Kucukkuyu to Troy. 75kms.

The problem with eating too late is that it’s hard to get to sleep with all that food in your stomach.  Last night was no exception, but I did manage to get about 8 hours sleep.  It was nice to lay in bed and hear the Mediterranean lapping on the beach outside your room. 

 

We woke for 8.30am breakfast which consisted of olives, cheese, tomato, bread and a Turkish omelette. I didn’t eat the omelette as I try and keep to a strict diet when it comes to eggs and dairy products.  After a couple of cups of tea it was time to put the bags on the bike and start riding.   

We had some serious climbing today and it was going to be a tough day on the road when you throw in the headwind as well.

 The photo above is Menet and his father outside the family hotel. A great place to stay.

 The above photo was taken outside the supermarket. When we need to do some shopping, one person has to stay outside and guard the bikes.

 I took the above photo last night whilst sitting on the balcony.

We departed the Sekon Hotel shortly after 9am and headed west for 10kms and then started the climb.  It doesn’t matter how many mountains we climb on this tour as I thoroughly enjoy a bit of hard work on the bike.  The road had no shoulder to ride on and we were being passed by trucks and buses the whole time. The weather was kind to us, although it was down to about 15 degrees with the sun shining.  When we rode through shaded sections that's when we noticed how cold it really was.

As we climbed the mountain with Len leading, and Peter and I bringing up the rear, I would glance around to watch the Mediterranean slowly disappearing behind us.  We finally reached the summit around 10.30am and took a break for our traditional morning tea.  I think we were ripped off by the price of tea at this dump, but it was too late to argue the point.  We should have asked before we ordered.

We got back on the bikes with all our winter gear on and started the downhill run to the town of Ayvacik.  It was quick and very bumpy going down the mountain and one as to be very careful the bumps don’t throw your pannier bag off and bring you down on the road.  That would end the tour immediately.

Because we were setting a good pace, we decided to ride onto the town of Ezine for lunch.  Peter our linguist on tour told me what the word for soup was and pointed to a little cafe that looked perfect to take a break.  We all a bowl of chicken soup, with bread and bottle of water for lunch.  It was so nice.  We were out of the wind and the sun was warming us up minute by minute.  

During lunch Len worked out we had about 20kms to reach Troia Pension and camping our destination for the day.  This would give us 75kms all up and it we had to work hard for every bit of it today.

It was back on the road for what I thought would be a nice roll into Troy.  The first 10kms after lunch was pretty fast and we averaged just over 22kph.  The last 10kms was long rolling hills which were pretty tough considering the headwind was getting stronger as the afternoon went on. 

We reached the turnoff to Troy and took a back road which led us directly to the accommodation.  Once again Len’s trusty Sat nav unit did its job to perfection. When we got to the reception I went in and sorted out the rooms and quickly had a shower to warm up.  It’s going to be a freezing cold night, so we’re going to have an early dinner, so we can head back to the room to keep warm.  I’m so lucky I decided to bring all my winter cycling gear with me.

Tomorrow Peter and I are going to visit the historical site of Troy and then head off to Cannakale.  I think it should be an easy 20kms to Cannakale with rolling hills again.

Until tomorrow, safe riding.