Myles Away

The Bull is In the Bag

Myles — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 17:31:24 +0000

2579.7 miles in 51 days cycling and I have finally achieved my goal of cycling from London to Istanbul.

The only land mark of Istanbul I knew of before arriving is the Blue Mosque so this is where I headed to complete my goal. In honesty, actually arriving was a an anti climax since the suburbs of Istanbul are 220km from East to West and it has taken me 2 days to reach the center. I cycled the last 10 km getting mixed responses at my cries of “Am I in Istanbul yet?”

From the Blue Mosque I pushed my bike down through the Bazar in a light drizzle of rain and found the Orient hostel where people were sitting around smoking hookahs and drinking Cay. I felt a little bit lost as I strolled through the crowd knowing I wouldn’t be climbing aboard my bike for another days long cycling adventure. Part of me was also relieved that my sore backside could recover.

I sat down and bought myself a large Efes beer and downed it before I attended to the very pressing task of washing my kit since I had put it off for the past 10 days.

I am as confused about writing a blog as when I started 8 weeks ago. There are a few loose ends to tidy up, earlier entries to add and pictures to update but this is pretty much it so thank you for reading and thank your supportive emails.

The End……….

Data Junkie

Myles — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 12:24:59 +0000

My trip has flown by. The whole experience of the last 3 months being a little surreal. The Data Junkie in me gets excited by bits of data and information.

This is a collection of some of the more interesting bits.

Final Statistics & Some Subjective Assessments:

Cycling

Total Number of Days Cycling: 51

Average Miles Per Day: 50.6

Biggest Mileage Day: 99.6 Miles

Fastest Recorded Speed: 37.6 mph

Estimated Average Speed: 11 mph

Steepest Gradient: 16%

Body

Number of Calories Burned: 120931 (REI Calculator)

Injuries: Left little finger numbness due to suspected nerve pressure. Left Shin Pain from SPD not giving enough movement. Numb Feet Regularly

Illness: Head Cold for 1st 2 days of trip. Diarrhoea 2 days in Bulgaria

Weight Before Trip: 87.6 Kgs

Weight After Trip 87.2Kgs

Crime: 1 pair of SPD Shoes stolen in Berlin

Bike:

Flat Tyres: 0

Maintenance: Rear Hub fixed due to build up of dirt in Czech Republic. Cost 5 Euro

Additions: Bull Bar Extensions Bought in Czech Republic for increased hand positions Cost 12 Euro

Equipment:

Best Items: MSR Pocket Rocket, Samsung N110 Laptop, Altura Cycling Rain Jacket, Ortileb Bags and Panniers, Zip Ties, Bike Computer

Worst Items: Northface Single man Ultralight tent, 3/4 length therma rest,

Items Not Required: Carrying too much medicine

Countries

Countries: UK, Netherlands, Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Turkey = 11

Cheapest Perceived Places: Serbia, Bulgaria, Hungary

Most Expensive Perceived Places: Netherlands

Poorest Perceived Place: Serbia

Worst Dogs: Serbia

Worst Drivers: Croatia

Best Cycle Networks: Netherlands & Germany

Motorised Transport

Ferry from Harwich to Hoek of Holland

Ferry Across the Danube: 2 times

Car Excursion to the Rila Monastery Bulgaria

Food

Favourite on the road Chocolate Bar: Bounty

Favourite on the road Drink. Ice Tea (Peach or Mango flavour)

Favourite Country for Food: Hungary

Favourite Dish: Erdirne Liver & close second to Hungarian Goulash

Blog

Visits: 3700

Average Per Day: 56

Posts: 63

Pages: 13

Other Words Outside Blog Written: 65,877

Money

Pre Trip Expenditure: £1,230

Approximate Average Daily Expenditure: 20 Euro (excludes Pre-Trip and what happens from Istanbul)

Detailed Daily Stats and Places:

