Good news is we found a good bicycle shop in Novosibirsk. Bad news is we will spend an extra day here for repairs. On our first rest day I walked around the city and found the Test Centre (Тест Центр) bicycle shop. As I looked around the shop, I told them I was bicycling from Amsterdam to Vladivostok. Vladimir spoke very good English and told me “you are not the first”. He showed me a wall where he had taken photos of several cross-continent cyclists in front of the shop. He also showed me a scrap book with notes and some photos from those cyclists. It was fun looking through the book, I counted three from Netherlands, two from Japan, one from Canada, half a dozen from Germany, one from Austria and one from Switzerland and one or two from Russia. There were some pretty impressive rides among the collection. For example, one of the Japanese had ridden from Magadan to Murmansk during the winter. It was also interesting to read some of the “I came to the shop with a broken X” accounts of parts people had come to get repaired.

On the second rest day, I went to the shop with my bicycle. We took a photo and I added a scrap book entry. Here we noticed that the axle on the front hub was either bent or broken. The wheel still turns, but is a little rough and there is a noticeable movement up and down on the skewer. Тест Центр has some good parts and hence I decided to have them rebuild the front wheel with a new hub. This is the same wheel that already lost a ball bearing and was so-so quality when I bought it in Estonia, so nice to get it rebuilt with a better hub. Today is a chance to see a little more of Novosibirsk, though we’ve walked through much of the downtown areas. I look forward to getting on the road again.

As I understand things, there are a few bicycle shops in Irkutsk and not much after that to at least Khabarovsk, so good to get things taken care of before then. This is likely a long shot, but if anyone knows of or can locate a source of gas for camp stoves (see photo) in Irkutsk we will also be looking for some in Irkutsk.

0km today, 6835km across Eurasia. [Photo: 858, 859]

Posted by mev as Siberia at 9:17 AM EDT

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We were warned by Lonely Planet that “Novosibirsk Hotels, already overpriced, have a weird rule preventing most from accepting foreigners unless prebooked through a tour agency” and similar disclaimers. I tried to prebook an apartment from Omsk but this didn’t quite come together. So the plan for today was to get close enough to the city that we might depart if we couldn’t find accommodation.

We left our nice campsite in the forest and returned to busy roads. Fortunately, they became wider as we neared the city. Some bumps and cracks but overall better than expected. I stopped briefly at a cafe at 25km. Not long thereafter, the road split with one stream prohibiting trucks. We followed this road and by 36km it had curbs and gutters and was a very busy urban highway. It was nice to finally cross the Ob river at 44km. In comparison with Omsk, I found this river to seem a bit more urban.

Without much difficulty, we found our way to the first hotel. “We’re full” was about as helpful as the desk staff became. So, we started walking and found a hotel not in the guide books. Mickey went upstairs. While this hotel was also full, they were helpful enough to call many others (all full) and finally an office that rented apartments. The price was a bit much, but it would enable us to take a rest day. We started walking/cycling to the office. Across from the station was another large hotel. Not sure if they had been called or not but we tried it. Mickey went in and came back with a very reasonable price – so we thought we might have a place for three nights even! After this, the difficulties began. Once they discovered our bicycles, there was a lot of back and forth when they first told us “no bicycles in the rooms, no luggage room or other place to put them”. We tried different possibilities and were clearly stuck. They went back and relented and “ok, you can put bicycles in the room”. Now as they knew it was two people and not one, the price was suddenly almost triple (for the same room with two beds). A bit worn down by the process, we decided to take our rest days here anyways.

I’ve done some walking around the city to find the basic layout including internet cafe and major places. It will be nice to take some rest time here. As near as I can tell, this is the big city nearest to our 50% mark. After this we also will not have cities as big, with none over a million people.

