Route Log

The rain is gone. perfect day. friendly people everywhere. I reach my goal for today after exactly 4h of cycling. d750 not busy at all.

no coffee today: my whisperlite fuel pump has broken down. weird weather, feeling hot and cold at same time. Hundreds of Turks are out for mangal and playtime in the snow. camp at 860m.

Only some 40k/600m elevation planned for today. Road not too busy. Stunning ride and scenery, moderate incline in perfect weather. friendly people, many tea invitations. Run-down hotel with friendly manager

Another great day. Reach my second highest peak (1600m). Awesome landscape. Flat and wide views. Meet CS host Emre at his pharmacy in Nigde.

Tailwind and high speed to reach Nevsehir. My CS host bails on me but the countryside is beautiful to camp in, though cold at night

On the way to a potential host I meet a solo cyclist from Brazil who recommends me a hostel in Goereme where more cyclists are staying. I decide to rest there for 2 nights. (lost: Knife)

Exploring Goereme, Love valley, stone city. Meet new CS host Kadir who invited me to stay in his hotel for some nights. World's cutest dog. Dinner with Kadir's family.

Early rise at 6:30am to watch the balloon start. Absolutely the visual highlight of my trip (so far).

Meeting Gökhan in Kayseri

Oh, I got my Whisperlite pump working again. Turns out it just needed some oil on the rubber seal, which I could easily reach without special tools

Easy ride in cold weather. spend the night in abandoned stall/storage protecting me from the frost.

Cold morning. flat lands easy to ride through. wind from all directions. get my shoes wet crossing a stream (lost: Lighter)

hilly-flat leg. don't feel very energetic. people are curious. Grandpa gives me bread+cheese for the way. nice camping with a view

Late start to dry my wet shoes on the camp fire. In Yesilyurt a group of people surround me curiously. Minutes later run into my Tokat host for tonight and we share lunch. In Tokat, dinner at a 5 star hotel's restaurant and later cake and red wine. What a day!

Late start, good stamina. In Niksar people invite me for tea and baclava. I get further than planned. abandoned ruin in roadside as shelter. at night it starts to snow

Everything is white. my first day riding in snow. roads are clear. lunch stop in Akkus. jacket on, jacket off.

Short leg to Ordu with some beach playtime.

couchsurfing with Emel, Hike to Boztepe

extensive breakfast. skip tea invitation in Tirebolu. difficult to find camping at Black Sea coast. lost key and got it back (lost: Bike keys: recovered before I realized they were lost)

slept well but woke up with throat irritation. no energy during the ride. spontaneous check-in at hotel close to Trabzon. very welcoming staff.

Still sneezing like hell but too eager to get on. 90km to Rize pass quickly. Many tunnels on the way. meet my host who will transfer me to Ardesen for the night

after 1 minute of cycling security guard invites me for breakfast. very motivated so I decide to head to Batumi same day. make it and meet 4 cyclists who invite me into their Airbnb

Easy riding on flat terrain despite lack of hard shoulder. street dogs more hungry than elsewhere

Wake up soaked, rained all night. awesome hot spring after Vani to heat up and dry my gear. Camp in old farm house (?)

Join a Belgian cyclist on the way who tries to get to Tbilisi by tomorrow.

Strong headwinds are a total pain. I'm in no mood to push to tbilisi today. one more night!

Wind has changed, now tailwind. Spring is here.