It Never Rains in Turkey

It’s a dangerous thing to think you’re almost done with an epic journey such as the Silk Route when you still have more than 1000km to go but it is hard not to think the end is in sight.

After crossing our last border we are making our way west to our final destination of Istanbul in what has been perfect riding weather so far. After all the hardships we have been through on this tour so far we can’t help but think that Turkey is going to treat us to perfect conditions until we ride into Istanbul. Who cares about climbing when you are surrounded by beautifully serene landscapes, accompanied by a slight tailwind, in cool, cloudy weather (with no rain mind you) and the prospect of staying in another beautiful campsite tonight?

We can only hope that this will indeed be the case, but if it isn’t we will prevail. Come rain or shine, uphill or downhill, headwind or tailwind, we will complete our trans-continental trek in two weeks and we will hold our bikes triumphantly in the air.

I hope Istanbul knows what’s about to it.

— Catharina Robbertze