The Magic Trails in the Heart of Turkey - Video

 Spot on!

 too soon?

 ROFL!!!!

 You win Pinkbike comment of the day

 Next week we bring you biking down the side of the great pyramids and trails riding at stonehenge

 Exactly my though. The place is amazing and looks very fun to ride but I'm sure that there are other places more adapted to biking than a World Heritage Site.

 I definitely respect where you are coming from on this but it seems to me that these guys are leaving only tracks and, for the most part, coexisting with the landscape. Unfortunately, many of the World Heritage Sites around the globe have been cheapened and transformed into overcrowded tourist traps.

 We may as well destroy it before IS blow it to pieces like all the hertiage in Syria

 I was there 15 years ago and you could rent a mountain bike in the area even then. Really great for exploring the area more than is possible on foot and encouraged by the locals. We were asked to follow the natural water-lines wherever possible. That though is not this video. This video is needlessly skidding around a delicate geological region, riding on the top of rock formations, and you can see the wear lines from traffic on bikes. Definitely disappointing.

 @cunning-linguist

nature made it,
nature made us;
we made nuclear bombs ;
we bombed it;
Nature bombed it

Very smart way of thinking, really. Kill yourself

 couldn't agree more @Ride-More ! watched a documentary about the area last year, super cool place. even the documentary makers said it was a super fragile area. they used a drone or hot air balloon to got shots of the area most of the time. the old villages are literally falling apart by the hour.

and @cunning-linguist accelerating the process doesnt help the situation.... let nature finish it off. Not man....

 I totally agree, but could we just take a moment to appreciate their amazing work? Guys, youre riding and your filming is awesome.

 @Nathan-MTB agreed that the riding is great. but........ it still doesnt seem right.

the first thought i had after watching the documentary was "damn i wanna ride there" then i remembered everything they said about the erosion and careless tourists.

only 6 of the 350 churches are protected. only 50 of those 350 are still standing too.

 why ride anywhere

 riding bikes in areas like this is just so, so,........white.

 I don't disagree with this chain but let's take it down a notch: who here would like to ride in designated wilderness ares?

 i guess we can add it to the list www.stuffwhitepeoplelike.com

 Hello guys! As far as I totally agree with you on the riding of World Heritage Site thing in general, we should make some compromises in our statement as well.
I am indeed very uncomfortable seeing guys shredding on bare and absolutely virgin rocks (no trail) but i've been to Capadoce for biking.
Almost everybody go there with a guide so you don't go off the trail. These are (were) proper fireroad/singletracks there isn't really something to destroy on.
And, even if this is not a proper excuse, pedestrians affect the trails much more than rider there,

In short, riding in "fragile" environment can be fine as long as you don't mess around.

 I spent some years living in Turkey and we would bike here a few times a year. It is still bar none my favorite place to ride. Nothing compared to it, not even Southern Utah. It may be a World Heritage site, but the trails the few bikers use have been there for probably hundreds of years. If you are skidding your tires all over the sandstone, that is kind of a dick thing to do, but it is a dick thing regardless of location. There are no issues with riding here. In fact, as amazing as Turkey is, there is so much trash and garbage left everywhere by the locals. Trust me when I say that biking is far from an issue at this World Heritage site compared to other problems.

 For all the people who are saying that riding this natural place is "a dick thing", stop driving your car or producing rubbish. It hurts the planet much more than just leaving some skids on sandstone.

 Yay! Someone catches my drift! Cheers bud!

 How is me driving my car or consuming products in the US directly effect the health of that area?

Indirectly yes, directly contributing to the decline of a world hertuage site? Far from it.....

 @Mirko17 All of this hurts the planet. We should reduce it all as hard as we can.

 We and the planet are all gonna die sooner or later. Enjoy it while we can. Also, it's like having a great toy for your kids, then putting in a glass box. Just a waste! If someone nuked / levelled it in years to come, think of all the regrets for not making the most of it. Live for every day! You may not have another!!!!!

 @Nathan-MTB yes but riding isn't even comparable with the pollution of other things we do in the everyday life. Cheers

 No, no he didn't. Why do you think Turkey shot down one of Russia's planes? Because Russia is supporting Assad/Syria, whom Gaesh (ISIS) is fighting.

m.youtube.com/watch?v=NKb9GVU8bHE

The only thing uncertain is who the US is funding.

 Yes, the current president of Turkey supports Muslim brotherhood/isis/isil/...its a huge mess as they are NATO member.

 In addition, massive muslim migration to europe is organised by Turkey.

 Yes he did, because this has NOTHING to do with the current article, don't mix everything please. I know what's going on in the world, thanks, and it's ugly. I'd like to keep PB "clean" from this shit.

 Don't let politics big you down, Turkey is a really beautiful place. It may be a tad sketch at the mo. But sure it'll be good in a few years time (fingers crossed this whole jazz settles soon!)

