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Are you looking for something exciting to do this summer? You are in luck! Two spaces on the sold-out 2008 Orient Express Bike Expedition have unexpectedly become available. The tour leaves Paris in just over 5 weeks so if you are interested please register immediately. These spaces won’t last. Do something that you will remember for a lifetime - cycle from Paris to Istanbul.
In the early hours of February 20th, 2008, one of the oldest bike shops in North America burned to the ground. The six alarm fire brought 40 fire trucks and over 90 firemen to the scene.
Duke’s Cycle and Radio Ltd. has been at 625 Queen Street West in Toronto since 1914. The store was started by the current owner’s grandfather. His son, the current owner’s father, was even born in the building. Â
Many past and present employees and customers stood around in awe this morning as the store was reduced to ruble.
As a former employee at Duke’s and current neighbour at Tour d’Afrique’s Toronto office, it is truly a shame for me to see it go.
Registration for the 2008 Orient Express Bike Expedition is now closed. We are sold out!
Some spaces may become available after March 1st. If you are interested in taking part in the expedition, please contact the office and we will put you on a waiting list.
It was 1883 when the first Orient Express rail lines established through services from Paris to Istanbul via Austria, Hungary, and Romania. The direct connection east revolutionized transport and brought adventure and delight to tens of thousands of passengers. Crossing the many frontiers of a still-divided Europe, the train journey of nearly 4,000 kilometers was a genuine adventure; the subject of legend and fantasy. The present-day cycle trip will offer you delights and challenges of a different order - physical, mental and spiritual. See the Europe of the 21st century from the seat of your bike!
Space is limited - Register today!
The 2007 Orient Express Bike Tour has come to a successful conclusion and we are now ready to accept registrations for the 2008 Orient Express Bike Expedition. We have made a number of exciting changes for next year, all geared to make your experience even more memorable!
Please browse through the website and see what we have in store for you in Europe in 2008!!
If you have any questions, please contact us at info@tourdafrique.com
Yesterday we rolled into Istanbul, the final destination of our 4000km cycling tour. It was a beautiful stage, only 65 km but very hilly. The route led us through several small villages and on the crest of each hill you would catch a glimpse of the sea or the city in the distance. It was an exciting road to ride as it twisted and climbed and then descended to our gathering point in Sariyer, a suburb on the Bosphorus. From this point we rode in convoy the last 20 km into the capital. Coming into the city along the water offered spectacular scenery; castles, fisherman, yachts and the city sprawling through the hills on the far shore. In comparison to the other European cities we’ve visited I was amazed by how green Istanbul is. We finished our ride at the Ortakoy Princess Hotel where we had some celebratory bevies before we unpacked the support trucks for the final time and got checked in. The hotel is in a great location. It was just a short walk down to the waterfront where we hosted our banquet dinner. We were on a rooftop patio with great views of the boats, fireworks and crowds of people enjoying the evening. We shared stories, toasted our successes and then headed out to visit other local establishments.
Although this tour has many sectional riders who only ride a part of the route, there is a core group who have been together from Paris to Istanbul. Watching the dynamics change over the course of two months is always intriguing, as people learn so much about each other, build incredible bonds with complete strangers and then head off in their own directions. Its not always the destination but the journey which creates the experience of an expedition of this extent. Even the greatest experience is meaningless unless you have someone to share it with. Only our fellow cyclists from the Orient Express 2007 will ever be able to relate to our stories and memories of this incredible trek. I hope our paths will cross again. Until then, keep the rubber side down!
Sunshine and Tailwinds…
Welcome to Turkey. We have reached the country of our final destination.
Although I have never been here before it seems so familiar. I think I’m having flashbacks from Egypt. From camping at the local football stadium, the broadcast prayers to Allah, to interactions with the regional cycling association, things here are very similar. I am always amazed at how a political boundary often marks a dramatic change in geography. It’s not just a random line on a map. Ten km before the Turkish border we were traveling through rolling hills of dense hardwood forest and ten km past, the terrain became extremely arid. Dry hillsides of scrubby bushes, blowing dust clouds and geckos running past your front wheel. We are now enjoying the final rest day of the tour in the small town of Kirklareli. This is not a major tourist destination but right now the cyclists need rest more than anything else. The heat wave they have endured during the past 3 stages has left them exhausted. Two days ago the temperature hit 48 degrees. But as tonight is refreshingly cool I believe the heat wave has finally broken.
