Bike-Ride To Australia 24th-November 2011 Seymen to Istanbul 61 miles. What a hard ride today. There’s been a strong side wind, which isn’t too bad. That is until a lorry comes past! The backdraft from a large vehicle is bad enough at the best of times. But when there’s a side wind, it’s twice as bad! Generally, with a side wind, you’re leaning into it slightly. But as a lorry or large vehicle comes past, the wind stops! And you have to quickly catch your balance or fall into the wheels of the truck! It’s also been a wet ride, which I can’t really complain about. I think it’s the first rain I’ve had since I was in Germany!
Not Far Now
The rain had stopped, but it was still windy when I had about 20 miles to go to my finish in Istanbul. (I’ve got a pre-booked hotel tonight, and this is a good example of why I don’t pre-book!) But there were road works everywhere, and the traffic was hell! I want to say I was on a six-lane highway, but it was only two lanes. The traffic decided it was six lanes! There were vehicles everywhere! None of them, taking a blind bit of notice of the designated lanes! Not only was it busy with traffic, but there were potholes everywhere! Road signs had seemingly been taken down and were hanging on the Armco, sticking out onto the road! Giving me a choice, get knocked off by the signs or swerve and get hit by some vehicle! While this was all going on, the road kept dividing, leaving me in the middle of all this chaos! And as for those little Dolmus buses, they just cut you up! I think there’s some sort of competition between them, to see who could cut me up the most! My senses were in overdrive!
What A Ride
I thought I’d cycled in some heavy traffic before! Marrakesh on a Friday evening or the Arc de Triumph in Paris! But nothing came close to today’s experience! It’s completely worn me out! Luckily I’ve got a few days off now. Julie is flying out to see me, which I’m really looking forward to, it’ll be nice to see her again. I didn’t take any pictures today. I was too busy trying to stay alive!
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