 Their is no such thing as 'terrorism'. 'Terrorism' was created on 9/11 by the US government to revoke civil rights and justify illegal wars on the middle east.

 Let's take it a step at a time @Ride-More.

"Terrorism [with] no money - is a beast without teeth. Oil revenues are a major source of terrorist activity in Syria. They earn about $ 2 billion dollars annually, spending this money on hiring fighters around the world, providing them with weapons [and equipment]."

www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-12-02/russia-presents-detailed-evidence-isis-turkey-oil-trade

 ISIS was almost broke in 2010. They then moved into Syria and with that move it opened up funding from Saudi... and others. Of course they then took that money and push their true agenda of taking key targets in Iraq which secured even more funding methods.

 My first thought when I started reading this thread was zero hedge. And bingo there it is. Too bad nobody knows who Tyler Durden is anymore. Yeah, until Syria is sorted not setting foot in Turkey.

 i'll see your tyler durden, and raise you a travis bickle..........

 @Ride-More ...I think we found the jihadi. Don't you have a flight to catch for your ISIS meeting you piece of shit.

 I'm really feeling 'Network' at the moment, but this is not the place to get started. But damn, though, that world heritage site is looking all Riven.

 have you guys took at least 2 minutes to inform yourselves before saying bullshit over the internet... ''massive muslim migration to europe is organised by Turkey'' .... Dude migration just fuckn happens by itself

 Wow @deadtime, just wow. You're doing wonders to reinforce the negative opinions so much of the world holds of the US.

Here's a little challenge for you: do some research and contemplate how many people have died form Islamic terrorism in the past 15 years and how many people have died from Western military actions in that same. There is no doubt that the actions of ISIS are horrendous, but the sad truth is that the is a great deal of blood on everyones hands.

 I get the "wow"? 2 of them in fact. My 11 year old uses that, a lot. "wow, just wow". Yawn. Did you not see the comment I replied to or the other bullshit that same clown posted above that? I was responding to that. I don't think he's a jihadi, it was a bad attempt at humor and sounded different to me after I just re-read it. But I do feel he is a piece of shit and beyond ignorant. To compare the US to murderous regimes is contemptable. To equate deaths caused by our military actions as being equal to the out and out murders of idealogical bands of lunatics is also bullshit. Did you forget that your country also authorized the Iraq war? And the Afghan war, and Libya etc, etc.,? The US did not invent terrorism. The US did not cause or allow 9/11. The clown I responded to feels differently. Where are you on that? Shed some light for us, I think I already know.

 How can one not compare them. America had no reason to go into Iraq. Bomb its infrastructure into oblivion. In 2001 radical Islam was on the decline. But causing destabilization in the middle east did nothing but help those that pray on such an environment. The US has been using Terrorism for quite some time now as an excuse for why it has missions in the middle east. Like getting involved in a civil war in Syria. Then again they aren't alone in this. Between the Saudis and Israel trying to push their agendas they have done nothing but cause even more destabilization. But I get it, you get offend by the off chance that your great country/government could be partially responsible for the rise of radical Islam and thus terrorism. But Terrorism is just a word used to describe a use of violence and intimidation in the pursuit of political aims. And they didn't create that.

 No need to make things complicated.

@deadtime Do you think arming and training "moderate rebels" with billions of US taxpayer dollars is justified when they can't even track these people? For goodness f*cking sakes, we are arming known, unaccountable terrorist groups because the govt says "the rebels are against Assad". Which is retarded because bringing down the only standing government in that region is only going to make ISIS stronger.

That along with the US standing with Turkey, who has been proven to be funding ISIS. What exactly is happening here @deadtime

 @theminsta How did you get the idea that I condone what the US is doing in Syria? I don't. Let the people in the region figure it out. Where is the rest of the world on this, including your country? Don't hold me responsible, I just want to ride my bike. My reason for being on this thread is to counter the idiot who said the US "invented" terrorism to revoke civil rights and justify illegal wars in the Mideast. May I remind all you Canadians that your country voted on the authorization to invade Iraq. I feel what Bush/Cheney did (fake intelligence) borders on criminal action. And may I remind you that as a member of NATO your country is standing with Turkey just as much as mine. I'm more in line with your thinking than you think.

