A Long Way For A Curry

12/07/25 - Day Sixty-One Later start today to get a good sleep after yesterday. Coffee and breakfast in the cooler morning sun. 45 miles to ride till we arrive in Istanbul! A big milestone, only now really starting to sink in and the excitement building. A slight anticipation in the air, due to the notoriety of the cycle into Istanbul. Crazy traffic, and stories of dangerous drivers, had piqued my interest. Many people suggesting a ferry or to metro into the city. I wanted to experience it for myself however, and Manuel was keen to give it a try too.  Our route following the Sultans trail, looked like it wiggled a quieter path to the centre. We had no issues whatsoever really, just normal slightly hectic city riding. Nothing compared to the chaos of motorcycling out of Ho Chi Minh City or into Hanoi. I was left somewhat disappointed by it all as it was smooth sailing all the way in. There were many hills, which our tired legs struggled through, and after an unintentional nap in a ...

11/07/25 - Day Sixty Today was a really great day. Manuel and I set off later than planned at 0800, after saying our goodbyes to the rest of the gang, and Inanç of course! We chatted away the morning miles, battling strong headwinds as we went. After a shop and lunch in Saray, I was absolutely KO’d - defeated by my own greed once again. Many friendly Turks came to try and speak with us as we sat. What a country! Seemingly full of genuinely lovely friendly souls, always trying to communicate with us. Wow! Post lunch miles very tough to begin with, but gave way to a cracking afternoon of punchy climbs and punchier descents. At one point brushing shoulders with death - I looked up from a head down burst of speed, to find an overtaking pickup barrelling right at me. It barely missed me evidently, but left me shook. There were a lot of big dogs out today - some friendly, some mangey, some aggressive. We were flagged down by more frenchies in the late evening. A friendly French couple goin...

 10/07/25 - Day Fifty-Nine We rose at 7ish in unison, and with barely a word said between us, packed our things and left. No talk of breakfast, we had a job to do. The wind continued and thankfully it was still to our rear so we enjoyed speedy cycling along the wide hard shoulder of the dual carriageway. After 12 miles or so we stopped in a town for coffee and some breakfast, as well as to relieve ourselves. More hard shoulder miles followed until our next stop for a bit of lunch. We sat in a park and had a comical encounter with a man who we couldn’t quite figure out if he was trying to sell or gift us some lemons. He didn’t seem to be giving them to us by also wasn’t really insisting we paid. I suspect he was waiting for us to take them, before costing us for money. Anyway he was good humoured and bid us a friendly goodbye.  We had been flying along, and hadn’t far to go till we reached the Lüleburgaz Yıldızları Bisiklet Akademisi! Isabel had told us of this place, since sh...

09/07/25 - Day Fifty-Eight Today’s plans went almost immediately out of the window. I rose early planning to crunch out the 70 miles to Edirne in turkey in time to try and get my bike welded, then camp just outside the city. On leaving camp at 7am, I got a puncture from a piece of glass on the track leading to the road. I patched it relatively quickly but then noticed my wheel wasn’t radially trued, and the brakes needed adjusting. I then left proper at almost 8am, momentum killed. I stopped for breakfast and a coffee in a park to boost my morale, by which point Isabel and Sam had caught me up! I then just rode with them the rest of the day to Edirne.  We crunched through the miles, picking up a new friend just before the Greek border. Henry, from Belgium, on his way to Baku! We ploughed on as a unit into the heat of the day, as it hit 37 degrees we decided to stop. after a tantalisingly close glimpse of the river, its proved inaccessible. We settled to stop in a village, and a ki...

8/07/25 - Day Fifty-Seven We woke at 7, taking time to have breakfast and coffee this morning. We set off rejoining a quieter road running parallel to the Central Balkan National park. We could see the “toilet” that Sam and Isabel had pointed out to me last night. It was an old USSR building sitting on a hilltop, looking exactly like a toilet! We passed through a town, taking the opportunity of a Lidl to stock up on food. Then disaster struck me again: my other rear rack eyelet snapped off, but we were soon on the road again after a strap and a cable tie were put to use. It was surprisingly sturdy, holding up perfectly for the rest of the day. Then after hitting a pothole my water bladder somehow got holed and began leaking water. Things really weren’t going my way, but glad of the company, I kept a cool head.  We stopped for a proper lunch in Stara Zagora, 38 miles in. I have to hand it to Isabel and Sam, they are in luxury compared to me and it really was a joy to indulge w...

07/07/25 -  Day Fifty-Six Couldn’t get to sleep till almost 3am last night due to the wind. It would have been fine if it was constant wind but big gusts every 1-5 minutes ensured I didn’t sleep for ages. Woke late as a result and packed quickly. No sign of anyone this morning and I delighted in the downhills I had left for myself this morning. I chatted to some Bulgarian men at a spring, with what words, places names and actions we could get each other to understand.  I continued down to Troyan for a coffee and to charge my phone. As I read, I got a message from Sam and Isabel, asking if I wanted to have lunch at an upcoming town - our paths had crossed again! I ran the calculations, but unfortunately I wasn’t going to be there in time. I then set about tackling the big climb of the day, 12miles long. It started painfully but I soon got in a good rhythm, stopping only once for a quick refuel. I lunched in the shade of the Arch of Liberty monument at the top and took in t...