Day	Distance (Miles)	Total Miles	Place
1	99.6	99.6	England London – Harwich
2	31.41	131.2	Hoek Holland – Near Dam
3	0	131.2	Stuck in Big Storm
4	31.41	162	To Amsterdam
5	0	0	Amsterdam
6	0	0	Amsterdam
7	25.21	187.21	North of Amsterdam
8	67.10	254.31	Across the Asfluitdijk
9	51.36	305.67	To Strobos
10	62.64	368.31	To German Border
11	70.56	438.87	To Varel
12	90.10	528.97	To Jork
13	13.7	542.67	To Hamburg – to Berlin
14	0	0	Berlin – X Berger Hostal
15	0	0	Berlin – Christians Flat
16	0	0	Berlin – Christians Flat
17	0	0	Berlin – Christians Flat
18	0	0	Berlin – Christians Flat
19	0	0	Berlin – Hamburg
20	0	0	Hamburg – Leons Flat
21	0	0	Hamburg – Leons Flat
22	0	0	Hamburg – Leons Flat
23	0	0	Hamburg – Leons Flat
24	0	0	Hamburg – Leons Flat
25	0	0	Hamburg – Leons Flat
26	32.76	575.43	To Outside Hamburg
27	50.26	625.69	To Dannhburg
28	44.95	670.64	On Elbe
29	77.00	747.90	To Rathnow
30	50.8	798.70	To Berlin – Sleep Cheap
1	0	0	Berlin
2	0	0	Berlin
3	0	0	Berlin
4	0	0	Berlin
5	0	0	Berlin
6	29.7	828.5	Berlin
7	82.7	911.20	To Outside Berlin
8	29.50	931.10	To Outside Dresden
9	75.51	1006.61	To Longiden Czech Rep
10	47.17	1053	To Prague
11	0	0	Prague
12	0	0	Prague
13	0	0	Prague
14	Yes	n/a	To Football Club
15	Yes	n/a	To Tabor
16	0	0	Tabor
17	0	0	Tabor
18	0	0	Tabor
19	Yes	1155.7	To Jindrichuv Hradrec
20	45	1200	To Austria Waidenhoffen
21	99.4	1299.4	To Vienna
22	0	0	Hostel Rafestine
23	0	0	Hostel Rafestine
24	0	0	Hostel Rafestine
25	42.7	1342.1	To Bratislava
26	0	1342.1	Patio Hostel Bratislava
27	60.5	1402.6	To Goya Hungary
28	38	1440	To Komaron
29	39	1479.6	To Eztergom
30	34.80	1514.4	To Szentendre
31	18.3	1532.6	To Budapest
1	0	0	Budapest
2	0	0	Budapest
3	0	0	Budapest
4	0	0	Budapest
5	0	0	Budapest
6	0	0	Budapest
7	55	1587	Budapest to Dunavece
8	57.46	1645.4	To Baja
9	65.54	1711	Baja to Osijek (Croatia)
10	30.40	1741.4	Osijek toVukovar
11	0	0	Vukovar
12	66,9	1808,3	Vukovar to Novi Sad
13	0	1808,3	Novi Sad
14	54.9	1863,2	Novi Sad to Belgrage
15	0	0	Belgrade
16	0	0	Belgrade
17	30.5	1893.2	Belegrade to Smederevo
18	67.64	1961	Smederevo To Paracin
19	Yes	0	Paracin to Nis
20	Yes	0	Nis to Pirot
21	Yes	2169.3	Pirot to Sofia
22	0	0	Sofia
23	0	0	Sofia
24	53	2222.3	Sofia to Kostenec
25	52	2274.3	Kostenec to Plovdiv
26	47	2321	Plovdiv to Near Haskovo
27	45	2366.3	To Near Harmanil
28	35	2401.3	Bulgaria to Erdirne
29	0	0	Erdirne
30	49.09	2450.4	Erirne to Lulebegaz
1	37.84	2488.24	Lulebegaz to Teipdig
2	55.26	2543.5	Teipdig to Just Outside Bull
3	36.08	2579.5	Istanbul

The Final Furlong

Myles — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 04:59:23 +0000

I turned my nose up when some one suggested it might take me 3 days just to negotiate the sprawling suburbs of Istanbul.

I think I have finally found a good reason to have cycled to Istanbul with a set of mountain bike tyres. I knew like everything else on my bike that they would have a purpose and trying to negotiate the traffic and crazy roads from 30 miles out of Istanbul has meant some serious off-roading.

Sometimes my stubbornness can get in the way and there is no way I am coming all this way to get a bus or a boat into the city centre. I will climb fences, I will ride through ditches, I will ride through dog infested dumps of rubbish and I will run face to face with the ugliest dirty polluting vehicles that man has to offer.

I do not recommend this.

Wakey Wakey

Myles — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 04:30:05 +0000

It is 6.11am and rather than being woken by a “cock a doodle do000″ of a countryside cockerel, I have been woken by a guy screaming undistinguishable words into a microphone. Call me culturally insensitive but I am a very light sleeper at the best of times.

I am praying he will shut up soon.

Update: 6.27am

I have been unduly unfair. The plug was pulled a few minutes after he started and my morning grouch has subsided. At least it was not Chris Moyles.

Did that Really Happen?

Myles — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 11:50:23 +0000

When I was younger I went to Alton Towers with my family. I was old enough to ride the famous Corkscrew solo and I did just that sitting in the very front left hand seat. As the ride jerked and struggled its way up the first mechanical slope I realised that the locking mechanism had broken on my harness and the black rubber would not hold me in springing into an upright position. Calmly I thought about the problem and realised that I could not call out and would need to wedge myself in as best as possible and see the ride out to the end. In my mind my only fear being the double loop and trying to hold myself in and not being flung across the park.

Clearly I survived the ordeal and as I stepped off the ride mentioned in a nonchalant manner to the ride controller that the seat was broken and went off to meet my family. This experience is one of my most vivid memories as a child and I have told the story countless times.

