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Riding in Turkey can get hot. Izmir, where I live, is one of the coastal cities located in the furthest West of Turkey, and it is widely known for its high temperatures. It's not uncommon for my Garmin to give readings as high as 45 ºC in summer. Being close to the sea, humidity is also really high, so getting clothing choices right is really critical.
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A light maillot can make all the difference on those hot days.
The humidity makes you feel the long climbs in the sun twice as much. Because the Maillot channels air, moisture evaporates fast. Couple with that the fit, it's easy to forget that you're wearing it - it's simple, uncomplicated and does the job perfectly.
One good thing with extreme heat though, after the wash, this maillot is ready in an instant.
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Setting out to ride in hot weather, it pays to be prepared. I choose all my kit, from shoes through to helmets depending on how breathable it is, because hot weather needs specialist engineering.
Also critical is hydration. Fortunately the Turkish countryside is littered with ‘’hayrat fountains’’, which are built to supply water to rural outposts. When planning routes, we always take into consideration how many fountains we'll be passing.
Izmir is great because the mountains are close to the sea. You can go from 0 to 1500 meters quickly, and feel the temperature drop a bit.
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The roads in Turkish cities are quite smooth, but, if you like to visit villages and spend most of your time in countryside, you probably, will need wider tyres. Village roads are generally rougher and rutted.
If you ride road bike in Turkey, you will definitely need tyres minimum 25mm, and most likely 28mm.
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Because the terrain is fairly arid, shade is hard to find around Izmir. Shrubs only grow to a couple of meters tall, so that makes what you wear all the more important. A good maillot needs to work twice as hard to channel air straight to the body.
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Cycling in Turkey is developing rapidly. It is not a brand new thing though - in the 60s and 70s, riders like Rıfat Çalışkan and Ali Hüryılmaz became big names, and people really followed the races closely.
People who ride bike for both sports and transportation are being increasing. People are starting to have more knowledge about bikes due to the magazines, books and media presenting cycling in Turkish. For myself, as a photographer who enjoys riding, it's been great - and events such as the Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkey and Tour of Antalya really help bring the sport to a wider and wider audience.
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"Coming from the Southern Hemisphere into a Northern Hemisphere race calendar, I think the only real challenge is not doing too many races throughout December and January when it's peak racing season in NZ. If you manage that well then I think there are only benefits from living down here throughout the European winter. It makes it easy going out for training in sunny warm weather, especially since this is the time for base training with lots of kilometres."
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"Coming from the Southern Hemisphere into a Northern Hemisphere race calendar, I think the only real challenge is not doing too many races throughout December and January when it's peak racing season in NZ. If you manage that well then I think there are only benefits from living down here throughout the European winter. It makes it easy going out for training in sunny warm weather, especially since this is the time for base training with lots of kilometres."
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"Coming from the Southern Hemisphere into a Northern Hemisphere race calendar, I think the only real challenge is not doing too many races throughout December and January when it's peak racing season in NZ. If you manage that well then I think there are only benefits from living down here throughout the European winter. It makes it easy going out for training in sunny warm weather, especially since this is the time for base training with lots of kilometres."
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"Coming from the Southern Hemisphere into a Northern Hemisphere race calendar, I think the only real challenge is not doing too many races throughout December and January when it's peak racing season in NZ. If you manage that well then I think there are only benefits from living down here throughout the European winter. It makes it easy going out for training in sunny warm weather, especially since this is the time for base training with lots of kilometres."
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"Having won the New Zealand national championships, I am really excited and roaring to get racing to show my new maillot off. It's always been a dream of mine wear the Silver Fern, so for it to become a reality is beyond words."
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Thanks to Berk Mercanci of Variant Cycling Collective for talking to us about riding in Izmir, tackling hot conditions, and for his photos documenting the challenges, joys, and amazing terrain on offer in Turkey for riding.
If you've got a trip booked to take your riding to hotter climes, browse our collection of Pro Air Maillots and get set for riding under the sun.
With the team targeting top level performances in the coming year, we look forward to hearing more from our riders throughout the season, with their insight on the pro-circuit and its demands. With the first race of the season approaching fast, we'll be bringing you news of how the team get on at the Tour of Antalya UCI 2.2 race.
Thanks to Berk Mercanci of Variant Cycling Collective for talking to us about riding in Izmir, tackling hot conditions, and for his photos documenting the challenges, joys, and amazing terrain on offer in Turkey for riding.
If you've got a trip booked to take your riding to hotter climes, browse our collection of Pro Air Maillots and get set for riding under the sun.