Back on the Bicycle

When I set off this morning—or rather at noon, since it was almost 12:30 p.m. by the time I left—I received a warm farewell. I felt remarkably fresh, fresher on the bike than I had in a long time. Although I started late again, I had at least packed everything neatly after the long cycling break and also visited a bicycle mechanic because I had bought new pedals. The old ones were so tightly attached that I could not remove them with my small toolkit. Unfortunately, I was probably overcharged: changing the pedals took about five minutes and cost me 30 RMB. That amount would buy a meal here or pay for half an hour of taxi rides. To make it even more amusing, shortly after returning to the hotel I saw a message from someone who had paid only 30 RMB to have their bicycle fully packed for air travel, with pedal removal being just one of many steps involved. But never mind—I certainly will not go bankrupt because of it.

The city still felt just as enormous as I remembered from my last stage. Even after nearly 15 kilometers, I was still surrounded by high-rise buildings. That changed quite abruptly at around the 39-kilometer mark, when, after crossing an intersection, the landscape suddenly consisted of little more than sand and rocks.

Before that, however, at just under 30 kilometers, I experienced my first flat tire since Istanbul and since fitting the new tire there. How such a huge metal shard found its way into my tire remains a mystery. But after I rode down a curb about 20 centimeters high, the tire quickly lost most of its air. I must have landed almost perfectly on the shard. It was stuck so firmly that I was grateful when a fruit seller nearby lent me a pair of pliers to pull it out.

The whole repair operation seemed to drain more energy than I expected, because nothing felt easy afterward. My heart rate was unusually high despite the low level of effort. I had probably not eaten or drunk enough, even though I had bought some deliciously sweet apricots from the fruit seller. After making a stop at the next shop and drinking a sugary beverage, I started to feel somewhat better.

By the time I reached the hotel, I was quite tired again, which may well have had something to do with the temperature of around 35°C. At the hotel, I received a warm welcome and immediately became the model for the owner's next TikTok video. The exact same thing happened later at the restaurant next door. At least I arrived fairly early—just after 6 p.m.—so there should be plenty of time to recover before tomorrow.