I had a lazy start to the morning as I made the most of dead silence. No cars, no birds and even better, no dogs! I also had YouTube and caught up on some footy highlights for the first couple of hours. After this I had a short walk to pick up some fresh bread and had a nice breakfast of dairylea sandwiches again. I go through phases with food because if it ain't broke then don't fix it, and dairylea sandwiches were working!
I will eventually rue my late start but at 10am I was blissfully unaware that today and tomorrow would turn into a 2-part marathon mission to get to my hostel in time. I knew I had 220km to Antalya and after last nights booking antics, I had given myself two days to do this. This is not a problem as I've been cycling 100km almost everyday so an extra 10 is no biggy.
75 miles each day I thought, lovely coastal route, the sun was already starting to beat down, yeah today should be a belter! The first 5 miles or so were beautiful, I would even say that the south coast of Turkey rivals Croatia for its coastline beauty as well.
I took a few pictures of some lovely beaches and resorts and wished a little that i had longer to enjoy them a bit more. Unfortunately i didn't, as it was dawning on me fast that i was in a race against time to actually get to Antalya.
This worry began just before lunch. The road started getting a bit more up and down and when I stopped in Kas at a very plush (members only and people that just walk past the security guard) harbour, I got talking to a man from Brighton who had a yacht there. Graham told me that there was a lot of mountain climbs between Kas and Antalya and his exact words were, "you won't get there in two days"
Sorry what? I did introduce myself correctly didn't I Graham? I said my name was Chris right? I won't do it in 2 days? I've just cycled a distance further than cycling from Lands End to John O'Groats 4 times in less than 8 weeks to hear Graham from Brighton say that I won't get to Antalya in two days.
Right well for a start, "won't" doesn't feature in my vocabulary unless its followed by a solution like, "you won't fit, so I'm going to hit you with a hammer" and if I have to ride into the night for two days to say goodbye to Europe/Asia then that's what I'll do!
This being said, even though 75 miles a day doesn't seem that much, there were some major factors that made 75 a day a very tough task. The first one naturally, was the road. It didn't consist of nutcase drivers like Croatia but it did turn into a ride from hell as the loose stones appeared again and continued for 50miles!!!! Next, the terrain. As Graham had warned, the beautiful calm rolling coastal roads turned inland after a couple of hours and the next thing I knew, I was back in the mountains! Between 1pm and 5pm I did not experience a flat road. Up and down constantly turned my easy 75 miles into an effort that would've been expected in the Alps. Combine both these factors with the heat that got so intense I was found gasping on more than one occasion and now I've found myself in a 2 day mission.
I call it a 2 day mission because its really important I have the whole of Friday to find a box for Nigel and prepare myself for the morning flight on Saturday etc. I could take a little longer and get to Antalya Friday morning but not only would that mean missing out on a day In the hostel that I have already booked but also a bit of a mad rush on Friday that I don't want.
So as I struggled through the mountains, time was getting on and it looked as though, if I was going to ride 75 miles each day then I would end up finishing at around 7:30pm at the very earliest and then I would have to get up earlier tomorrow to finish it off.
My initial aim was to camp in a place called Olympos, another Jorge recommendation. Graham said that this was just past Finike and even then after Finike there were still some major climbs. My aim changed to get to Finike, or just get to 75 miles, which ever came first. A major plus was that my body and legs were feeling great. I've become a lot stronger and the legs were holding up really well, I just needed Nigel to keep fighting through the vibrations and my brain to stay concentrating on trying to find the smoothest line possible and not turn on a stone.
Previously on well tarmacked roads I would desperately try to avoid the odd stone and would wince and hate the sound when I would hit one and ping it across the road. Today, that sound was constant, it was horrible thinking that any moment something could go wrong. I felt like I was cycling a time bomb for most of the day but Nigel and his wheels really did come up trumps in the end.
Amazingly the road found the coast again and my mission seemed to be back within my grasp. A descent lasting 13km was welcomed almost as much as the flat 20miles that followed. I even had about 10 minutes of smooth black stuff that on first sight I let out a noise of love and adoration that I don't think any man has done over a piece of road!
Filled with Adrenaline at the sight of the coast, I powered to Finike despite the loose stones becoming more of a danger as the road meandered constantly. I got to 75 miles almost an hour before I had initially expected and found a spot to camp literally in a bush/underneath a small tree just off the beach. Absolutely exhausted, a big meal and lots of water were on the cards to ensure I feel ok tomorrow.
Part one complete. It was a massive struggle but tomorrow will be an early start and I will be prepared for more stones and climbs!
I don't do these things to prove people wrong, I do things like this ride to show what can be done. This ends up in proving certain people wrong because there is always that negative attitude wherever you look in life. Graham's words certainly helped me to show that it could be done a little quicker in the end! Shame I didn't get to Olympos but the most important thing for me is getting to Antalya now.
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