Leg 9
Çandır to Giresun
Ridden by the Pioneers — no longer available to book
This is the route and itinerary as it was planned for the ride, kept as a record of the journey so far. For legs you can still join, see the Book Now page.
- Dates
- 22nd to 26th June 2022
- Start
- Ankara – 7.00 Wednesday 22nd June 2022. Buses to Çandır.
- Finish
- Giresun – 18.00 Sunday 26th June 2022.
- Days Cycling
- 5
- Distance
- 737 km
- Total climbing
- 8,547 m climbing
- Road Surface
- Significantly better than Leg 8
- Max capacity
- 100 people
Itinerary
Pre-Start – Ankara 7.30pm 21st June 2022
Drinks and dinner on the terrace at the pre-start hotel (The Ankara Hotel) on the night before the ride. It will be a great opportunity to register, pick up your shirts and see everyone again before the cycling begins the next morning. Please note the hotel & Dinner is included on the night before we leave Ankara.
Day 1 – Candir to Boğazkale – 138 km, 1,460 m total ascent
Day 2 Ride with GPS RouteAfter a 60 minute bus ride from the hotel in Ankara we build our bikes in the same lay-by as the Leg 8 finish. The cycling is fantastic, quiet roads with amazing far reaching rural scenery all day. Rolling hills rather than any major climbs. The road surface is pretty good with the exception of the odd village plus a 4 km of unpaved road after lunch. Lunch in a hill top restaurant overlooking the town of Sungurlu. Home for the night is in a rural village called Boğazkale – once the capital of the ancient Hittite civilisation. Tours of the ruins available if you get there by 6pm.
Day 2 – Boğazkale to Amasya – 163 km, 1,135 m total ascent
Day 3 Strava RouteWe leave the Hittite ruins and are spoilt with a day which is largely a continuation of the great cycling from day 1 – deserted roads, open far reaching countryside and a rural way of life. Road surfaces good for almost all of the day. Lunch is at a picnic spot with great views. We finish in Amasya a historic city based around the Yesilirmak River. The river comes to life at night when it is lit up orange across town.
Day 3 – Amasya to Tokat – 138 km, 1,793 m total ascent
Day 4 Ride with GPS RouteAnother day of quiet rural roads, we begin with two bigger climbs in the morning followed by a downhill or flat elevations from km 40 for the remainder of the day as we follow a river. Lunch at a restaurant in Turhal overlooking the river. PM coffee stop is at a historical landmark called Mahperi Hatun Kervansaray. We finish at a new 5* hotel with pools in the modern Turkish city of Tokat.
Day 4 – Tokat to Unye – 159 km, 2,673 m total ascent
Day 5 Ride with GPS RouteA quiet start to the day after we leave Tokat as we follow country lanes followed by a busier section as we descend into the valley. We then start a long steady climb over the Pontic mountains towards the Black Sea on quiet roads with a good road surface. The area produces 30% of the world’s hazelnut crop. The climate, vegetation and views are different from the first three days. Lunch at a restaurant at the peak elevation. The afternoon involves a gradual descent to the coast – from a peak of 1,372 m – lots of ups and downs until we see the sea. Home for the night is a modern hotel with a pool overlooking a sandy beach.
Day 5 –Unye to Giresun – 140 km, 1,492 m total ascent
Day 6 Ride with GPS RouteThe day begins with a busy stretch along a dual carriageway (with hard shoulder) before we take an old coast road for 48 km that hugs the coast line – very quiet, great tarmac and sea views. We have lunch in a restaurant overlooking the beach. There are two climbs on quiet country lanes across the day and two short sections of dual carriageway in the afternoon. After cycling through Giresun we finish at a hotel overlooking the sea. The evening party is dinner around the pool.