UK to Georgia

[MorganCycles]

Hi

Im cycling from the UK to Georgia from July to November

I was wondering if anyone was planning a similar route or cycling along that way.

Would love to chat with someone about dealing with Turkish and Eastern Europe dogs, especially afraid of Kangals after getting bitten in Thailand.

If anyone would be keen to meet up for a few days on the route I would love to get to know other fellow cyclists.

 

[wakemalcolm]

I hadn't previously considered Georgia but having seen Tblisi on Race around the world it's suddenly on my list: it looked stunning.

As you'll have noticed from the tumbleweed, there's limited touring chat on here. Have you had a look at the touring and expedition subforum on Cycling UK?

Josh of Keep Smiling Adventures recently rode south through much of the old Yugoslavia. Dogs seemed to be very much part of his landscape as soon as he left Slovenia.

 

[MorganCycles]

I hadn't previously considered Georgia but having seen Tblisi on Race around the world it's suddenly on my list: it looked stunning.

As you'll have noticed from the tumbleweed, there's limited touring chat on here. Have you had a look at the touring and expedition subforum on Cycling UK?

Josh of Keep Smiling Adventures recently rode south through much of the old Yugoslavia. Dogs seemed to be very much part of his landscape as soon as he left Slovenia.

Aha thank you it is very quiet here. Will look at Cycling UK. Dogs seemed to be a problem anywhere outside of England and France I've been. I even had issues in Portugal and Spain. I guess I've just got to learn how to deal with them better

 

[Mark Manley]

Something I find helps when dealing with dogs is a stem mounted water bottle carrier which allows me to grab it quickly and squirt any approaching dog in the face, this usually startles them enough that they gives up and if by chance it were to be rabid should work better as with rabies comes hydrophobia, it has worked well on my tours on the Indian subcontinent.
I would also consider going into Armenia when you get there, an even less visited place than Georgia which has some beautiful places but you will need to go back into Georgia as I believe their borders with Turkey and Azerbaijan are closed.

 

[Drago]

If you can, scoot away and remove yourself from the vicinity pronto.

Squirting things such as water causes some dogs to back off...and causes others to become more aggressive, so thats a pot luck tactic. I believe pepper spray is legal in Turkey, but do check, dont just take my word for it, and thats an effective incapacitant against dogs. Hydrophobia manifests itself differently in rabid dogs, they wont be scared of it but would simply reject it if offered it because the virus causes their throat to become paralysed and makes swallowing difficult or impossible.

Try and avoid sudden movements, no shouting or screaming no matter how much youre craving yourself. Keep your voice low and tones soothing. Keep your vpice and body language as generally unthreatening as possible.

If confrontation with mutley is unavoidable then dismount and keep the bike between you and them, one hand on the saddle, the other on the stem (im assuming you have two hands) and your leading foot on the frame above the bottom bracket. This keeps a physical barrier between you and mutley, and if they do attack and its a full-on nasty job you have some freedom of movement. The bike is a good weapon if you know how (which I do, I used to train these techniques) and if necessary releasing your grip and pushing forward with your foot will flick the bike onto them, giving you valuable seconds to be off while mutley extricates himself.