{"id":120,"date":"2023-05-07T20:38:21","date_gmt":"2023-05-07T20:38:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bikeodyssey.cc\/following-the-big-o\/?p=120"},"modified":"2023-05-07T20:38:22","modified_gmt":"2023-05-07T20:38:22","slug":"the-odyssey-day-2-a-belated-anzac-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bikeodyssey.cc\/following-the-big-o\/2023\/05\/07\/the-odyssey-day-2-a-belated-anzac-day\/","title":{"rendered":"The Odyssey Day 2: A Belated ANZAC Day"},"content":{"rendered":"

Watch this Relive video\u00a0https:\/\/www.relive.cc\/view\/vrqo31kZxyq<\/a><\/p>\n

We rode 57.5 miles(91km), climbed 3,743 ft (1180m).<\/p>\n

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A truely epic day to start The Odyssey in full, cycling from the Dardenelles (ancient Hellespont) to the Aegean Sea. Beautiful cloudless sunny and warm morning greeted us. After a group stretch we headed out of the village of Gelilobu on a bike lane, then onto quiet country roads. The roads for the first 20 km were somewhat rough( like a lot of Essex County concessions) with numerous potholes and stray dogs, none of which were troublesome. We headed out of Gelibolu along the foreshore before turning inland on tiny village roads through rolling cherry orchards, farmland and forests. \"\"<\/p>\n

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The villages here are remote and authentic and as we gently roll we have views of water on both sides and we head down the Peninsula. However, the scenery post coffee \"\"changed dramatically ( as did the roads for the better!) as the battlefields of WWI are all around us and we pop out from traditional Turkish villages and agricultral land into the memorial roads and monuments of Anzac Cove.<\/p>\n

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These graveyards and monuments to the Anzacs, Turks and British are truely touching and the amazing care for this region makes it a genuinely beautiful place to both visit and ride in.<\/p>\n

\"\" \"\" \"\"Poppies, a beautiful reminder\u2026.<\/p>\n

We turned inland again in the afternoon to ride up to our amazing hotel for two nights – The Bengodi.<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0A traditional post-ride rose \"\"and dinner at Turkey\u2019s most famous winery, Suvla<\/p>\n

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About Galipoli and ANZAC<\/strong><\/p>\n

Premise<\/b>: Control of the Dardanelles protects Constantinople and insure movement of arms etc for the Allied Forces<\/p>\n

The Plan<\/b>: Allied Naval bombardment and Infantry beach landing to overtake the Turks for control of the Galipoli peninsula and Constantinople<\/p>\n

Result<\/b>: Failure and death on both \u00a0sides<\/p>\n

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25 April 1915, 16,000 Australians and New Zealanders, together with British, French, Indian and Newfoundlander troops, landed on the Gallipoli peninsula. The invasion was part of a campaign to:<\/p>\n