2003 / Day 5.1

Friday, January 24, 2003
Much apologies for not getting you the good stuff yesterday. It was a long day and the internet cafe was not cooperative nor fast. We broke with tradition and decided to wake up before 11am. Rustem's Coach from Adana (affectionately call 'coach') picked us up at 8am. and got the van loaded for the 6 hour trip to Alanya.

The scenery was breathtaking as was the van ride as we wove through the switchbacks of the Taurus Mountains. We stopped for a few snacks along the way. First was some bananas from the banana guy (see photo). Then we stopped for some Borek (grilled, stuffed flatbread).

We arrived in Alanya at 4:00pm and checked into our hotel. The Turkish cyclists greeted us well. Rustem had the opportunity to talk with a few old friends including Ali who sported the Quad Cycles jersey given to him last year.

We had the privilege to attend the Turkish Cycling Federation's first official meeting where Rustem received an award for his support of the federation and local cyclists. After the meeting we had dinner with all the other teams and went to get some sleep for the 120km race tomorrow. Good Night.