In the world of endurance cycling, some challenges are meticulously planned months in advance, while others begin with a simple idea that gradually turns into an unforgettable adventure. For Zypernbike Team rider David Trailovic, what started as a spontaneous decision to ride around Cyprus became an extraordinary test of endurance, resilience and determination.

David set out in the early hours of Tuesday morning, embarking on a journey that would take him across the island, through the remote landscapes of the Karpaz Peninsula, along the northern coastline, across the mountains and back towards the southern coast. Along the way, he faced almost every challenge an endurance cyclist could encounter: punctures and tyre damage, relentless headwinds, extreme temperatures reaching 39°C, freezing night-time descents and countless hours of riding with almost no sleep.

This chapter of the Ventus Rider’s Diary follows David’s journey around Cyprus, from the first kilometres before sunrise to the final stretch back to Alaminos. It is a story of adaptation, perseverance and the simple determination to keep moving forward, while discovering the remarkable diversity of Cyprus from the saddle of a bicycle.

My Cyprus Cycling Challenge 

By David Trailovic | Zypernbike Team

What started as a spontaneous idea turned into one of the most incredible cycling experiences of my life. The plan was relatively simple: to ride around Cyprus and discover how far we could push ourselves on one continuous journey. In reality, the challenge became much more demanding than we had anticipated. Over the course of the ride, we experienced everything from perfect tailwinds and spectacular sunrises to long stretches of headwind, extreme heat, freezing descents, mechanical problems, punctures and almost no sleep. There were moments when continuing seemed considerably harder than stopping, but every problem became part of the story and, ultimately, part of what made the experience so memorable.

The Start | 4:00 AM

We started our ride at 4:00 AM on Tuesday morning from the Zypernbike station in Alaminos. The roads were almost completely empty, the air was cool and we felt fresh and ready for the adventure ahead. From the beginning, we knew that nutrition would be one of the most important factors in determining whether we could complete the challenge successfully, so we tried to remain disciplined with our fuelling strategy. We took a gel or energy bar approximately every 30–45 minutes and made a conscious effort to eat before we actually felt hungry, knowing that waiting until fatigue appeared would make it much more difficult to recover later.

The first part of the ride went remarkably well. A favourable tailwind helped us maintain a comfortable pace and the kilometres seemed to disappear almost effortlessly. Just before reaching Ayia Napa, we were rewarded with an incredible sunrise, and watching the sky gradually change colour after starting the ride in complete darkness was one of those moments that immediately reminded me why we had chosen to begin at four in the morning. There is something special about experiencing the island while most people are still asleep, and those first hours gave us a feeling that we had the roads and the entire landscape almost entirely to ourselves.

After crossing the border towards Famagusta, the conditions remained excellent. With the wind behind us, we were comfortably cruising at around 30–35 km/h and enjoying the feeling that the island was carrying us north. However, as we continued towards the Karpaz Peninsula, the road surface gradually became rougher and the ride started to become more demanding.

First Problems | Dipkarpaz

Shortly before Dipkarpaz, I experienced my first puncture. Unfortunately, there was no shade anywhere around us, so we had to stop directly under the sun and repair the tyre in the middle of the heat. After pumping the tyre back up by hand, we continued towards Dipkarpaz, but by then we were also becoming dangerously low on water and other drinks. A short but surprisingly steep climb eventually brought us into the village, where we found a supermarket that felt like a small oasis after several hours on the road.

We completely refuelled, buying water, Coke, chocolate croissants and essentially anything we could find that contained calories. Once we had filled our bottles and felt ready to continue, however, we discovered that the same rear tyre had gone flat again. We were forced to stop once more and replace the inner tube, only to discover a much bigger problem in the process: the rear tyre had developed a significant bulge. From that point onwards, every rotation of the wheel created a noticeable bump through the rear of the bike. It was far from an ideal situation, but there was no easy alternative. After losing approximately two hours dealing with the tyre problems, we finally managed to continue towards the northern tip of the island.

Apostolos Andreas | The Northern Tip of Cyprus

We continued towards Apostolos Andreas, at the very end of the Karpaz Peninsula, and this section of the ride became one of the most memorable parts of the entire journey. The landscape was spectacular, with beautiful beaches, open roads and long stretches of relatively untouched countryside. We also encountered what felt like an endless number of donkeys along the route, probably close to a hundred in total. Many of them were surprisingly friendly and curious, and seeing them wandering freely around the roads added another completely unexpected element to the experience.

Standing at Apostolos Andreas after already spending so many hours on the bicycle created a strange feeling of being at the end of the world. The landscape was incredibly peaceful and remote, and it was difficult not to stop for a moment and appreciate where we were. From there, we turned around and rode all the way back towards Dipkarpaz, where we finally allowed ourselves a proper one-hour break. We sat down for a Turkish döner, refuelled and took some time to recover before starting the next stage of the journey.