There is one very slight problem though. I do not know if this really happened or if I just dreamt it. I have gone through the events countless times in detail but it sits in a surreal void since I was on my own and there is no shared aspect. Perhaps if this was driving me to insanity I would consider doing some investigation but I don’t think it is. I will leave it in the obscure space that it occupies, and I will use it as a reminder of the importance of a shared experience.

In an ideal world I would like to share many more of my experiences. Some are purposely solo endeavours but the most are the type that you would like to talk about and share with somebody since it is often the communication that gives them meaning and hearing the account of another that gives it dimensions. The ones that only exist in my mind have a surreal coating to them and as time progresses I find myself questioning “Did that really happen?”

As achieving my goal comes to and end and the earlier stages of my trip fade into distant memory, I can be confident that my cycle across the European continent did happen thanks to this entry from Ken.

http://www.acrosscontinents.org/index.php/2009/12/shared-experiences/

I Can Make You Famous

Myles — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 19:59:06 +0000

In an age where the monstrosity of pointless celebrities take over our airwaves and headlines; Big Brother, X-Factor and Paris Hilton’s My New Best Friend Forever are just not going to be enough to satisfy the needs of a fame craving population.

I have a solution that may take the pressure off the more traditional methods.

In just 3 months I have become a local celebrity phenomenon from Hungary through half a continent into Turkey.

Do you want the adoration of screaming kids on bicycles and constant beeping of car and lorry horns?
Do you want to command free cups of tea and gifts of chocolate from passers-by?
Do you want to be the center of attention with inquisitive questions and smiles?
Do you want to be hot property with offers of a private nature and invitations to meet the most highly esteemed local officials?

If the answer to these questions is ‘Yes’ then just follow my secret fame producing instructions:

Get a bike
Dress up in some colourful gear
Cycle to the places where people don’t care about rubbish TV and Paris Hilton
Learn the words for “Hello” “Please” and “Thank you” in your chosen place
Practise riding with one hand whilst waving
Keep smiling

Turkish Cuisine

Myles — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 18:40:23 +0000

“Do not dismiss the dish saying that it is just food. The blessed thing is an entire civilization in itself” Abdulhak Sinasi

I was perplexed when the only English in today’s evening meal menu was the above statement. Either they ran out of money for translations or they have employed a very shoddy Marketing Manager.

The Turkish cuisine and endless Turkish Tea or Cay continues to impress. Once again my perceptions have been challenged. I was sure that Turkey was famous for its Coffee not its Tea.

Mr Liver Lover

Myles — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 17:09:51 +0000

Cycling consumes vast calories apparently. Based on my body weight and lightning pace I should be burning about 800 calories per hour. This gives me a very good excuse for managing to eat the sort of 40 square Milka chocolate bar that is designed to be consumed as a treat over a few weeks.It is not surprising that my six-pack is still hiding.

Junk food aside, travel by bicycle is a great way to engage in culinary pursuits as I am usually ravenous and salivating as I enter the eating establishments.

My award for best food on this European cycle tour goes to Edirne in Turkey. (I still have about 125km to reach Istanbul but I am confident it will not be surpassed)

I am like a starving zombie working my way through the misty atmospheric streets of Edirne in the early twilight hunting down a source of sustenance. Ahead I see my Mecca and focused head straight through the door to the nearest waiter and grunt “Menu please”. Mr Liver Lover then says in perfect English” You know that this is a liver restaurant and we only serve one dish” I snappily respond with “Well bring me the biggest dish of liver that you have”

Almost immediately Mr Liver Lover proudly presents me with a plate of whole bits of liver that has been fried in a huge cauldron of vegetable oil, a basket of bread, hot dried chillies, onions and tomatoes.

In 36 hours in Edirne I ate nothing but Liver from Mr Liver Lover. Forget McDonald’s this is a Franchise that the word needs to know about.

Not My Ideal Job

Myles — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 17:11:36 +0000

It is a full time job keeping the Mosque carpet clean.

The Bird Man

Myles — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 14:02:23 +0000

Turks are well-known for their unscrupulous sales pitches. The trick is to always enter these situations with a position that will not budge under any circumstance, manipulation, bribe or guilt trick.

I told this nice man that I was not going to buy his bird seed but some people do not listen. He started to throw his bird seed product in front of my eyes so I could get some nice photos of some sky rats. I told him again when he tried to put the bird seed in my hand I am not buying. He threw some more bird seed on the ground at my feet. At half way through the cup I repeated that I am not buying the bird seed whether it is on the floor or in the cup. I knew exactly where this situation was going and the man exploded with anger once he had thrown away a full cup and I kept walking with my wallet firmly shut.

The Birdman’s final attempt to extract money was to claim that fact that I was continuing to take photos meant he deserved payment. Of course I did get some value from The Birdman if pictures of sky rats could be described as valuable.