Turkey’s southwest coast is just the kind of place I would come for a holiday. Within a stone’s throw of Dalaman airport are beautiful beaches on the crystal waters of the Aegean, lively resorts bustling with bars, restaurants and nightlife, and sites of ancient historical interest. What I am not expecting to find is some of the hardest riding I’ve ever done.
The culprit? A mountain called Kıran.
The day before our ride, over a late dinner of tombik kebab on the way from Dalaman airport, my host, Cyclist Turkey editor Erman Öner, tells me it is the toughest climb he has ever ridden. I’m not exactly encouraged by that thought, but I have never met Erman before and, despite having no cause to challenge his credentials, he has more of the build of a rouleur than a mountain goat, so I decide it might not be as bad as he claims.
By way of conducting a modicum of due diligence, I ask him how long Kıran is.
‘Five kilometres,’ he replies. Only five kilometres? How much of a challenge can a five thousand metre bottom-to-top climb represent? In retrospect, I really ought to have done my own research.
The oligarch’s escape
Our route begins in the saluting shadow of Ataturk, the father of modern Turkey, in the resort of Marmaris. Around this time of year, early autumn, it’s popular with Russian holidaymakers, although Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has brought about an increase in its year-round population, with one especially well-known name taking up semi-permanent residence.
Still, when we arrive in the marina, there’s no sign of the Eclipse, the largest of five superyachts belonging to former Chelsea owner