47km today, 6835km across Eurasia. [Photo: 843, 845, 847, 850, 851]

Posted by mev as Siberia at 6:39 PM EDT

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Today we arrived in Novosibirsk after seven days on the road from Omsk. It took some work to find a hotel and that was a little more expensive than we might like. However, still decided to take two rest days here. The past week riding across Siberia continued to be flat terrain. Roads were occasionally rough. We had both days with hot temperatures and also some rain. However, overall continues to be some good cycling across Siberia. When people ask if we’ve come from far and when we reply “Amsterdam”, they are starting to joke “and you must be going to Vladivostok”. Hence, the locals still think of this as a long ride, but Vladivostok is no longer off the imagination. From here ~750km to Krasnoyarsk and ~1850km to Irkutsk as the next likely big places. There are five cities of 1 million plus that we cross on our trip: St Petersburg, Kazan, Yekaterinburg, Omsk and Novosibirsk. Hence, this is the largest city from here to the Pacific and last over 1 million population.

We’re declaring this the halfway point, will have to see how the kilometers come out exactly. I haven’t yet figured out if I can upload my previous journals and photos but will try this over the next two rests days here.

By the way, for those of you interested in bike trip journals. Bill Weir has recently posted One Year in Asia. I met Bill and his bicycle (named “Bessie too” or perhaps I met “Bessie”) in South India in 2002. He has done some interesting bicycle touring since then including his latest travels that I mostly read when sent via email updates. I also notice that Andrew and Joanne recently completed their trek along the Ride from Prudhoe Bay to Fairbanks. It sounds like a tough adventure. I met Andrew and Joanne in Australia in 2001 interesting that we both planned our next big adventures in the same year. I expect they will be posting more as they come down the Alaska Highway.

Posted by mev as Siberia at 3:14 PM EDT

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Russian roads have no need for rumble strips. Paved shoulders are often minimal and at times the entire surface rides like a rumble strip, so drivers might not notice. We had some roads like that today, though my expectations were set low enough that I was pleasantly surprised. Roads were still below average and the road remains narrow as traffic increases.

I left in the morning with cloudy skies and tailwinds. Rough roads but my legs were fresh. It was too early to stop at the cafe at Каргат turnoff at 10km. I followed the roads at near Кокошино at 31km we suddenly had smooth road. This ended 10km later though. It looks like most of today, the old concrete was at least replaced but in some places the new asphalt was soft and rutted by heavy trucks.

Tailwinds meant I made good time and was at Чулым turnoff at 59km for our first stop. Mickey had studied the maps here and said “lets go to 100km turnoff and perhaps even 140km turnoff today”. I was more non-committal depending on how my legs felt.

It was a steady ride amongst increasing traffic. A new cafe was being built at 96km but wasn’t open yet. At 101km was Дупленская turnoff with a muddy dirt road. I didn’t explore further because on the road sign was a note from Mickey that she had gone ahead in search of a better stop. So, on the bike again. This next stretch had more trees and as I reached outskirts of Коченево at 136km, I saw a nice lake, resort cabins and a very nice cafe. We refueled here before passing the city, getting water and ducking into some newly planted forests to find a place to camp. It was a long ride, but it is nice to be getting closer to the big city.

141km today, 6788km across Eurasia. [Photo: 836, 837, 839]

Posted by mev as Siberia at 6:38 PM EDT

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Overnight the wind started howling through the trees. I was pleased to discover it was going to be a day with tailwinds. It was nice and cool when I left. Today started with many open areas and good roads so the tailwinds made it easy to glide along. I see fields occasionally plowed but mostly open areas. Without much trouble I was at a cafe at 35km. One of the proprietors warned me here “Bad roads ahead”. “How many kilometers are bad?” “300”. My expectations were set for the bumps ahead. The road stayed good until kilometer 59, including our crossing of the trains-Siberian tracks. After that occasional good patches but increasingly rough. The road is old concrete highway that has started to deteriorate, even when they put some loose asphalt on top.

A quick stop at 72km and then the last riding through more forested areas to 110km. Here was a large truck-stop area with a large столовая, магазин, мотель and even a place that advertised for laundry! We replenished everything here. While it was still early, I had seen enough bumps for the day that we found a place to camp. We’ve now crossed the 80th meridian of longitude and are east of both Afghanistan and Pakistan.

