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Month: September 2007

9

Published on 9 Comments on 7000 km and Irkutsk at last!

It was most definately a very tortuous and eventful last 32 days. Indeed, a full month of everyday riding, a few mountain ranges, solid coldness, scarcity alongside complete isolation, 70 km of muddy unpaved Siberian roads, bike breakdowns and then bike breakdowns again, physical attacks involving minor theft and punches by drunken Russians and so much more - but we've made it! It took some effort, patience, determination and every bike shop between Omsk and Irkutsk but it's quite something to have rolled 7,000,000 consecutive meters on Russian territory!

At last, it's now time to treat ourselves to a quasi-rest day (might I say - well-deserved!) as we anchor down here in Irkutsk to acquire our Mongolian visas. Then, we'll be off toward Ulan Ude, along the shores of the World's deepest & oldest lake as we try to catch our other 2 team mates currently rolling ahead towards the Mongolian border.

'till next time,

Damien, Irkutsk

17

Published on 17 Comments on In Siberia and Asia…

-> I had not finished this post... so some updates 🙂

Since Moscow we got to the city of Kazan. Beautifull city, with a mix of culture. (Pic below).

City of Kazan

Maybe I should describe the roads... it will be faster than explaining what has been happening...

From Moscow... Imagine it's 11.30PM... the Sun is starting to be at its highest... and you can feel the heat from top but also from the asphalte.

You are going uphill... and there is no shoulder, there is not even a line on the sides of the road.

Out of nowhere a truck is behind you, and behind this truck a mix of trucks, cars... Considering that on the other side there is also traffic, you have to get on the gravels on the side. It makes your climbing very slow and tough... you turn your head toward the right, to avoid the big thick smoke from trucks. Since they have a hard time going up because of their weight, they use a lot of gas. You have a nice taste of smoke in your mouth even though you look on the right of the road... but when you look on the side road... you usually see driver's tombs... with their picture, birthdate... Of course you have to know Cyrillic to understand (only Zack).

You finally make it to the top of the hill... to see othershills lined up for you 🙂 In french the expression for rollercoaster is "Montagnes Russes" (translated Russian mountains). Now I know why 🙂

This was around Moscow... Afterwards we had much better roads, with nice shoulders. Some parts are terribly bad (there are at some places 50cm bumps or holes because of the traffic of trucks).

We have now been having very nice flat roads (altough sometimes they do have some very serious potholes...)

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Sunsets have been quite amazing ... I can grasp them on my mirror ... if we are ridding late. Otherwise we can admire them.... if there are no mosquitoes or rain 🙂

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We met some interesting hills.... the one below was the mother of god hill 🙂 Zack fearless is heading the way

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and we even got escorted by the young locals (below)
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We passed a series of bumps... I think they were the Urals... We kept asking the locals "Urals" and the pointed in our back... not sure if they understood what we meant 😉

We did have time to share a few drinks with the locals 🙂

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We are also now in Asia.

Zack has been our Russian interpreter, Damien the three star cook, and I the tourist / photographer.

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Giving a temporary goodbye to Zack in Omsk in front of his hotel.

This is our next challenge:
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We planning to cross Russia with this on our racks.

And maybe I just had too much weight.... In two days I had 6 flats, the next day one of the screw holding an essential part of my rack broke.... and got stuck. Damien and I fixed using our engineering skills in the middle of the Siberian forest (with a hunter on our side, who kept asking random question and not understanding how serious the breakdown was for us).

The next day, again in the middle of the Siberian forest, with no bike shops around, four of my spokes broke... Flat tires we had the tools to replace; broken spokes, no.

It got to the point where with one more breakdown Damien would have to pull me just like for cars.

We made it magically to town.... (the last 50km were full of suspense and drama). After going around and asking "Velocipid magazin" we finally found our candy store and are ready to go again.

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sorouche

10

Published on 10 Comments on

Where to begin.

Perhaps by noting that the halfway point is now passed: we have crossed the 4500 km mark. 41 days of daily unpredictable adventure, 1 mountain chain, thousands of kilometers of swamp land, countless liters of juice, water and other booster liquids, etc... it's been quite a ride! Even if pages would be written using the most descriptive of terms, it would remain impossible for anyone to convey the fullness of the experience to anyone not living it first hand.

There have already been so many beautiful moments: pure untouched Siberian fields, dark skies rich in stars, friendly bike store staff, amazingly kind Russian new friends and some courteous drivers. But, as expected on a trip of this magnitude and difficulty, the trip also presented many physical and psychological challenges: bike breakdowns of all sorts and for all team members as well as the difficulties that often accompany a far too well rehearsed daily routine in the wildness of nature!

The road ahead is bright.

Ciao for now,

Damien, Novobirisk

17

Published on 17 Comments on Bitter defeat

After 14 days of non-stop riding, some 1800km, with daily distances of 140 to 200km, and nearly being robbed on the side of the highway, I've decided I can no longer keep the pace being set by the rest of the team and still meet my personal travel goals for enjoyment, sanity, and safety (not to mention sanitation.)

Therefore, I've decided to remain behind in Omsk for a few days. I'll be taking the train from here to Irkutsk and meeting the team there for the Baikal/Mongolia portion of the trip.

-Zack

11

Published on 11 Comments on Congrats to the team and a few thanks

Sorry for posting so late, but I only recently learned how thanks to numerous explanations from the team. 

I just read the latest post and want to congratulate Damien, Sorouche and Zack on biking from Europe to Asia! I was lucky enough to spend only a week with these bike warriors and I can attest to their accomplishment.

I would also like to thank Damien, Sorouche and Zack for making my first biking experience an amazing one. I don't know how I would have done this if not for them. They allowed me to adapt to their pace and when I couldn't match it (they move really fast), they didn't say a word or make me feel guilty. They are the best support team anyone could ever ask for and if any one of these guys asks you to do a bike trip with them, I advise you all to accept because you will not be disapointed. I am glad to hear that you are covering huge ground now and don't forget (and I'm sure you haven't), you've banked quite a few kilometres. Do I hear "rest day"? Thanks so much guys for making a biker out of me.

 Other people instrumental to the planning of this trip from the Russian side deserve many thanks too. Rustam and Boris, two of Damien's colleagues in Russia, have helped out with too many logistical questions to mention (how to get from the airport to the city, how to bring a bike on a train, etc...). On behalf of all of us, we thank you for all that you have done and wished that you could have joined us. On a personal note, I would especially like to thank Rustam and Liana (sorry if I spelled it wrong) and Boris and Dina for giving me a personalized, non-tourist tour of Moscow. Their company has been unforgettable and I hope to return it in kind when they come to Canada.

Best of luck in the journey to follow guys. I know that I and many others will be following your progress and look forward to your updates.

 - Sasha

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