17 June, Beyşehir to Konya, 95km
Mevlana Otel 70TL (breakfast included) (usual price 90TL)

I fell in love with Konya the moment I saw it. This probably has something to do with the fact that I saw it from the top of our second mountain pass of the day; saw it still 15km or so away in a plain far, far below us; saw it in relation to a long challenging day and a most welcome drop with which to end it. The excellent sign-posting, cycle lane and good hotel within our budget have so far done nothing to dispel my infatuation. We began the day in trepidation, awaking at 04:30 and getting on the road by 05:30, anxious about the distance and the hilly terrain. We climbed and dipped for about 50km, then walked the last steep kms to the top of the first pass at 1560m. Then revelled in the 17km downhill run that followed, only to find we had a steep 6km climb back to 1460m. Here’s the good news ... we did it! At around the 30km mark I had my doubts, but somehow we coped, arriving in this city of 1,2 million in the early afternoon, several hours before I thought we would. Yay!

Between Beyşehir and Konya

Between Beyşehir and Konya

Between Beyşehir and Konya

Between Beyşehir and Konya

Konya outskirts