Day 1 - Istanbul to Kandira

The evocative call of the muezzin calling the faithful to prayer at 530am heralded the start of Lifecycle Challenge 2009 as we set off, in a convoy towards the Bosphorous Bridge.

It had only been an hour earlier that we had been tucking into a hearty breakfast, freshly prepared by Theresa and her team. All athletes know how important it is to eat well, even though perhaps at such an unearthly hour, food is the last thing on one's mind. Reluctantly I try to evenly distribute Nutella, the popular hazelnut based sweet spread, onto a piece of fresh bread, amazed at the Kitchen Team's ability to source fresh bread in a foreign country at that time of day. Whilst others might jump at the opportunity of having a guilt free snack all in the name of physical exercise, I am not a fan of Nutella. After making the sacrifice of eating my first piece of bread, I realise that there is peanut butter, of which never partake but these are special times. So I indulge!

Supervising the loading of my bike, prior to departure

Breakfast over luggage and bikes are placed in the truck, one last look to ensure that nothing has been left behind. Cyclists packed in the vans. The convoy sets off towards the Bosphorus bridge where a police escort would see us through the first 20kms.

Just as the weatherman had predicted, a thunder storm hit the city of Istanbul during the night, leaving the roads full of sloughs of mud and water. Thankfully, it gave us some respite when it was time to load the luggage and bikes on to the vans but the break did not last long, starting again as soon as we drove onto the highway, promising us a wet start to the challenge.

Huddled in the vans we waited for the police escort to arrive. We are all set to go and the delay is a tad annoying. Although no one says anything you can sense a hint of tension on the air. Dressed in waterproof clothing I just couldn't believe the weather. We had so much psyched ourselves up for sweltering weather that this was almost a joke. But, in reality this is just the first part of the first day. As the saying goes "It ain't over till the fat lady sings" so with eleven days to go I am sure that this start will not be a reflection of the weather we are to expect, especially in Syria.

7am and finally the police escort, on his BMW motorcycle, arrives. It is time to set off. Simon Pullicino the Maltese consul joins us using Space's bike. I must admit that I got slightly emotional as soon as Alan set us off. Cycling through the muddy puddles, we are soon covered in mud and grime. Halfway through the bridge crossing we encounter a sign, welcoming us into the Asian part of Turkey. Few people will ever be given this opportunity. I savour it as much as possible.

Reaching the 20km mark, we are stopped at the Shell petrol station. It has already been three hours since we had breakfast, and although the distance cycled was negligible we are hungry. The back up team provide us with flapjacks, bananas, nuts and water. Having the luxury of clean bathroom facilities we take the opportunity to wipe the grime off our faces.

My smile at seeing a banana would eventually fade in the subsequent days

Alan sets us off in teams starting off with Nicholas and Paul. Shortly after it is our team's turn. As agreed Robert, Simon, Tony, Ian and myself set off, having decided to attempt to cycle together as much as possible. The weather is deteriorating, our bikes are filthy and so are we. My glasses are wet through and wished I had wipers. However we pick up a pace and gradually cycle towards the first checkpoint, where the rain starts easing off giving us time to eat our jacket potatoes and drink Powerade without having to find shelter.

Surprisingly, the heavy downpour did not have an effect on the temperature, which remains relatively warm making me remove my rain jacket and give it to Carolyn to keep in their van. The less stuff I carry on me the better and the skies seem to be opening up. The last thing I want to do is get hot and end up dehydrating myself. The joy is short lived as soon as we get towards Yenikoy it starts to rain heavily again. luckily we meet Carolyn's van where I had left my jacket. Stopping for shelter in a bar, where Robert, Tony and I kit ourselves again in our rain gear, the owner promptly gives me napkins to wipe my sunglasses. We did not even stop to buy anything, actually we just made a mess of his clean floor. Turkish hospitality is proving to be excellent.

The scenery is amazing. Reminding me of the Gorges du Verdon in France with lush landscapes, tall trees and narrow winding roads. The incline is a bit steep but we soon find a nice downhill which few of us resist to slow down on.

As Nicholas, Robert and myself start going downhill Paul whizzes by with no intention of slowing down. Unfortunately when we catch up with him we find him sitting at the edge of the road, without his helmet, his bike a few metres down in a field and his water bottles scattered around him. I promptly stop to see what happened. He has flown off his bike hitting his head. As he is not feeling too well, I promptly make use of the ten code guide that Alan has instructed us to use. Since Paul is feeling a bit queasy we decide not to leave him alone and wait for the doctor. Shortly after Edward and Space arrive in their vehicles and instruct us to continue cycling. knowing he is in good hands we proceed.

Joy! we soon we start seeing signs leading us to Kandira meaning that soon will be arriving at our accomodation for the night and Day 1 will be over.

Our elation is soon subdued as soon as we are faced with a steep 10% incline which seems to be endless. Looking at my route card, I begin to worry that we might have taking a wrong turning, since the card said "Uphill 4% for 4 K". Physically it doesn't get to me as much as it gets to me psychologically. My psyche prefers seeing a 15% incline written on my route card, preparing me for the worst only to find that its a lower incline than vice versa. When I see a fluorescent sign saying Lifecycle Route I am relieved to know that I am on the right road.

At least the clouds seem to have dispersed and as we approach Kandira the weather is quite warm. We are all disgustingly dirty, faces, arms and legs all dotted with grime picked up from the roads during the morning's downpour. At 121kms we find Alan and Tim waiting to clock us in. Although we have cycled at a good steady pace we have not made the required time. Seeing my face of concern Alan assures us that, unless something major happens, we would be able to make up for it in the coming days.

Our accommodation, a kilometre away, is a University residence. Bed with ensuite bathrooms, Western style, no holes in the ground are pure luxury. Taking a shower to wash off the grime was quite a task as was the washing of our muddy clothes. As I hang up my clothes to dry in the basketball court, the cooks are preparing a hearty dinner of salads and pasta. Sitting down to eat my dinner, I realise how hungry I am even though, throughout the day I have stuffed myself with flapjacks, bananas, jacket potatoes and bread with Nutella.

Nighttime still seems slightly far off, so ten of us venture on a trip to a neighbouring store giving ourselves us a pre-bedtime treat of an ice cream. Having barely digested the ice cream we head back to the university where most of us crash into the comfortable beds.

Day 1 is over. The first 121 kilometres have been covered.

Tomorrow is another day!

Photos courtesy of Ray Pace