It looked like a perfect day outside and I was eager to take off. When I attached the paniers to Wolter I noticed that I got a flat tire, grumpf. I fixed it a bit in a hurry and took off. It was sunny and not too cold and I started by a strech of downhill before entering a canyon. The road was free but around there was a lot of snow and it was a delight to watch the sun throwing these thousand diamonds all over the beautiful landscape and the icicles growing out from the rock walls.
I did not come too far before I got another flat tire, again the rear one. So I fixed it again, no hurry this time. But I managed to tear the thumbnail when taking of the tire. I sliped and a corner of the nail got caught in a spoke.However I was thorough this time in checking the tire for some foreign bodies and indeed I found a tiny bit of metal wire pearcing through the tire. Some time later Wolter was ready again and my thumb was taped.
Now the big climb started from 1200 on 2200 m.a.s.The serpentine through the narrow valleys and around the big peaks was amazing, offering a lot of views around every second corner. Half way thourgh the climb the wind joined the party and it grew stronger the higher I climbed. It blew around the snow, forming these beautiful shapes everywhere but it also managed to cover the road with snow. Then weather changed quickly as it sometimes happens in the mountains. The wind was so strong that I dodged it riding slowly uphill, basically it was doubling the effor of the climb. What worried me a bit was that I did not see ahead anymore, so it was difficult to manage my reserves. Truck drivers going in both directions were stopping. The one coming down told me to trun around since back where he came from a mess will await me.The ones coming up offered me a ride. I ignored the first, since I knew I was not too far from the pass anymore and waved the other on. The last 100m uphill were quite hard I pushed with all I had on my higest gear against the slope and the wind.
On the pass there was nothing with enjoying the view and taking pictures (I did not want to take my gloves off for it). luckily there was a house with a shed for the road-clearing-machines. I went and looked around and there was somebody waving me in. I the house there was a crew of 8 workers, all present since it was around lunch time. I got invited to share the meal with them. The soup, the koefte made of rice and meat, the fries and the salad were a real feast. After we went for tea and I was bombarded with questions and inmidst the chaos somebody also told me that not too long ago there were two other cyclist riding over the pass. These guys were a really funy bunch cracking jokes all the time.
When I took off it had started to snow. For the first part of the downhill ride a sledge would have been a much better choice than a bike. For those who know the track in Berguen... well it looked like it in a good winter, only steeper. The next part was ups and downs until the road threaded into the valley carved by the Batlama river (not sure if it is the correct name). From here until Giresun the street was really flowy, allowing for easy attainable high average speed. a delight to ride. But The snowfall was heavy and the snow got heavier as I lost altitude untill I was riding in snowrain, that felt cooler on the little uncovered bit of skin in my face than the cold wind before. It was a fight to complete these 120km even with 2000m of altitude to waiste along the way.
But I managed to go all the way from snowy mountains to the black sea, where I even saw a couple of flowers.
I found myself a really cheap hotel in Giresun where there was only one wood stove in the corridor as heating, the heaters in the rooms did not work. So I sat there for a while and my soaking wet cloath were steaming. I just managed to get something to eat before having an early nights sleep.
I did not come too far before I got another flat tire, again the rear one. So I fixed it again, no hurry this time. But I managed to tear the thumbnail when taking of the tire. I sliped and a corner of the nail got caught in a spoke.However I was thorough this time in checking the tire for some foreign bodies and indeed I found a tiny bit of metal wire pearcing through the tire. Some time later Wolter was ready again and my thumb was taped.
Now the big climb started from 1200 on 2200 m.a.s.The serpentine through the narrow valleys and around the big peaks was amazing, offering a lot of views around every second corner. Half way thourgh the climb the wind joined the party and it grew stronger the higher I climbed. It blew around the snow, forming these beautiful shapes everywhere but it also managed to cover the road with snow. Then weather changed quickly as it sometimes happens in the mountains. The wind was so strong that I dodged it riding slowly uphill, basically it was doubling the effor of the climb. What worried me a bit was that I did not see ahead anymore, so it was difficult to manage my reserves. Truck drivers going in both directions were stopping. The one coming down told me to trun around since back where he came from a mess will await me.The ones coming up offered me a ride. I ignored the first, since I knew I was not too far from the pass anymore and waved the other on. The last 100m uphill were quite hard I pushed with all I had on my higest gear against the slope and the wind.
On the pass there was nothing with enjoying the view and taking pictures (I did not want to take my gloves off for it). luckily there was a house with a shed for the road-clearing-machines. I went and looked around and there was somebody waving me in. I the house there was a crew of 8 workers, all present since it was around lunch time. I got invited to share the meal with them. The soup, the koefte made of rice and meat, the fries and the salad were a real feast. After we went for tea and I was bombarded with questions and inmidst the chaos somebody also told me that not too long ago there were two other cyclist riding over the pass. These guys were a really funy bunch cracking jokes all the time.
When I took off it had started to snow. For the first part of the downhill ride a sledge would have been a much better choice than a bike. For those who know the track in Berguen... well it looked like it in a good winter, only steeper. The next part was ups and downs until the road threaded into the valley carved by the Batlama river (not sure if it is the correct name). From here until Giresun the street was really flowy, allowing for easy attainable high average speed. a delight to ride. But The snowfall was heavy and the snow got heavier as I lost altitude untill I was riding in snowrain, that felt cooler on the little uncovered bit of skin in my face than the cold wind before. It was a fight to complete these 120km even with 2000m of altitude to waiste along the way.
But I managed to go all the way from snowy mountains to the black sea, where I even saw a couple of flowers.
I found myself a really cheap hotel in Giresun where there was only one wood stove in the corridor as heating, the heaters in the rooms did not work. So I sat there for a while and my soaking wet cloath were steaming. I just managed to get something to eat before having an early nights sleep.