By then, however, the sun was disappearing and we knew that the next part of the ride would take us deep into the night.

The North Coast | Fighting the Headwind

As we followed the northern coastline towards Kyrenia, the conditions changed completely. The tailwind that had made the first part of the ride so enjoyable was gone, and for almost the entire night we were riding directly into a headwind. After many hours already spent on the road, constantly pushing against the wind became both physically and mentally exhausting. Our average speed dropped, the effort required to maintain our pace increased and the feeling that we still had a very long way to go became increasingly difficult to ignore.

Riding as two people made a significant difference during this part of the journey. We took turns at the front, sharing the workload and using each other's slipstream as effectively as possible. We also stopped roughly every 45 minutes to take in carbohydrates and caffeine, making sure that we continued to fuel ourselves even when our appetite was beginning to disappear. At this stage, maintaining a routine became almost as important as maintaining the pace: eat, drink, ride, repeat.

Just as we were approaching Kyrenia, another unexpected challenge appeared. A dog started chasing us, forcing us into a short sprint when our legs were certainly not asking for any additional intensity. Eventually, at around 00:30, we reached the centre of Kyrenia. We found a restaurant, ordered a large portion of fries, refuelled and managed to get approximately 20 minutes of sleep. It was hardly a proper night's rest, but at that point even a few minutes of sleep felt valuable. After the short break, we got back on our bikes and continued west.

Through the Night

The headwind remained with us as we continued through the night. After climbing towards a small mountain village, we stopped at a petrol station, where another problem became apparent. We were completely soaked in sweat, and every time we stopped or began descending, the wind made us incredibly cold. The contrast was difficult to manage: after spending hours generating heat while climbing, the moment we stopped pedalling or descended into the wind, our bodies cooled down rapidly.

There was a beautiful descent ahead of us, but instead of enjoying it at speed, we had to descend slowly because we were simply too cold. Eventually, in the next village, we found a bus stop where we could sit down and rest. We were both exhausted, so we effectively lay down and managed another 20-minute power nap. It was another extremely short sleep, but once again it made a remarkable difference. We got back on the bikes and continued towards the next stage of the route, knowing that the morning would bring another completely different challenge: heat.

Kato Pyrgos | Back Into the Heat

As we continued towards the border near Kato Pyrgos, we knew that two significant climbs were still waiting for us. After another short break, I put some music on and started the first long climb of the morning. The climb gained roughly 500 metres of elevation, and after riding through the night with almost no sleep, it required a considerable amount of mental concentration as well as physical effort.

After reaching the top, we were rewarded with a beautiful descent before continuing towards Polis. Unfortunately, the constant headwind was still there and was gradually draining whatever energy we had left. Reaching Polis therefore felt like another small victory. We stopped to properly refuel, filled every bottle we had and prepared ourselves for what we knew would be one of the hardest sections of the entire challenge: the final major climb.

We left Polis at around 1:00 PM, which was probably the worst possible time to begin another long climb. The sun was extremely strong, and my Wahoo was showing temperatures of up to 39°C. Ahead of us was a continuous climb of approximately 600 vertical metres, and at that point cooling became just as important as drinking. We repeatedly poured water over our heads and bodies to keep our core temperature under control, while trying to maintain a sustainable pace that would allow us to reach the top without completely exhausting ourselves.

Eventually, after what felt like an extremely long climb, we reached the highest point of the entire ride. Reaching that point was an important psychological moment. We had already dealt with punctures, strong headwinds, almost no sleep, cold conditions during the night and extreme heat during the day, and now the biggest climb was behind us. From there, we could finally enjoy a long and beautiful descent towards Paphos.

One More Puncture

In Paphos, we stopped once again to fill all our bottles and prepare for the final stages of the ride. We had barely travelled a few metres, however, when we heard another loud bang. Another inner tube had exploded.

This time, the problem was a cut in the tyre sidewall. We replaced the inner tube and improvised a temporary repair by placing another piece of inner tube inside the tyre over the damaged section. It was certainly not a textbook repair, but it provided enough support for us to continue. We also lowered the tyre pressure significantly in order to reduce the stress on the damaged area. It was another reminder that on a ride of this length, equipment problems are not necessarily a reason to stop; sometimes they simply become another problem that needs to be solved.

We still had a long way to go.

Paphos to Limassol and Alaminos

The section from Paphos towards Limassol and eventually back to Alaminos felt almost endless. At this stage, the objective was no longer speed. We had already been riding for so long that chasing an average speed or trying to gain time no longer made any sense. Instead, we settled into a comfortable rhythm, stayed together and focused on the fundamentals: eating, drinking and continuing to pedal.

