Steve's Cycling Blog

More ups and downs (stage 107)

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In summary

  • very cold morning, -2ºC as Michael and I set off together as the last ones out of camp
  • progressively overtook most people along the way – almost caught up with Grant, but let him get ahead again and saw nobody else at lunch
  • hills, hills, and more hills, then awesome long downhill through a gorge (later in the day)
  • head winds from ~50 km which made it feel even colder
  • stopped by a Turkish man in his German-registered Mercedes – not idea what he was on about, but he seemed might enthusiastic about us riding to Istanbul
  • lunch set up the wrong way round with the shelter on the windward side of the van – doh!
  • Jordan had fried up onions, tomatoes and chorizo which made for fantastic sandwiches (especially with cheese in) and they’d made a huge pot of apple tea which really helped with the cold
  • town at 80km was manic as it was market day so people everywhere
  • only rain of the day I avoided by sitting at a coke stop (bakery at one end, mini-market at the other, and çay-hall in between full if men playing cards – some sitting outside smoking, one of whom was a retired taxi driver from Istanbul who spoke really good English (much to the surprise of some of his friends it appeared) so we had a nice time chatting while the rain came and went
  • had understood there was one (steep) climb at the end of the day but it turned out to be three!
  • hotel for the night and Roger and I have gone halves on rooms of our own to get things dry
  • took a wander round town which is really quite pretty
  • walked up to the citadel above the town where I met many of the year 9 students from the local school (it was Saturday, so no school) a couple of whom spoke some English, but very typical 15y.o. kids
  • couple of beers at the hotel, then dinner at nearby cafe – never been moved through a restaurant so quickly we were ‘in and out’ in about 20 minutes
  • tent etc dry and laundry done by hotel so packed by bag and had an early night – these long(er) days of climbing take it out of you!

 

Stage 107 route notes

Stage 107 route notes

Riding data

View from my ‘tent’

Citadel above the town from my hotel window

Citadel above the town from my hotel window

One thought on “More ups and downs (stage 107)

  1. Shireen

    At least the 15 year old boys were smiling – from experience they do that a little! Makes their mothers grab into the fact they’re going to be okay!