Uludağ Ascent

From Bursa up the Mysian Olympus: two thousand metres gained on a paved road, with the plain behind you the whole way.

Open this ride in the planner →

Why this ride

66 km from Bursa to Bursa, about 1 h 16 of riding. Uludağ is the high point. It tops out at 1,900 m. It was put together for the scenery rather than the shortest line.

Roadbook

1. Bursa start · 100 m

   Bursa is where the day begins.

2. Sarıalan scenic · 1630 m

   Sarıalan, the yellow meadow, is the place where the Uludağ road leaves the lower slopes and enters the high forest. It sits at sixteen hundred metres on the northern flank of the mountain above Bursa, a picnic and camping area among tall firs, and for the people of Bursa it is the first breath of cool air on a hot summer weekend. You smell it before you get there: resin, damp earth and the smoke of barbecues.

   The mountain is Uludağ, the great mountain, in ancient times known as the Mysian Olympus, and it is the highest peak in the Marmara region at around twenty-five hundred metres. The forest on its slopes is mostly fir, a local variety of the Caucasian fir that grows in the northern mountains of Turkey, with beech and oak lower down and open alpine meadows higher up. In winter the whole mountain is Turkey's best-known ski resort, and in summer it is a cool refuge, with wildflowers in the meadows and mist moving through the trees. A national park protects the best of the upper forest.

   The road up from Bursa is one of the great climbs in Turkey, with dozens of bends and hairpins that carry you from the city at a few hundred metres to the ski hotels at nineteen hundred. By the time you pass through Sarıalan you are in the cool, shaded middle section, where the gradient is steady, the surface is mostly good, and the corners are tight enough to keep you busy. Fog and cloud often cover the upper slopes even when Bursa is sunny, and there can be ice on the road well into spring, so dress for the top, not the bottom. In snow, you will need chains, and the road may be closed.

   Bursa, in the plain below, was the first capital of the Ottomans, and it is worth a visit for its old bazaars, green-tiled mosques and the famous Iskender kebab, as well as the local sweet of candied chestnuts. For fuel, Kestel and Gürsu, at the foot of the mountain, are both big enough to have stations, and Bursa has everything. There are cafes and small restaurants at Sarıalan and on the way up, with views that improve the tea. Weekends are crowded, so go early on a weekday if you can, and aim for late spring or early autumn.

3. Uludağ pass · 1900 m

   At nineteen hundred metres, the road gives up and the ski hotels begin. Uludağ is both a mountain and a resort, a cluster of hotels, lifts and restaurants built on the broad shoulder of the peak, with the summit another six hundred metres or so above. In winter this is the busiest ski area in the country, and the slopes are full of people from Istanbul and Bursa; in summer, the hotels are quiet, the meadows are green, and the mountain belongs to hikers and the odd motorcyclist.

   The climb is the real event. From Bursa, the road runs up the north face of the mountain in a ceaseless sequence of bends, passing through orchards and chestnut woods, then pine, then the tall firs, before emerging onto the open slopes near the top. The surface is generally well maintained, as you would expect on a road used by skiers, but the gradients are steep and the corners tight, so engine braking and clean lines matter. Fog is common at the top, and temperatures can be many degrees colder than in Bursa, with a biting wind. Even in summer, you may need a warm layer and waterproofs.

   The mountain has a history that goes back a very long way. In antiquity it was known as Mount Olympus, the Mysian Olympus, to distinguish it from the one in Greece, and hermits and monks lived in the forests in the Byzantine period, so there is a story to the place beyond the hotels. On clear days, from the summit area you can see across the Marmara Sea and, on a very clear day, the hills around Istanbul, which is a reward worth waiting for. The alpine flora is rich, with flowers appearing as soon as the snow retreats.

   Practical matters are straightforward. There is no reliable fuel at the top, so fill up in Bursa or in Kestel, eleven kilometres from the mountain's base. The hotels have restaurants, and there are a handful of cafes and kiosks that serve tea, grilled sandwiches and the sort of hot food that suits the cold. In winter, snow tyres or chains are required on the road, and the surface can be icy. The summer months, from June to September, are the best time for a ride, and midweek is much quieter than the weekends.

4. Çekirge finish

   Çekirge closes the day.

Where this sits

Rides near here