Interestingly, this part of the ride also became one of the most enjoyable. We talked, laughed and tried to appreciate the fact that we were finally getting closer to the finish. After so many hours of physical and mental stress, there was a certain satisfaction in simply riding alongside each other and knowing that every remaining kilometre was taking us closer to home.

Then we reached Limassol, and the character of the ride changed once again. The traffic, traffic lights and constant stop-and-start riding were difficult to deal with after so many hours in the saddle. Every acceleration away from a red light felt disproportionately hard, and the legs that had already climbed thousands of metres no longer wanted to respond quickly.

With approximately 45 kilometres remaining, there was only one strategy left: maintain an easy pace, continue eating and drinking, and avoid unnecessary stops. There was no point thinking about how much distance remained or how tired we were. We simply focused on the next kilometre.

For the final section, we followed the coastline before eventually arriving back at the Zypernbike station in Alaminos.

We had made it.

What This Ride Taught Me

The entire challenge began as a spontaneous idea, but it became one of the most valuable cycling experiences I have ever had. Before this ride, my longest distance had been around 230 kilometres, so one of the main reasons for attempting it was simply curiosity. I wanted to discover what my body could actually handle and how I would respond when the usual boundaries of a normal training ride disappeared.

How long can you continue when you are exhausted and have barely slept? How do you maintain your nutrition when you have no appetite? How do you continue riding when you have been fighting a headwind for hours? How do you manage your effort when the temperature reaches 39°C, or when you are suddenly freezing during a descent? And what do you do when your equipment begins to fail several hundred kilometres from home?

The answer, I discovered, is that you adapt. You solve the problem that is directly in front of you and then continue. The ride taught us a great deal about nutrition, pacing, hydration, equipment, preparation and managing unexpected problems, but perhaps the most important lesson was understanding how much more capable the body can be when the mind remains focused on the objective.

The distance itself is only one part of the achievement. What stays with me much more strongly are the lessons and experiences accumulated throughout the journey, from understanding how important consistent fuelling becomes over such a long period to learning how valuable good equipment and preparation are when something eventually goes wrong. The ride also demonstrated how important it is to have another rider beside you. During the most difficult sections, sharing the workload, talking to each other and simply knowing that someone else was experiencing the same thing made a significant difference.

Discovering Cyprus on Two Wheels

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the entire experience, however, was Cyprus itself. Even after spending considerable time on the island, riding around it in this way gave me a completely different perspective. Travelling by bicycle forces you to experience the landscape at a much slower pace, and that makes you notice things that would otherwise disappear from view when travelling by car.

We experienced the island at almost every possible hour and under completely different conditions. We watched the sunrise near Ayia Napa, travelled through the remote landscapes of the Karpaz Peninsula, followed the northern coastline towards Kyrenia, climbed through the mountains, crossed towards Kato Pyrgos, experienced the intense afternoon heat around Polis and eventually followed the coastline back towards Limassol and Alaminos. Within a single journey, we experienced beaches, mountains, villages, remote roads and long stretches of countryside where it felt as though there was nobody else around.

The diversity of Cyprus was one of the most memorable aspects of the ride. The island may appear relatively small on a map, but experiencing it on a bicycle reveals just how much variety it contains. The landscapes change constantly, the elevation can change dramatically within a relatively short distance and the weather can transform the character of the ride completely. Most importantly, cycling allows you to experience the island rather than simply travel through it.

This ride reminded me that there is still so much of Cyprus left to discover, and that some of the best experiences are found when you leave the familiar roads behind and allow the journey itself to become the destination.

One Island, One Ride

Looking back, I don't think I will remember this ride simply as the day we completed a full lap of Cyprus. I will remember the sunrise after starting at 4:00 AM, the supermarket in Dipkarpaz that felt like a lifeline, the donkeys along the Karpaz Peninsula, the endless headwind during the night, the twenty-minute naps that somehow gave us enough energy to continue, the freezing descents, the 39°C heat, the improvised tyre repairs and the feeling of finally seeing the roads around Alaminos again.

Most of all, I will remember the realisation that endurance is not simply about how strong you are when everything goes according to plan. It is about how you respond when things inevitably go wrong. The punctures, the weather, the fatigue, the headwind and the lack of sleep were never part of the original plan, but they became an essential part of the experience.

What started as a spontaneous idea became an unforgettable journey around an island that I thought I already knew.

I now realise that I had only seen part of it.

There are still roads to discover, mountains to climb, coastlines to follow and countless kilometres waiting to be explored.

And after this ride, I know one thing for certain: Cyprus is an incredible place to discover from the saddle of a bicycle.

David Trailovic
Zypernbike Team