Mat & Kat's big bike trip
Day 104 Istanbul
It's our last full day of the trip! We've got to Istanbul, the bikes are being packed up and we're going home tomorrow. We just wanted to say thanks to everyone for following along, for supporting us and encouraging us. Thanks for being with us. Love you lots!
We've got mixed emotions about the end of this truly amazing adventure. The strongest emotion for both of us is joy, we've had such an incredible trip, seen so many things and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. There's a bit of sadness in there, that it's come to an end. But there's a lot of relief, that we get to cook and home, wear more than just the handful of clothes that we have currently, see our friends and loved ones again, and to be able to stay in one place for an extended period of time.
A lovely guy called Murat came to pack up our bikes in an incredibly efficient and professional manner. While he packed, he told us stories of his professional cycling career. He won something like 100 international races as the captain of the Turkish cycling team, 300 national races,he's been the President of the Turkish Cyclists' Association since 2008, and he was the Cycling Mayor of Istanbul from 2018 to 2021! Handy with a cardboard box and some packing tape too.
Love, Kat & Mat x
All reports
April 2026
May 2026
June 2026