When we left Varna we continued to follow the coast of the Black Sea for the first day. We passed through several touristy beach towns; Ozbos, Bryag and Nesebar. Nesebar was a strange place, an ancient city that has changed hands many times. It has been occupied by the Thracians, Romans, Byzantines and the Bulgarian Empire. But in each takeover the city was never destroyed. As a strategic naval port and thriving fishing village it has a history dating back over 4000 years. About 2000 years ago geologic events caused a dramatic rise in the water level of the sea and although the ruins I saw were impressive there are many more beneath the waves, making it a popular scuba destination. Today the city has incorporated a bizarre mix of old and new. Modern homes built on ancient foundations and historic cathedrals neighboured by tacky souvenir shops and gelato stands.
Our second riding day took us inland to the town of Malko Tarnovo, a small border town with very limited facilities. But luckily we stayed just down the street from a bar with a fantastic swimming pool to help us beat the heat. Our ride into Turkey was short and the border crossing was expensive, but relatively hassle free. Now its only three riding stages and 250 km to our finish line on the Bosphorus. We have been joined by Henry and Miles who are here preparing for the inaugural Silk Route Expedition. There are a couple of Orient Express riders who are going to continue on with them from Istanbul right across Asia to Beijing, China…. CRAZY!
Bulgaria, a country that I really did not know much about before this tour. But I have been really impressed. We have been here for three days now and each day we have had good pavement, courteous drivers and beautiful countryside.We left Bucharest at a ridiculously early hour before the traffic got nuts. But the cyclists did a great job at traveling as a cohesive unit and blocking traffic for each other as we meandered through the downtown core. The remainder of the day was nothing special but we did cross the border into Bulgaria and the town of Ruse. And all of the sudden a whole new world, the world of Cyrillic. It’s one thing to struggle with a foreign language but it’s a whole other game when they change the alphabet. Most of the words look like a chemical formula or like they’ve been spelt by a dyslexic. This is a whole new challenge for me and the riders in terms of reading road signs for navigation.
Our second destination was Veliko Tarnovo. It was a beautiful ride through the hills and the town had a hilltop castle surrounded on almost all sides by the sinuosity of the same river. It was a really hot day but our campsite had the most divine swimming pool where the cyclists chilled out for the remainder of the day. Our third stop was Sumen, an industrial town. We were camped directly across the street from one of the biggest breweries I’ve ever seen. We camped in a public park and it’s one of the first times on this trip where I actually felt like I’ve been sleeping out in the wilderness. With the heat these days I haven’t even been pitching my tent -  just sleeping on the roof of the van and enjoying the starry nights. And then we came here. Varna.  Wow! This places rocks. Perhaps my favorite rest day on the tour. It’s a beachside resort town on the Black Sea. Nobody is camping and we are all in the same hotel which is right in the middle of all the action. Most people just spent the day kick’in it on the beach, but some ventured out to the museums, galleries and Turkish baths. The beach is beautiful lined with umbrellas, lounges, restaurants and bars. I went out with a few of the fellas last night and I’m not sure if there’s any rum left in this town now. We had a lot of fun visiting a number of seaside hotspots. I even managed to play some music with some of the local talents. This is a relatively small town, but the center is filled with people, venders and street entertainers, really a great atmosphere.
I managed to get back in the saddle last week and slowly I’m going to ride more each day as we approach Istanbul. The body is mending, but the bike still needs some work. The heat wave continues. This week the forecast is for temps in the 40’s. But luckily the long days and mountain ranges are behind. Only six riding stages and one rest day left. It’s strange how the concept of time is lost or somehow distorted when you’re on the road for so long. But in one week this group who has been through so much together will all part and head their separate ways. The conclusion of these tours is always an emotional and bitter-sweet moment.
I ended my last update pre-empting the obstacles ahead and saying “the greater the challenge the greater the reward”. Now I’m eating my words as Romania has taken its toll. I sit here reveling in wonder at the resilience and healing power of the human body. I took a pretty hard spill last week on our way into Baile Herculane. I’m not sure how fast I was going but I was outta gears on a downhill and having fun so probably 45 km/h or so. I narrowly avoided a telephone pole, drainage culvert and piece of rusty sheet metal but hit the sidewalk hard.
Apparently I went ass over tea kettle several times and I was still clipped in for the first couple. Luckily I didn’t break anything or suffer any internal injuries, even though I broke my handlebar with my stomach. The worst part of a road rash is the cleaning process, scrubbing all the sand and dirt out while bathing in hydrogen peroxide.
Slowly but surely all the raspberry jam is falling off and I’ve managed to regain my strength and mobility. I wasn’t the only one to have an accident either. Ginny one of our Aussies actually hit a cow. Not quite sure how, but it was head on and hard enough to snap her front fork in half. The cow walked away startled but unscathed, Ginny however has developed a few bruises since the collision. Last night we were comparing wounds.
The riding conditions here have been quite rough. Very poor road surface, giant man-eating pot holes, no shoulder and insane motorists.