112km today, 6647km across Eurasia. [Photo: 828, 829, 831]

Posted by mev as Siberia at 6:36 PM EDT

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Mosquito patrol at midnight. Quick shut the window! Now with towels we zap as many as we can. A few leave red blotches. Others are smashed against the walls. We had left the door and window open in the motel to allow a cooling breeze. The breeze also kept the mosquitoes at bay. At midnight, the breeze stopped and hence the need for our mosquito patrol.

After breakfast in the motel, we found it lightly sprinkling. The cat below decided it liked my panniers more than the wet ground. It had at least cooled down enough and was refreshing compared to yesterday. We had a delightful cool ride for 25km to reach our first cafe. The rain stopped but it was still cool.

After breakfast it wasn’t clear when we would find the next stop. Signs said 80km. The road became a little worse as well: narrower, more traffic and worse surface. At 56km a second sign appears for “20km cafe”. Three kilometers later it started raining. The rain came down hard, but I had a goal in mind and kept cycling. I was good and soaked and ready for my lunch. We ate slowly and waited for it to subside. Fortunately, it slowed down. This next stretch the road was also worse. We continued past both exits for Барабинск and had a nice truck stoop a few kilometers later at 113km. We refilled on water and then set off to find a place to camp. There aren’t many trees here.

We’re seeing many more right hand drive cars on the road here. Apparently bought in Japan and brought over here. Some trucks still have the Japanese lettering.

118km today, 6535km across Eurasia. [Photo: 826]

Posted by mev as Siberia at 6:35 PM EDT

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I found a town in the backwaters of Siberia without internet connections for tourists. In Чаны, I asked three normally reliable sources: the post office, the telegraph/telephone office and a teenage boy - and none could find an internet connection for me. An inviting hotel and an obnoxious cross wind made for an early end to the day. Hence, we stopped early and I went to nearby town in search of an internet connection.

The mosquitoes were out early today, and hence a quick departure. I hadn’t found a store yesterday, so was ready for the first cafe at 11km. This was a very small place with some cold soup and a hard boiled egg. A few kilometers later, two SUVs came past, both with extra tires on the roof. They stopped. The drivers were from Germany and on their way to Mongolia. We stopped some kilometers further at 28km at the second cafe for another breakfast.

From here a slow steady ride. The road was rough in a few spots, but stayed wide. The wind slowly increased. It was mostly a cross wind, but still slowed things down. It was also getting warmer. We saw signs for a cafe in 15km, but when we got there, it was missing. However, shortly thereafter was a sign for 8km more. At 72km we reached a nice cafe/motel at turnoff to Чаны. It was even air conditioned! Outside a clock thermometer said 30C (by afternoon it had risen to 34C). After a long lunch, we decided to ask about motel room prices and otherwise make it an early day. From here, I went to the town of Чаны to find my internet connection.

89km today, 6417km across Eurasia. [Photo: 817, 820, 822, 823]

Posted by mev as Siberia at 6:34 PM EDT

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Its hot! Chocolate bars are melting in Siberia. We came to the major Омск/ Новосибирск highway today. So far the road is in reasonable condition and traffic has been light. It is a straight and flat road. There are occasionally clusters of trees, but fewer than before Омск.

We lost track of each other today and had to regroup. I left early and towards the town of Калачинск. Before leaving, I told Mickey that if there was a cafe at the spot where the road from Калачинск met the main highway, I would stop there for breakfast.

At 11km I was in Калачинск. Most of the town was still closed. I crossed the railroad and just before leaving there was a fork in the road. I asked some at the bus stop “which way to Новосибирск”. They pointed to the left fork. At 20km I was at my cafe intersection, but there was no cafe. I knew it would be a while, so started down the main highway. A few kilometers of rough concrete and some rough asphalt but otherwise a good road. I was getting a bit hungry, and so was happy to find a cafe at the 59km mark at the turnoff to Ивановка. I was surprised that Mickey hadn’t caught up, and even more when my wait turned into an hour and a half. I had gone outside and started to ask motorists as they came in. Eventually some told me they had seen her, 40km away, 15km away.

