To avoid what we thought would be a
very stressful first day of riding we decided to take a ferry up the
Bosphorus Strait past the suburbs of Istanbul. Leaving on a Saturday, we had
few options on the public ferry system so we purchased a one-way
ticket on the tourist ferry and headed out to Anadolu Kavağı, the
last stop.
We had a 500m ride from our hotel in
Sultanahmet to the ferry terminal and yet we woke up 3 hours before
departure time and sat nervously through breakfast with me wondering
if I would even be able to get my fully loaded bicycle up the first
steep hill outside our hotel. Too worked up about Istanbul traffic
we didn't even pose together for a departure photo as we rode past
the Blue Mosque a few meters from our hotel.
Leaving the Agora Hostel in Sultanahmet, Istanbul on day one
A very anxious Emilie posing for the day one photo in front of the Blue Mosque
An uneventful two-hour ferry ride later
we were in Anadolu Kavağı cycling up an extremely steep hill, which
would be the theme of our first week of cycling. Within an hour Yann
was carrying my front saddle bags.
Two hours into our ride we were
overtaken by a group of four cyclists, two husband-and-wife teams,
Brian and Amy (howilearnedtostopworrying.com) from the US and Andy and Rosy (2on2r.ch) from Switzerland. Brian and Amy had been riding from Morocco and Andy and Rosy from their front
door. Both couples had over 4 months of cycling under their belts so
needless to say they were stronger and faster than we were. But they
were nice enough to let us ride with them and we set off as a
veritable convoy along the Turkish country roads.
Day one, meeting four cyclists on the road! (note Yann's bike loaded with Emilie's front paniers)
Day one, meeting four cyclists on the road! (note Yann's bike loaded with Emilie's front paniers)
Meeting cyclists on the road was a
total pick-me-up and gave us confidence despite our slow progress on
the hills. Knowing that we weren't the only ones finding it
difficult, although we were probably the ones finding it the most
difficult, was a huge relief. All four of our companions were
positive and encouraging and we followed along having to make few
decisions regarding our route or our night's sleeping arrangements.
Yann and I had planned on staying in
guesthouses for the first week of cycling, but it became evident on
our first night that our route wouldn't necessarily be affording us
that possibility every night. In a group of six, it is fairly easy to
set up camp anywhere, which is what we did on our first night at a
lovely isolated spot along the Black Sea coast.
Our first night's campsite, along the Black Sea
Morning at our first night's campsite along the Black Sea
Morning at our first night's campsite along the Black Sea
On our third day of cycling, Yann and I
set off with Amy and Brian as Rosy had been very sick
the previous night and needed a day of rest to recover. The terrain
along the coast of the Black Sea remained extremely hilly and
difficult with steep climbs and steep descents (giving no chance to
glide up the next hill). But we stopped frequently, refilling our
water bottles at the dozens of public water fountains lining the
Turkish roads and giving ourselves the time to rest.
A common theme of our first week was
the friendliness and helpfulness of the Turkish people. At every
village we were given assistance almost immediately. People gave us directions, invited us for tea, blew kisses...
On our fourth evening we pulled into the town of Kandira looking for a place to stay the night. We were escorted through the town, first to the teacher's dormitory (full) then to the town's only hotel (also full) then back to the dormitory where somehow they agreed to make room for us. After securing us a room, the local man assisting us ended by giving us the advice to not even bother staying in Kandira, to cycle onwards to the town of Kerpe (on neither Yann nor Brian's GPS) where we would find a much better place to stay. He drew us a map and stuffed it in Yann's pocket. We were grateful to have trusted him because we ended up in a brand new resort town on the Black Sea with lovely inexpensive hotels and a great beach. This is where we had our first rest day.
Arriving in Kandira with no place to stay, this concerned local man drew us a map to Kerpe, the seaside resort nearby
On our fourth evening we pulled into the town of Kandira looking for a place to stay the night. We were escorted through the town, first to the teacher's dormitory (full) then to the town's only hotel (also full) then back to the dormitory where somehow they agreed to make room for us. After securing us a room, the local man assisting us ended by giving us the advice to not even bother staying in Kandira, to cycle onwards to the town of Kerpe (on neither Yann nor Brian's GPS) where we would find a much better place to stay. He drew us a map and stuffed it in Yann's pocket. We were grateful to have trusted him because we ended up in a brand new resort town on the Black Sea with lovely inexpensive hotels and a great beach. This is where we had our first rest day.
Arriving in Kandira with no place to stay, this concerned local man drew us a map to Kerpe, the seaside resort nearby
Leaving Kerpe we planned for our first
100km+ day to Akçakoca.
This was a slightly ambitious plan and when we arrived in the town
(12 hours and 105km later) we were exhausted and it was too late to
set up camp and make dinner. As we were stopped on the side of the
road trying to figure out where we would stay the night, Gazi, a
local math teacher pulled up and offered to take us in for the night
(“there are four of us you know?” “yes we have room, no
problem”). We readily accepted his offer and he drove through the
town with his four-ways on, escorting the four of us to his apartment
where he cooked us dinner and set up comfortable beds for us and woke
up early to make us breakfast before our departure.
Leaving our host Gazi's apartmet in Akçakoca
The next day Yann and I parted ways
with Amy and Brian. We didn't feel too strong after our previous long
day of riding, so after 30km we checked into a hotel and basically
slept until the next morning.
We rode solo now for the first time since the first few hours of our trip. For one more day we followed the Black Sea coast (to Zonguldak) along the fairly busy D010 highway
before turning away from the coast in an attempt to minimize the
climbs. The main disadvantage with this plan is that we left the cooler coastal weather behind and so we began our routine of early morning departures (with a
4:30am wake-up) in order to avoid cycling through the intense midday heat.
Eight days after leaving Istanbul we
rolled into Safranbolu, a historical Ottoman-era town where we decided
to spend what we felt were two well-deserved rest days. All things
considered, a pretty successful start to our year of cycling thanks
to the great local people and equally great travel companions.
Yann with an adorable crew of local boys in Ibricak, a small town just outside of Yenice (they even washed and filled our water bottles)
Yann with an adorable crew of local boys in Ibricak, a small town just outside of Yenice (they even washed and filled our water bottles)
This adorable teashop owner and his son insisted we pull over for free tea (in Karabük a few kilometers from Safranbolu)
Our week one companions: Amy and Brian (USA) and Andy and Rosy (Switzerland)
Stats for Istanbul to Safranbolu
Days of cycling: 6.5
Days of rest: 1.5
Kilometres cycled: 483
Metres climbed: 4783
Cycle-tourists crossed on the road: 8
The above map was compiled using GPS readings. Since
we only took readings every hour it is not entirely accurate but it
gives an idea of what we did.
Partially sponsored by Mountain Equipment Coop Expedition Support
Partially sponsored by Mountain Equipment Coop Expedition Support
