The trip to Amasya, including the rest day, was well worth it. But now it was time to head back to the Black Sea. Riding along the Black Sea is not only beautiful, but it also involves fewer climbs compared to the inland route.

We set off at 10:17 – a bit late after a rest day, especially considering we planned to reach Samsun. But it should be enough time if things went reasonably well. On the way back, we avoided the main road and took smaller ones instead. There was less traffic, and we rode past many orchards with beautifully blossoming trees. The region is known for its fruit, especially apples, which we also noticed from the apple tea we were served countless times in Amasya, sometimes cold, sometimes hot.

The climb at the beginning wasn’t as difficult as we had expected – perhaps a sign that our legs were well rested. I thought we might take a break and eat something in Havza. So in Suluova, we declined several invitations from locals offering us food. Three young men also tried to give us water. I said I already had enough, which worked for two of them. The third simply pressed the water into my hand, so I accepted it. Suluova seems to be an especially hospitable town – or maybe it was just because we passed through at lunchtime?

Just outside Suluova, a man in a white car approached us and also wanted to invite us for food. I said we wanted to ride a bit further, but he told us he knew a restaurant 3–4 kilometers away and that we should go there together. It was hard to refuse, especially since he said he loved cyclists. He drove ahead and kept waiting for us by the roadside until we were close to Havza. He told us to ride on the shoulder of the main road in the opposite direction, as the restaurant wasn’t far. He left his car at the junction and walked the same way with us.

At the restaurant, we sat on the terrace since the temperature was pleasantly warm, and Burak ordered food for us. It turned out that he had seen us riding through Suluova and really wanted to talk to us, so he got into his car and followed us. So we never really had a chance to escape him. Burak runs a game lounge in Suluova but mainly works in the evenings, as he has employees during the day. About a year ago, he bought a bicycle and wants to travel with it, though he’s not yet sure how. So far, he has traveled by motorcycle, not by bike. Once again, we were grateful for our phones to translate, as Burak didn’t speak much English and we barely spoke Turkish. After the meal, Burak paid for everything and firmly refused my attempt to contribute. We took a photo together and said goodbye. Just like that, we were invited to a meal—unbelievable.

The reason I wanted to eat in Havza was that I thought it would be downhill from there—descending with a full stomach is fine, but climbing is less pleasant. I was completely wrong. The climb just wouldn’t end. On top of that, we had extremely strong headwinds—so strong it felt like they could blow my socks off, if I hadn’t been wearing shoes. Even on flat sections, we could only move at walking speed.

Gradually, I started to worry that we might not make it before dark. We had only covered half the distance, and it was already close to 5 p.m. Fortunately, the second half was mostly downhill—though there were still two climbs of about 200 meters each. After the last climb, we were still over 600 meters above sea level, with about 30 kilometers left to Samsun. The descent that followed was fantastic. I rode for about 12–13 kilometers without ever dropping below 40 km/h, sometimes reaching 60 km/h, without pedaling much. However, it got cold as the sun had already set. The final kilometers flew by, but we still didn’t reach our destination before dark. At 8:15 p.m., we arrived at the first hotel I had looked up the day before. Luckily, there was still a room available, and the price was reasonable. At least that worked out well, and I was glad to soon take a warm shower. Before that, though, we went to buy some groceries—at Migros, of course, if there’s one nearby.