@Jokesterwild Somehow you got the impression I supported the invasion of Iraq. I never did. But your country did, along with all of NATO and most of the world. Also, you say "radical Islam was on the decline" in 2001. You sure? The rise of ISIS has more to do with Iraq politics than continued action by the US. The failure of the Iraqi PM to include the Sunni minority in the new government is the biggest reason. Sunni's ran Iraq while Sadam was in power thru the Baath Party. When the US invaded they started a disastrous policy of de-Baathification. All of the military leaders, school leaders, political leaders, and business elite lost all their jobs and pensions and were excluded from participating in the new government. Some of these very people are leaders within ISIS or are at least covertly supporting ISIS. While ISIS states that this is an idealogical struggle what they are simply trying to do is survive. They claim the US is their sworn enemy but in reality the true enemy of ISIS is the Shiite controlled governments of Iran and Iraq and desperately want the US back because they falsely believe they could get a restart or a new government (within Iraq) that allows a better representation. I have no sympathy for ISIS or Sunnis'. This is a very complicated matter and simply stating that this is all the fault of the US is ignorant and shows your lack of any understanding of the situation.

and to the moderator who clipped my comment from above: you think your helping the situation here? do you condone this US bashing? why?

 Correction Canada did not support the invasion of Iraq. I don't know where you got that from. Prime Minister Jean Chrétien made that decision. Even though the opposition party thought we should at the time. So please do at least a small bit of research before hand.

In 2010 ISIS was almost completely out of funding/money. They then went into Syria which secured them the funding they needed to make a come back. They took most of that funding and used it for their true objectives which was taking key strategic points in Iraq. Yes there is more to ISIS and its origins but that is a vital fact.

 I stand corrected regarding Canada's authorization for war in Iraq (2003).

Wikipedia states ISIS (Al Nusra Front) moved into Syria August 2012.

 Sketchy wearing stars and stripes over there in isis/muslim brotherhood territory.
Turkey is not a place I'd go to with its current leadership.

 @ride-more - you probably wanna keep that kind of bullshit sensationalist theory to yourself mate.

 Wow, that is not the topic of conversation I started.

 right?!

 Got any examples of that happening in Turkey?

 Exactly, and by JohnPaul11's logic, than we shouldn't be visiting California, or much of the USA given all the mass shootings and the like. Might get caught in the middle of gun battle, statistically looking at the amount of gun violence in the USA. No disrespect intended here, but if you can see the ignorance in my comment, pot meet kettle...

 yeh, California not quite as close to the total nutjobs as Turkey is it mountainbikerfisher? Hardly comparible . Yeh, USA full of nutjobs but a different kind ya muppet

 Care to compare the stats between gun violence in the USA and Turkey? Not sure how you define your nutjob, don't really care to be honest.

 And most Brits go on holiday to get pissed on the beach and treat every seaside town like I-bee-fa...

Cappadocia looks nothing like Pamukkale but I can see how your hangover addled mind could confuse the two as your bus from Istanbul to Oludenez only made one-hour stops for world heritage sites.

Stereotypes are fun

 I was waiting for someone to post that.... and then the man himself throws down the history lesson!

 Everybody stole somebody's land at some point.

 The land was taken by genocide and has been denied by the Turkish government, absolutely disgusting.

 The entire US was taken by genocide and has been denied by the US government, absolutely disgusting. The entirety of the African continent was taken by genocide and has been denied by the European governments that occupied them, absolutely disgusting.

 Barrel of ISIS oil sort of fun?

 Sorry, shouldn't have been so negative. Looks like an amazing place.

 Negative or not, it's the f*cking truth, ain't it? We shouldn't do business (tourism) with a country/government that directly supports terrorism. That is just wrong

 And we ( NATO ) support turkey so we are just as f*cking corrupt and support terrorism.
But turkey has great strategical advantage for the US in the middle east so this will go unpunished and will continue.

 US global interventionism (read: legal terrorism) caused the middle east to become a warzone and further amplified radicalism by supplying ISIS with weapons (all documented).

How will the good politicians and officials react? How will the citizens of all the countries react?

If we don't AT LEAST spread awareness and discuss this grave matter openly, we are condoning and indirectly committing all the horrors committed by this endless war on "terror". The blood of hundreds upon hundreds of innocent lives is on our hands:

www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/06/17/world/middleeast/map-isis-attacks-around-the-world.html?_r=0

 There's also no point in listening to mainstream media as they just spew worthless bullshit. Have some "Truth about the Paris Attack":

www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjvPj7WAX7A

 All people with a modicum of sense should stop watching tv ,and start thinking for ones self ,fresh houghts will never be had by individuals all the while they are constantly barraged by the social conditioning spewed out by the mainstream media plus all the other complete bollocks that is pumped out to pacify the masses.

 Its nice to see people awake and questioning the propaganda machine that is so prevelant in the Western states. Truth can't be hidden for too long.

 the Froriders did it in the late '90's in Kranked 3, remember it well.

 Considering your country has been involved in 147 military interventions since WW2 I'd have thought your geography would be a little better.

 Yo, Shill-More. Stop posting anti-western garbage, you're an embarrassment.

 I'm anti war not anti western

 Meh.... I call anything west of Russia and east of Germany "Eastern Europe" and I dont really pay attention to the that little pond known as the black sea. Got me an 'murican edumacashun thinking like that, so I mus be doin sum thing rite!

 I'm crying at that one. Hahahaha