I decided in one day, I planned and I rode.

"If I cannot keep going, than I will go until I can - I repeated to myself- but I try. Roads are always there and we are simply the passers-by. If the road permits, I’ll flow away to the distance otherwise I’ll flow to my limits. But I won’t fail for not trying".

The goal is to enjoy the trial, to understand my limits and see where they are while trying to overtake them. This is the thing: to try.

This is not bravado, show of competent riding or search for conquering. I can hardly name it: it is simply to decide and to try. Simply… you won’t know what you can do until you try…

Like most of you I have "dream rides": from the far east of Asia to the far west of Europe… to all the countries on the Mediterranean shores… around the world, Izmir-Katmandu, Izmir-Dakar.

So, this ride-trial it is, as well, curiosity and search for solutions. To find out how I should approach mechanical problems that may occur during my trips, to learn how to use time efficiently, to observe how body and mind reacts to long distances, to understand and share the feelings of LD riders. Above all a simple ride to know myself and my bike a little better and closer.

Iron Butt, when I first heard about it, was a great absurdity that later turned into a possibility, a dream and now I am right in the middle of it.

My message (if any) to fellow riders to look at long distance riding without prejudgments and reservations. Leave your imagination free and just picture, as I did, what you can achieve. You’ll discover that this approach goes beyond Iron Butt to invest everything you can do in your life.

I can now see a big positive change in my approach to everyday reality and tasks. "Doing it", not necessarily "completing it" just changes the way you see yourself, the way you face the demands of life. As I said: just try it.

Now for the "words of wisdom": looking back I can see that I made mistakes in my planning and at my start:

• I forgot ear plugs in my other jacket
• I had cleaning spray for helmet & visor but forgot to bring a piece of cloth
• I could have ridden longer and more relaxed if I had planned better, with more attention.

And this is the list of what I think I have done correctly

• Good route preparation and good choice day (longest of the year) and of time.
• An advanced riding ability gained by continuous training
• Good maintenance of the bike

The 2008 BMW R1200 GS worked faultless without problems following the Garmin indications. 1.650 kilometers in 24 hours look different from the cockpit than the way they look when sitting at a table and chatting about. Now that the LDride has been completed, now I can join the small group of "ironbutters" of Turkey, now you have to tolerate my expert’s advises to those of you who are dreaming in planning and trying such a ride in our Country:

• Wear protective- high visibility gear and… ear plugs
• Use new, unblemished visor for night and against sun riding
• Plan for a progressive ride, control stops and forget top speed
• Do not enter cities, town centers, use side (bypass) roads
• Plan well the sleep in the period prior departure and have plenty of it
• While planning, listen to the experience of those riders who have been there before. (thanks to Haluk Hizlan, Levent Vardar and Gurkan Biyikli)
• Do not hesitate to stop when you feel tired: keep the trial for another day
• Drink plenty of water and apply intelligence to eating
• Obey Traffic rules and keep your headlights on all the times
• Approach Saddle Sore with a complete program of advanced riding training and with a set of smaller trial rides (500K, 700 K, 1,000K) considering that, on Saddle Sore, when your trip-meter reads 800K (for many this is a heavy day on the saddle) you are only at half of your LDride.

The route with marked in red the places where proves of passage must be collected.

For more information about LDriding in Turkey visit www.ironbutturkey.com

Photos taken during the ride can be seen at Picasa