Paris to Istanbul: Random Post Script Reflections and Ramblings

Warning: This post is probably a bit dry compared to previous posts so if you are new to the blog don’t start here – scroll down and start at the first post. The purpose of writing the blog was two-fold: During the ride the audience for the blog was interested others i.e. to have a taste of the experience as it unfolded. However, the purpose of the blog for myself is more after the event i.e. to have a (subjective) record of the experience. This particular post is more in line with the second purpose – catering to my desire to note down a few reflections / thoughts.

As previously mentioned – though long forgotten by most if not all – I have been intending to write up a bit of a wrap about the Paris to Istanbul ride however for various reasons – including slackness – it has taken until now to get around to doing so. At the time of writing (November 2015) I have been back at work for (one  two three four weeks and it is 10 11 12 13 weeks since the end of the ride. Writing this missive was/is last of the items on my (frequently revised) list of Things to Do during my six months leave 🙂

After the end of the ride: I spent five days in Istanbul; then it was the long haul back to Canberra but just for a stopover of less than 48 hours before heading off to Bali (Indonesia) for a relaxing week with my parents, elder sibling (Robyn) and her partner Mick and their long time friends Michelle and Andrew; a couple of days in Darwin to allow time to connect with younger sister (Meghan) and family; before heading off to Galiwinku (Elcho Island) an Aboriginal Community in N.E Arnhem land where I lived and worked (1978-82) to spend time out bush with “family” there.

Then a few days back in Canberra to regroup before heading over Brisbane enroute to Solomon Islands. In Brisbane I caught up with the last of my siblings (younger brother Shaun and nephew Jack). I also caught up with Ili – a good friend from my University of the South Pacific Days (1982-84) – who was passing through. I spent just under three weeks visiting in SI – where I had been a social studies secondary school teacher 1986-1989; In last week of my leave back home I completed a major task – partially undertaken before I headed off to Paris – my once every 5 years clean up, fertilising, and mulching of the front garden (otherwise largely neglected in the interim years).

The above is a longwinded way of saying that much time has passed and activity undertaken since the ride. So it will be interesting to see what has stuck that I consider worthy of noting in these pages.

For a short overview recapping how the ride unfolded here is a link to a  Slide Show produced by Vilma (with contributions from the other staff and some of the riders).

To answer a frequent question: 20 riders (& team of 4 support staff) completed the whole Paris to Istanbul journey and 18 of the 20 riders rode the whole way (and the 2 riders that did not had very good reasons for the little bit (a day or less) of the riding that they missed.

There were an additional 6 riders who participated Paris to Vienna (i.e. 26 riders in all completed that section). In Vienna we farewelled 5 of the aforementioned 6 and welcomed 8 new intrepid peddlers to the fold (making 29 for Vienna to Bucharest). In Bucharest 4 of the riders who joined in Vienna departed along with 1 rider from Paris and 1 person joint for the final Bucharest to Istanbul (i.e. 25 riders in total for the last of the three sections).

Median age of riders probably in the low 60s – youngest 18 years of age oldest 73 years. Not surprising given that to do the ride you need time and money

We rode through 8 countries: France, Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary,Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey – nearly every cm of which was new to me (i.e. except some parts of Istanbul)

I had no punctures and no mechanical malfunctions – in part due to a full service before the ride and excellent assistance with maintenance during the ride.

But what I really wanted to note for the record was first and foremost the great support staff that accompanied us throughout the ride. For the first week of the ride we were joined by Miles one of the permanent staff of the company (now known as TDA Global Cycling). After that we were in the very capable hands of:

• Gergö (Hungary) – Tour Director : route planning, daily rider briefings, cycling convoy leader, en route administration and trouble shooting / substantive and trivial complaints and shared route marking, driving, logistics & procurement, riding sweep, photography, etc.

• Özgür (Turkey) –  Assistant Tour Director – shared bike mechanic duties, lunch duties, assisted with meal preparations (read “including washed, peeled and chopped a lot of vegetables / root crops”), route marking, driving, logistics & procurement, riding sweep, tent pole repairs, etc.

• Vilma (Slovakia) – chef extraordinaire, photographer, driving, logistics & procurement, birthday celebrations organiser, etc.