If there is driver instruction in this country the first lesson must be how to use the horn in the most obnoxious manner. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention the Carpathian mountain range, wild dogs and the heat wave. I must say though that this has been the most beautiful country we’ve traveled through. I’m a lover of wilderness far more than anything built by the hands of Man. And day after day we’ve passed incredible mountains, streams and forests. The hills have made the days seem longer but I’d rather cross a mountain pass (or three) over a hundred km of bike path any day. Most of the literature I’ve studied on Romania forewarns about the theft and crime but I’ve found it to be completely untrue. The people here are ultimately kind, friendly and helpful. Their English is far superior to my Romanian and they always go out of their way to offer directions or whatever assistance is needed.
Logistically this has been a challenging part of the tour as Romania has several unknowns in terms of routes and accommodations. So there have been several long days of scouting missions for Jon and I. But we did manage to find some great roads and new places to stay. One of our rest days was in Baile Herculane (the baths of Hercules), a spa/resort town tucked into a river gorge in the mountains. Hot springs and thermal baths everywhere. And this place has been visited by nobility throughout history. Emperors would spend their holidays here; apparently Alexander the Great was a regular. Last weekend at both of our destinations, Targu Jiu and Gaesti, we shared our accommodations with local weddings. It’s just not a cycling tour if you don’t crash at least one wedding. Is a great way to experience a foreign culture, the music, the dance, the food, but unfortunately the festivities lasted till the wee hours of the morning, leaving the riders a little deprived of sleep.
Bucharest seemed to be an interesting city but I didn’t get to see much of it. I was busy dealing with the organization of our convoyed departure. However, the Parliament Palace was quite impressive. It seems like everything there was designed to be huge and exaggerated. I had a great meal in a restaurant that was built in the 1870’s. I originally thought it was an old refurbished church, but it has always been a restaurant. Articulate woodwork, paintings and tapestries, a balcony, spiral staircases and cathedral ceiling, created quite the ambiance. And the lamb dish was to die for.
We depart from the Romanian capital en route to country number seven, Bulgaria. The border is defined by our old friend the Danube that we will cross one last time. There we will visit some medieval towns as we make our way to the Black sea and from there it’s only a short distance to Istanbul.
Departing Bratislava was a bit of a nightmare. The adventure and comfort riders were 12 km apart within the city, I had to do a rider meeting in both venues and then coordinate a rendez-vous for the two convoyed groups. I was late leaving camp, got stuck in traffic and by the time I actually got on my bike I realized I forgot to fill my water bottles. Not a good start. But it all turned out well, we managed a great photo shoot across the Danube with parliament as the backdrop and we had strong tailwinds pushing us all day long. Southern Hungary is a very flat and dry place, almost arid, but still quite agricultural. The humble villages we passed through must produce most of the grapes and peppers for two of the country’s main exports; paprika and wine. Our two stops were in the towns of Kecskemet and Szeged and both our campsites had swimming pools to soothe the riders after long hot days. Gergo, an old friend and local guide, rode with us until Szeged and took a few of us out for a night on the town “Hungarian” style before we crossed the border the next day.Romania is a new addition to the European Union and there is still controversy regarding their induction. I now see why. This is the sixth country of our tour and I have been here for two days. One day of riding and one day of scouting the route to ahead. This is a very different place, it has no resemblance of western Europe. However it does have a certain beauty in its simplicity. My preconception was that this is the land of gypsies and vampires and home to the Carpathian mountain range.
But what I have seen in the past few days is a country that is investing heavily in infrastructure development. Here in Timosoara there is construction everywhere but they are not building more roads they incorporating bicycle lanes and public transport. This isn’t a huge city but it does have a picturesque city center with a beautiful church and legend has it that the ghost of Beethoven’s girlfriend haunts the museum.
The canal that divides the city is banked by walking paths, parks and small fishing boats. But is still a city. I find the rural communities far more interesting. It’s very common to have people traveling by a horse drawn buggy and although the primary industries are agricultural there is very little machinery, everything is done with hand tools and manual labour. The homes here are also quite different they almost look Mexican, earth tones, slightly worn down, with arched mouldings atop the flat front walls. The people here seem to be very friendly, but I am struggling with the language, it’s like a bizarre mix of Italian and Spanish. The only downfall I have witnessed are the insane motorists and roads with no shoulders.
We only have two riding days until our next rest stop in Baile Herculane. And the daily logistics have presented some new challenges for me. For the riders, they will have to deal with some hot days and some big climbs as we skirt the edge of the Carpathian range. Personally I love the hills. Newton’s second law of physics; what goes up must come down.
And there’s nothing better than the reward of the adrenalin from a descent after a long grueling climb.
