Cycling UK Forum

Cass Gilbert is on the road again - www.whileoutriding.com

Glad you're enjoying the blog Dale

Hope it lives up to your expectations

Stuck in Trabzon waiting for the Iranian consulate to open on Monday so stay tuned for another update soon...

Thanks for the info on this, just thought I'd follow it up.

The coastline from Bartin to Sinop was absolutely stunning, a real highlight of the trip so far. For anyone doing this route I'd recommend the mountain road which runs from south of Ayancik towards Erfelek, it's high (700m) but fantastically quiet and remote.

For those interested I've put some images up on the blog - http://www.cycling-east.com/

Alex

Thanks for the advice Shane, I'll keep that in mind.

I'll be doing some gear reviews on some of the more obscure bits I'm taking along with me.

Haha cheers guys, been planning it for about 1.5 years. Left the job on Thursday and have to say that it feels bloody weird, I just hope the fear I'm feeling is a sign of good times to come!

I'm about to head off on a little bicycle excursion across Asia. I'll be Starting in Istanbul then heading over to Iran and into the central stans and the Pamir highway and who knows from there.

These forums have been invaluable in getting myself together so, in return, I just thought I'd plug my blog in case anyone's thinking of a similar trip, in the area or just interested in following.

I leave on Monday.

http://www.cycling-east.com/

A Surly LHT which, all being well, will be carrying me across Asia for the next year or so come March.

If it's of any use this is my setup for riding across Asia for the foreseeable future - http://www.cycling-east.com/blog/the-an ... ring-bike/

Includes clothing and camping gear down to -5C, 8l water capacity, laptop, dslr and three lenses, liquid fuel stove and there's still oodles of space for food.

It's somewhat inspired by Cass Gilbert's lightweight antics - http://www.whileoutriding.com/bike-talk ... -pack-list - but not nearly as cut-throat.

Should be ok before 4pm.

http://www.southeasternrailway.co.uk/yo ... le-policy/

I'm with pq, the ride to Dover is uninspiring and you may well consider it a complete waste of your valuable time off. But if your budget won't stretch to Eurostar then I'd really recommend that you get a train out beyond the M25 before getting on the bike - to Royal Tunbridge Wells or somewhere. The ride from KingsX to CharingX will take you past many of the sights if you're interested in seeing them.

I rode from London to Dover last year because I was on a budget and it was crap, I spent the whole time wanting to be in France.

My ramblings from last summer are here - http://www.cycling-east.com/blog/traini ... th-france/ - the Ardennes and central Brittany were highlights for me.

Ha! Thanks, I'll bear that in mind. It's going to be a brutal start to the trip

I had a feeling that might be the case. Thanks nonetheless, I'll be sure to ride that stretch.

There's a rumour around somewhere that riding this stretch of coastline includes more climbing than crossing the Himalayas on the KKH!

Can anyone recommend me a good map series for Turkey. I'm riding the Black Sea Coast in March and want to get off the coastal road to explore the hills. I'll be using Oruxmaps to download Google maps onto my HTC for use off-line but don't like relying on just that and a 1:800,000 national map.

Any tips on good, quiet roads and nice towns appreciated too. Big climbs welcomed.

Thanks

Had a similar predicament a while ago and had exactly the same setup as Swallows' for a bit but it gradually rotated without me realising and the light smashed up in the spokes. I now just use a Petzl headtorch - I'm rarely caught out in the dark and if I am I'm not out for long. I imagine you'll be carrying a headtorch anyway for camp so why double up on light and batteries etc.

Starting in Instanbul in March and cycling east across Asia to New Zealand all the while working on my photography and seeking out big mountains and remote roads to ride. It's my first long distance tour and I'm feeling a little overwhelmed at the moment!

http://www.cycling-east.com/