This week, we hear from another one of our dear cyclists, Simon Lam (aka legs of steel). He tells us about what led him to sign up for the Turkey cycle challenge: starting with his trip to Palestine earlier this year.
‘If you head to the West Bank, you will see the massive Wall which is supposed to improve security…’
My journey did not start from Istanbul, it started with this conversation back in 2011. Continue Reading…
It finished with 40 people riding into Istanbul amid Bayram (Eid) traffic, chants, beeping horns and shouts of support. 33 of us had just tackled 300 kilometres of mountainous Turkish terrain, starting in Bandirma on the Marmaris sea, onto Çanakkale, Tekirdag, and finishing in Istanbul. This was by far the toughest of all four Cycling4Gaza challenges. Despite our tour guide John’s best attempts to make us believe that we would be cycling on relatively flat roads for the most part, we soon discovered that his definition of flat was any kind of hill that wasn’t a full-fledged mountain. We tackled hill after hill after hill, reaching an elevation of over 1,230 meters on the first day, gasping for breath at the top of some of the most beautiful landscapes we had seen.
Perhaps the most memorable night was the first one. Continue Reading…
An extremely challenging two days so far. Hilly terrain, rough roads, and a strong midday sun mean we are more tired, scratched and bruised than perhaps any other cycle before. We have been consoled by some breathtaking views, the spirit of teammates spurring everyone along, but above all by reminding us of why we’re doing this. We came as separate individuals with very different reasons for being here but in such a short space of time we’ve been so inspired by each other that we’ve quickly become friends.
More from us later today as we finish the remaining 110km ino Istanbul.
We are writing to you from Istanbul, on the eve of our fourth cycling challenge since the founding of Cycling4Gaza in 2009. That year what spurred us on to create the initiative was the military offensive that devastated the Gaza Strip and left the region in a humanitarian crisis. What spurs us on today is a reality that has existed for Palestinians in Gaza since before the war. The Gaza Strip stands at its fifth year under an Israeli blockade deemed illegal by the UN. Continue Reading…
