I had been warned about cycling in Istanbul and the small bit I had done was pretty terrifying. But going south out of Istanbul was meant to be easy and it was for the first hour. You follow the coast after a short ferry trip (a ferry a day keeps the bike mechanic at bay) to the Asian side. However, then you come up to a main road and even though you try to come off it, there will be a bit of time spent on it. Lorries, cars, vans and tractors all frequent the road making it a hair-raising experience and not one I want to repeat any time soon!
But to avoid the worse I took a second ferry from Eskihisar to Topçular. I then start to get off the main roads on to small roads through the hills, heading towards Iznik. There are three cyclists heading in the opposite direction. I stop and they offer me coffee. We climb on to some rocks and look out over the valley. Chatting through Google Translate I work out they are on their way home to Istanbul after a day trip. We discuss each other’s plans and follow each other on Instagram. They also ask for a separate picture with my bike and I. A couple wanted to give it a ride, I let them. But they found it difficult with the extra weight; it takes some getting use to.
