Big lad on a bike: Izmit to Ankara

It is said that a picture speaks a thousand words. You can't argue with tht conversion so lets stick to it. Here's a selection of memories from my trip to Ankara. 350km through small villages, over mountain passes, open plains and on to the big city. I've had floods, baking sun and sub-zero temperatures but above all, I've enjoyed a beautiful country, wonderfully warm people and amazing food. All from the comfort of my saddle...

My stay in Kucucek

The calm before the storm

The heavens opened and it rained for 3 days straight. Luckily I was taken in by a kind family and they adopted me. Figuratively speaking.

They owned beautiful horses

And sheep

And guns!

And the rain continued...

So I spent most of my time in Mustafa's hardwear shop

This is Mustafa. I never did work out who the other man was...

I mainly sat and watched people fix things. But people came in and out of the shop all day long and I was proudly introduced to everyone as the mad cyclist from England!

I was even treated to a proper Turkish shave as I was starting to look like a vagrant

By the end I was running the joint. "Pack of tungsten tip screws? That'll be 10lira mate"

When not running the hardwear shop I tried my hand as a tobacconist

And taking the kids for a ride

And then after 3 days the rain stopped and the sun shone. It was time to leave :(

But not before getting a convoy out of town to the main road. It wasn't easy to race a truck after 3 days of eating and not moving.

What an amazing family. They looked after me and were truly amazing. I felt very touched by their kindness and warmth toward me.

Back on the road again

But back on my own again, it was business as usual. I pedalled all day along the main road east from Izmit. It was pretty flat as the sun began to set.

And then it got hilly

Within 5km I had climbed over a km and the temperature dropped sharply. I had to put on all the clothes in my bag. I eventually found a camp spot in a town called Bolu and my night was a cold one.

Outside my tent in the morning. My drinks bottles were frozen solid until lunchtime

It was chilly but very crisp. I put my tent up in the dark on the only bit of decent grass around. I found out in the morning it was in fact a graveyard.

Out of town with Snow-capped peaks to my left and right

The road continued upwards to around 1,300m. My first bit of dangerous road-kill - a mountain cat

Beautiful lakes on top of the plateau

From the town of Gerede I headed south towards Ankara.

The road was pretty wild but the backdrop was stunning. Only me and the truckers for 150km.

This was a great stretch of road and I was awe-struck with the savage beauty around me. For nearly 2 days I was a cowboy, out on the range.

Ankara

The big city

And so I arrived in Ankara. I was kindly put up by a friend I met in a hostel named Miguel (to my right). For one week I got to know the city and his friends. He was a teacher and so were most of his friends. I even found time for a hair cut