Start: 05:51 on Friday, 2 August 2024, Biga, Turkey
Elapsed time: 16:58:00
Moving time: 12:14:06
Distance: 254.69 km
Elevation: 3425 m
This was a rough day, no way around it. For the first time on this ride, my legs felt tired right from the start.
Gravel and Mental Strain
I had spent a lot of time planning routes on paved roads—or so I thought. Turns out, much of the day was on gravel. While it was flat and rideable, the mental toll was the real challenge.
The terrain didn’t help. It was relentless rolling hills all day, with strong winds and a road surface that seemed to sap all the energy from my bike. Progress was painfully slow.
The landscape reminded me of Tuscany in Italy: rolling hills, fertile fields, and villages perched on hilltops. The key difference? Instead of Catholic churches, every village had a mosque.
Resupply and Water Surprises
Each village I passed had a small shop, so resupplies were straightforward. They all accepted cards and spoke enough English for smooth transactions. A big surprise was the public taps in every village—great for refilling water bottles. I later learned the water wasn’t always safe to drink, and locals often avoided it. Thankfully, I didn’t have any issues.
A Run-in With Turkey’s guardian dogs
Ever heard of Turkish guardian dogs? I hadn’t, but I definitely know about them now. They’re massive, and bikes are clearly not their favorite thing.
Most of the time, they’d run alongside, barking loudly but not causing any real trouble. The dogs I’d encountered in Turkey, the Balkans, and Greece had been surprisingly well-behaved compared to the aggresive ones I’d experienced in Peru earlier in the year.
That said, riding at night added a layer of discomfort. Hearing dogs running beside you in the dark, without being able to see them, was unsettling.
The Gravel Climb That Wasn’t
The gravel sections drained me, and I knew there was a tough gravel climb ahead. I spent ages trying to reroute around it but eventually gave up. When I reached the climb, I discovered it was beautifully paved all the way. Just great—hours wasted.
Calling It a Night
After pressing on for a while, I passed through a small town and found an olive grove just outside it. I laid down under an olive tree and got a few hours of much-needed sleep.
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