• Peter (Slovakia) – bike mechanic and shared lunch duties, assisted with meal preparations, route marking, driving, logistics & procurement, riding sweep,etc.

Of course there were many other things they did – most of which we were blissfully unaware of – which is a good sign of a well run operation. They were all very experienced in these type of rides – which they took time of from their “normal” jobs to do.

Though all very different people /personalities the 4 staff shared the following traits – For Example:  high quality professional competence and pride (perfectionists to the extent that time and energy allowed); committed and hard working (they worked very long hours and never really had a complete day off); friendly and engaging – approachable; client centred – if they could help they would; good team players, passionate about riding and sharing the joys of riding, and not least a good (perhaps invaluable) sense of humour.

The other main point about the ride that I wanted to note was the good group dynamics.

The nationalities of the riders included Australian, South African, English, Irish, Scottish , Norwegian, Canadian, American (north), Israeli – though people’s abodes weren’t limited to their countries of citizenship. Ages ranged from 18 through to 73 = with the median age being somewhere between 60-65. Careers – current and past – included teachers, doctors / medical specialists, business people/entrepreneurs, stock-brokers, lawyers (variants thereof), airline staff, accountants, IT specialists, students, and the odd aid worker.

So a varied mix of people brought together by a common interest in this kind of cycling holiday/adventure/challenge. As more than one person commented to me – through this ride (and other of similar nature) they got to meet people that they would normally not interact with either through work or socially. That though we tended to spend more time with those for whom the personal/social “fit” was easier the 7 weeks did demonstrate that some people just take a little bit longer to get to know and appreciate 😀.

How well the group got on overall is worth remarking on in part because being mixed in with a group of people most (if not all) of them that you haven’t met before, being in a new place nearly every day, changing languages, different foods, being physically challenged / tired at times -can be mentally very taxing. The challenges of cultural adjustment was very much in play. Gergö did mention that in his experience normally around 3-4 weeks into the ride intra-group friction/tensions tend to peaked, but then pass as people make the necessary adjustments.

The diversity of personalities, backgrounds and interests in the riders did contribute to the sustaining of good relations over the 7 weeks we were together. Whilst one tended to ride and/or socialise with the same core of people, there was often variations in whom one rode or socialised with from day to day i.e. it was good to mix things up a bit.

The other key factor was that we were not stuck on a bus/train or boat for 7 weeks together i.e. it was at most only 2 times a day (i.e. breakfast and the evening meal) that we were all in the same space. So if you were having a spell where you were temporarily a bit short of love for your fellow humans (“having a sense of humour failure”) or there was someone else for whom, not only was the proverbial glass half empty, “but there was no water left anywhere in the known universe to refill it”, then you could find the needed space by riding a bit slower or faster or once at the destination going for a solo walk and having a quiet ice-cream / coffee / drink.

The well honed logistical arrangements throughout the ride meant that we soon fell into the rhythm of the days – which varied according whether they were riding/camping, rest days/hotel, or riding/hotel. However within the overall tempo/rhythm people still had their own variations. In the course of getting to know each other became to know, for example: who was happy to have a cheery chat in the mornings over breakfast and who needed a coffee, breakfast and a perhaps a few kms under the belt before attempts at human social intercourse was advisable. A phrase someone used that stuck in my mind in terms of was “I choose to …” i.e. it was up to you to choose how one reacted to any given situation.

One feature which sometimes was more testing for some was the sharing of rooms when we had hotel accommodation. As mentioned in earlier posts – I was fortunate to have great room mates – Bill for the first and last sections and Richard for the middle section. Both very easy to get along with and seemingly tolerant of my foibles and idiosyncrasies.

Whilst the riding was the riding was the core part of the package – it was just part of the package and the other key components the people and the places all contributed to making it a great holiday/adventure.

On the first day of the ride I was talking with Miles (permanent staff member) and he mentioned that compared to the other rides the company operates, this ride was the one where more people are happier in the moment i.e. not withstanding that this ride had its challenges to varying degrees, for the more challenging rides the pleasure is often more in aftermath looking back and reflecting on the satisfaction of having risen to the challenge. And he was correct – there were plenty of moments to be happy in i.e. in the moment 🙂

If you have read this far you are probably feeling like this family (Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna)

Bill to waitress in restaurant: “Do you speak English?”

Waitress: “I am English”