A shorter ride today to the city of Улан-Удэ. We have warm temperatures with forecast highs of 39C (102F), so it was nice to get in before the warmest part of the day. Just as I was ready to depart we had a few raindrops. I waited a bit and then was caught by a downpour just as I came through Ильинка at 7km. I found a place to shelter but by then the hardest rain was over. The road continued mostly flat along the Selenga river. I stopped again at 16km in a small store in Татаурово. Somehow the ticking in her freewheel had stopped as if the problem was never there. Not sure what happened though perhaps some of the paws got stuck or eventually broke off [anyone have any ideas what would make the freewheel make a terrible racket and eventually stop another 100km later?].

At 24km we had a climb of 4km. At the top was a Buddhist monument area with many of these strips of cloth tied to the trees. There was also a nice descent back down to the Selenga River. At 32km we were close to the river and had a good place to stop for a meal. From here the road was again mostly flat along the river valley. We passed a ДПС post and then a suburb of the city itself. We were at city limits at 58km with signs for the center in another 7km. The city has a small center with a square with large Soviet style buildings and a large Lenin head. Many more Buryati people are walking around, as if we’re not far from Mongolia. We found our way to a large hotel complex and brought bikes up again. Plan is to spend a few days here and meet up with Bert and Jean and also replenish some supplies.

After going to the internet cafe, I found my GI tract decided to empty itself. It was as if I had a food poisoning from something I ate. A little frustrating and I’ll need to slowly figure out what to eat again.

66km today, 9215km across Eurasia [Photo:1110, 1112, 1113, 1117]

Posted by mev as Siberia at 6:48 PM EDT

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We’re back in a city, this time Ulan-Ude. Among the claims to fame is the worlds largest Lenin head. This city is also center of the Buraty region and we’re suddenly seeing different peoples, as if we suddenly stepped into a bit of Mongolia. However, I’m surprised to find the local supermarket even has peanut butter!

This past five days we cycled past Lake Baikal and camped one night between shores of the lake and the trans-Siberian railroad. We met an olympic speed skater from Russia who competed in Turin. We’ve had some hilly terrain though last few days are less hilly. Also, fewer problems with insects these past few days than before. We have a few warm days here in Ulan-Ude.

Plan is to explore Ulan-Ude and also meet up with my brother Bert and sister-in-law Jean as they also come to this city. Also need to see if it is possible to post photos and previous days logs. [Note: doesn’t seem possible, so try again in Chita]

Posted by mev as Siberia at 3:24 PM EDT

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