Finally, Mickey arrived. Apparently in Калачинск she had been told the right fork where I had been told the left fork. She intersected the main highway, 6km further west. Worse there was a cafe where the right fork met the main road. When she reached the main highway, she didn’t see me at the cafe and so thought I might still be in town and she waited, and waited. Eventually some motorists indicated I was ahead and she hurried to catch up. Sigh, easy to get separated here.

After regrouping at Ивановка turnoff, we continued on the main road and crossed the oblast boundary into Novosibirsk oblast at 63km. A little later there were signs and then a nice cafe at 85km appeared. It had a cool veranda for a hot day and a water truck with cool water. We went just a little further before finding some trees to camp underneath in the heat of the afternoon. There were many insects again here. It was still warm, and so a quiet relaxing afternoon, waiting for it to cool down in Siberia.

92km today, 6328km across Eurasia. [Photo: 810, 814]

Posted by mev as Siberia at 6:32 PM EDT

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Today we left the big city and started our ride to Новосибирск. It is interesting how much contrast we have between rest days in the city and days on the road. Several factors conspired to make today a slower day than normal.

Our hotel included breakfast with the room, so we waited until almost 8am when the breakfast started. As we left the hotel, the staff was excited to help us with our luggage and gave us big waves as we left (I think they were excited about the trip, not that they were happy to have us leave). We cycled back over the bridge and into the big city. We stopped briefly at the internet cafe to check on potential apartments in Новосибирск. Unfortunately, it wasn’t working. The staff said “15 minutes” in the same tone that airline staff tell you when they aren’t sure when you might leave but “check back in 15 minutes”. Not wanting to play that waiting game, we continued on. Our maps and the signs directed us in a zig-zag route out of town that eventually ended up on the northern road out of the city. Ominous clouds loomed to our west and then we saw lightening. We continued for a bit, but as sprinkles turned to rain, we took refuge under a bus shelter. We spent the next while in the shelter with a variety of people who came and went from the buses. Finally, rain turned back to sprinkles and we set off.

The light rain continued until the turnoff to Кормиловка at 36km. Just as we reached the turnoff, Mickey ran over a piece of glass and we had a flat to fix. After fixing the flat, we ate in the cafe at the turnoff.

The next 17km to Кормиловка were a bit slow. The rain had stopped, though thick globs of mud occasionally were on the road. They would stick and rub under my front fender. This area was more agricultural, though I’m still not sure what they grow here other than hay. At 54km we came through Кормиловка. We rode more eastbound here, including some kilometers directly into the wind. It was starting to get late, so we found a village right next to the train tracks to get water and end the day.

The villagers directed us to a well, which was unfortunately was dry. We used another nearby well – not sure if we should or not. We asked about the store that appeared to be locked and closed. However, as we asked, a teenager went to find the clerk and they opened the store for us. From here, we were refueled and cycled a short distance down the main road before finding a place to camp. We are close to the main train tracks and hear many trains coming down the line.

78km today, 6236km across Eurasia. [Photo: 803, 806]

Posted by mev as Siberia at 6:30 PM EDT

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Best wishes for the summer solstice from a rest day in the city of Omsk. At 55 degrees north, we have some long daylight hours. At 73 degrees east, we are now three time zones east of Moscow. We cycled eight days through Western Siberia from Екатеринбург to reach the Omsk. We left the Urals and this area has been much flatter. We came through many lower marshy areas, birch forests and past many more biting insects. Some agriculture but we also passed a lot of open lands. Our general pattern would be to quickly escape to the tent as soon as we finished for the day and not reappear until time to cycle the next day. Roads have been better than before, though we’ve seen our share of rough roads. Our choices in roads have also lessened as there aren’t many smaller paved roads. Today will be a rest day here before departing further east tomorrow. The city of Novosibirsk (Новосибирск) has a reputation of being difficult to find hotel accommodation without pre-booking so it is not clear where we’ll next take a rest day.

Progress thus far:

Posted by mev as Siberia at 10:26 AM EDT

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