arctic-cycler.com

The rain and thunder howled around our tents at night, but left in the day as we cycled along our own private freeway – almost car-free – towards Istanbul. Its great to see my friends in Istanbul and have a lovely evening in front of the fireplace.

The roads were still wet, and the clouds looming, as we cycled off into the day. A crack opened in the clouds, which finally opened out into blue sky.

The freeway is nearly finished. It is meant to link Europe with Asia across an, as-yet, unbuilt bridge across the Bosphorus. It seems to be Turkey’s best kept secret. There were minutes on end without a single car in sight, and we did loops and stunts on our own private freeway. In the end we needed to leave the freeway due to the traffic, and onto a muddy road with lots of factories and aggressive dogs.

And then, after 5147km, I was standing on the shores of the Bosphorus – the border between Europe and Asia. It was grim, and wet, but, I still had to jump for joy – what an amazing and fun trip it has been. And why not even let my stomach hang out for the shot?

Thanks Diederik and Wendelin for your great hospitality, and letting me store my bike here over the winter! I really appreciate it!!