There are numerous reasons why the Russia Crossing team opted to embark on such a trip - crossing the largest country on earth by bicycle:
Cycling is Impeccable
- Source of absolutely no NOx, SOx, PM emissions and only limited (but unavoidable) levels of CO2
- Treads lightly on the surface of the earth
- Develops “anthropocentric humilityâ€: the cyclist greatly depends on nature and learns to respect it in a way that can barely be described in words. Realizing this sort of experience in its fullness, very few will do in their lifetime. Here is an opportunity for you to do so.
- Cycling is living with environmental integrity
Some Joys
- To be exposed to the true nature of a country – not just its big cities and tourist attractions – and thus develop a much more thorough understanding of the local people and how they organize socially, economically, culturally
- To witness the unrolling and unpredictable theatre of nature and the societies it hosts, provides for and constrains
- To understand thoroughly the way a people lives: to see its rural life as well as its city life but also everything in between – literally
- To breath, to smell, to feel the elements in their fullness and not through the window of a car, train and/or bus
- To earn and feel a sense of accomplishment. To have an opportunity to discover one’s own limits
- To live with adventure, to live fully, to live with the local people
- To get in incredibly good physical and spiritual shape
- To create and share life experiences which will last a lifetime with superb like-minded individuals
- To rejoice at the idea that you are traveling cheaper than most tourist will ever be able to in their lifetime!
Some Challenges
- To reach levels of cumulative physical exhaustion which bring your body and personality to rare territory
- To be vulnerable under the unpredictability of nature and to suffer when she decides. To learn to deal with this is an exceptionally enriching life experience.
- To lack of usual comforts and to face new unavoidable and unpredictable discomforts
- To accept and manage emotions and pain in a group whose members are each faced with the same challenges
- To do one’s share, even during hard times, to ensure a group’s wellbeing and effective operation