Distance: 52km Elevation: 556m The morning started with the usual routine. Pack Rosinante. Sort the luggage. Carry everything up the stairs, assemble it, and head to the terrace for a quick breakfast. Once everything was in order, I said goodbye to the hotel host, who had been genuinely friendly throughout, and made my way to … Continue reading Day 2: Istanbul to Gölbasi Gölu →

Istanbul gifted me one last unplanned day, and it turned out to be anything but ordinary. With Rosinante not due to arrive until seven in the evening, I had the whole morning to myself. First order of business: chores. Turkey is currently deep in Kurban Bayramı — the Feast of Sacrifice, known to the wider … Continue reading Day 1: Bayram, fellow cyclist, and Rosinante making an entrance →

At 5:30 in the morning, my wife Carolin drove me to the airport. We shared our goodbye kiss — the kind that always lasts a little longer when you know you won’t see each other again for six weeks. We had only just spent 48 hours together at home after my last return from Uganda, … Continue reading Day 0: Arrival in Istanbul →

Bags packed. Bike boxed. Alarm set for an ungodly hour. Tomorrow morning at 05:30 CEST, Carolin will drive me ot Frankfurt Airport and the next chapter begins. By noon I'll be landing in Istanbul — one of the great cities of the world, straddling two continents and a thousand years of history. But first things … Continue reading Day -1: Getting Ready →

Two days before wheels hit Istanbul tarmac. One Ebola outbreak in the rearview mirror. One cooperative in Kamuli launched. One very impatient bike in the garage. Some trips go to plan. This one didn't — and I wouldn't have it any other way. When the Ebola alert came through while I was in Kamuli, Uganda, … Continue reading Day -2: Back from Uganda →