t stop for lunch as I basically couldn’t be bothered. I did stop to buy something to drink from one of the tiny shops which sells fizzy drinks and crisps. I’ve no idea how they make a living with such limited stock, but they must do. They are everywhere. I’ve visited more than I should have done (easy access – don’t need to lock the bike etc.).

Once I got into Istanbul centre, it got even more chaotic. In fact the last 10km was pretty hectic; lots of traffic jams, one-way streets, impatient drivers, crazy scooter riders, and some idiot on a bike thinking that riding here would be a good idea.

But I’ve done it.

Today was probably one of the hardest 60km I’ve ever ridden. I think I’m more tired from the adrenaline and concentration than I am from the actual cycling. I am really pleased that I’ve got a few days off, especially since it will be with my family. I can also start to really think (panic?) about the next stage – India. I’ve already sourced a box for my bike at a local shop (who will also pack it for me!), so I can now relax and enjoy where I am.

Dinner was… yep, a kebab, followed by an apple which I bought on the way back to the hotel. And a Twix. Again.

Mileage so far: 2929km. (Not far off the 3000km estimate).