Soner and İnci Sarıhan are a couple of outdoor sports who say going back to the city is “exile”. Being in nature, escaping the city, moving away from the crowds has always taken place in their lives in different situations. After discovering that cycling is the most economical, environmentally friendly and fun way to continue this lifestyle, cycling has become part of the family. In 2005 they discovered the Mediterranean coast by bike. They toured the Black Sea in 2006. later They started their world tour. First, they fell to Iran, Pakistan, and India. This geography was followed by Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Austria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Bulgaria, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Italy, and Spain.
“Our tour of Iran, Pakistan and India was an emotional journey. The adventures we experienced on this journey were published as ‘5 countries on my pedal’. Then we mostly toured European countries with our son. We have published these trips in a book entitled ‘They Grow on the Path of the Little Traveler’.
“OUR JOURNEY HAS BEEN IN THE FORM OF OUR SON”
After the birth of her son Tibet Çınar, the family’s passion for outdoor sports continued. Claiming that Tibet Çınar got on a stationary bike without pedals at the age of two and started pedaling at the age of three, Sarıhan said: “As our son grew up, our journey was tailored to his preferences. He also liked it“He said.
“The bicycle is a very economical vehicle. After the first payment, the maintenance costs are very low. A bicycle can be used for at least 10 years even with very little maintenance. It is light, easy to transport and no problem. The health benefits are endless. There’s a shocking, beautiful summary that sums it up. There’s a motto: Bicycles burn your oil, they save you money. ”
“WE ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF A LIVE BOMB ATTACK IN PAKISTAN”
Saying that they saw a very big and beautiful photo when they watched the world bike tours, İnci Sarıhan said: “There were negative and even terrible events in this collage of days, moments and memories, but that didn’t prevent planning a new tour. In Pakistan, there was a suicide bombing behind the Soner market where he went shopping and 14 people were killed. We had accidents in Iran and Russia in which we were seriously injured. But these are forgotten in the big picture. That’s why our eyes always shine when we say tour, ”he said.
“People from all over the world like cycling. In this sense, a cyclist is welcome almost everywhere. Since Tibet Çınar is with us, we have no difficulty communicating with people. There is a training called “Hot rain, where cyclists welcome cyclists. So far we have welcomed about a hundred cyclists into our home in Turkey. We have been invited to the homes of many people in dozens of countries. of local culture instead of staying in a hotel gives a completely different perspective. “
“We entered the military base in Russia by mistake”
Saying that they experienced one of the most interesting events during their trip to Russia in 2014, Sarıhan said: “There is a lot of traffic in Russia as well as in Turkey. We also preferred the forest roads. I was using GPS. When I looked from there, I saw a huge area in front of me. I thought this might be a city, that we could stay and stay. However, when we got there, we came across soldiers with wire fences and Kalashnikovs. That is, a military base appeared between St. Petersburg and the Finnish border, which we saw on GPS on a route we took to avoid traffic and thought it was a big city. A high-ranking officer let us into the base. When we said we wanted to stay, we were greeted by a very elderly lady at the accommodation. We stayed one night. We were a little worried when we woke up in the morning. We thought they might give us problems on the way out. But they removed the barrier and we got out of therehe said, describing the incident that had happened to them.
Sarıhan said they use the camps while cycling around the world, “This ensures that our trips are as cheap as possible. We cook our own food and try not to buy too much prepared food from outside. If there is a famous dish from the country where we are, we take it as a celebration at the end of the tour. Of course, the cost of the trip to and from the country we are going to travel and the renewal of spent materials are, of course, costly. We try to fulfill them in our daily lives as savers. “
‘WE CROSSED THE ELBA RIVER BY CANOE’
Explaining that they added canoeing to their adventures in 2019, Sarıhan said: “Starting from the Czech Republic, we paddled on the river Elbe. Tibet Çınar used his own sea kayak on this trip. We visited dozens of rowing clubs on the river Elbe. We have been very well received here. Unfortunately, they all said they had not seen many Turks canoeing on the Elbe River before. We hope that trips made with muscular strength will enter the dreams of more people. We also loved the canoe trip, which allows us to see geography from many different angles without polluting the environment. ”
‘OUR NEW ROUTE IS OUR DREAM EVERY DAY’
“Cycling erodes our ego. It’s hard to understand the size of the world without pedaling and the infinity of the universe without sleeping without a roof,” Sarıhan said.We moved to the UK to explore language development and life opportunities. Our new itinerary is, of course, ‘Land’s End to John’ or ‘Groats, which is a very famous route we’ve been planning for a long time.’ We want to complete this route, about 2 thousand kilometers, from south to north during the summer months when schools are on vacation. In terms of geography, we will go through four countries. With its only protected nature, this classic route enters our dreams every day.“He said.
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