Today we arrived in the city of Krasnoyarsk. People are friendly here and there is a big wide main street. We found a hotel without much trouble at all. This past week we’ve cycled a little over 800km from Novosibirsk. We’ve left the completely flat areas between the Urals and Novosibirsk, to have some occasional hills to climb. The number of insects has increased. I’m told there will be many until mid-August or so as it starts to get cooler. We’ve also had a few warm days on the ride here. Tomorrow is a rest day. I’ll upload more info and photos from that day on the rest day as well as get a chance to look around here some.
ПамÑти 13 Борцов, accordion roads
The road width varied like an accordion today. Sometimes big and wide four lane highway. Sometimes narrow bumpy two lanes. It kept changing back and forth. We had a warm ride today as we road a majority of the remaining distance to КраÑноÑÑ€Ñк.
Last nights camping spot was the best we’ve had in a while and I left without many mosquitoes. The road was wide and smooth. It climbed some gentle grades and continued to do so for much of the rest of the day. Today was mostly wooded and not agricultural. There were a only few large villages so finding a cafe outside ÐовочернорченÑкий at 30km was a pleasant surprise.
After this we had smoother roads and the accordion was at full width. Once we climbed up top of the hills, it was mostly level. The next cafe was at 52km. A little early, but we didn’t know when we would find another one. Many local vendors here selling woodwork or birch branches bound. Two brothers from Kazakhstan and their friend from Russia were very curious about our trip. They told us we wouldn’t have another cafe for 60km. It was getting warm, so we topped off on water and set off for a long hot ride.
The road started smooth but then the accordion narrowed and it became very rough. We climbed a few hills and it became hot. On the uphills the horseflies would periodically land and I had to swat them away. It was a long slow ride. Hence, the cafe at 81km was a pleasant surprise.
The accordion flexed a few more times as several “expedition†cars passed. Someone hung out the window and started a video of me riding, just as I hit a batch of tar (which then goes thump, thump, thump in the fenders). We later met up with the group of Polish and Swiss. They were driving to China and then back via central Asia.
We crossed into the watershed of the ЕнйÑей (since the Urals we’ve been in the Обь watershed) and at the next small town was a shop and place to fill up with water for the day. We found a place to camp across the road from town, hidden in some evergreen trees. Photo below shows an average number of mosquitoes on the rainfly with just a few horseflies.
117km today, 7607km across Eurasia. [Photo: 924, 927, 930]
ÐчинÑк + 5km, confusing roads
A nice cycling day with mostly good roads and a lot of flat terrain. I was happy to leave the ants back at camp and get on the road. It was a misty morning and my glasses kept fogging up. Fortunately, the road was smooth and wider than average. Without much trouble I was at Боготол at 24km for a breakfast stop. The other patrons at these places tend to be other road users: truck drivers, people ferrying left-hand drive cars from the east, Russian cars driving long distances. Menus are frequently similar: salads including eggs, soups, meats, sides that include mashed potatoes/macaroni/rice and tea and coffee. I can frequently order similar things and there are days when I have three soups in a day.
A brief climb past the road police (ДПС). This time they waved me to stop, but then asked the same curiosity questions. I have yet to be asked for official documents at these stops.
Once we climbed to top of the hill, it was mostly level or downhill as we rode past cultivated fields. Bus stops were painted with murals. Before I knew it I reached the “M53 КаФе†at 58km. Here we planned for the next mid-sized town: ÐчинÑк. Our maps showed one road straight across and a bypass loop around the south part of town. The plan was to take the road straight across and stop at a shop for food.
We continued to have nice cycling as we approached town. At 82km was an exit for several towns further to the north. I followed the main road (Mickey had taken this exit, but I didn’t know it). The main road then turned south and crossed the river. On outskirts of town were several large shops. I checked and didn’t see Mickey. I followed the КраÑноÑÑ€Ñк road signs and realized I had been led on the loop road around the south. I stopped once at a supermarket and then hurried to edge of town at 96km. Here there was one road that came from the center and one from the north and my road from the south. No signs of Mickey. I figured Mickey would be on the center road and went back to town for a bit before the road split into too many directions. When I came back to the intersection, Mickey was there! She hadn’t been on south road or middle road, so where had she come from? Turns out she had crossed town and came out on the road coming from the north. All a bit confusing and our maps said different things, but fortunate to sort it all out.
We stocked up on water, climbed the hill outside town and cycled a few kilometers past an airport before finding a nice place to camp. So far insect life is a lot calmer here than the last few days.
105km today, 7490km across Eurasia. [Photo: 920, 921]
КраÑноÑÑ€Ñкий border, is this a short day?
The amount of insect life seems to have stepped up a notch. As it gets warmer, the large horse flies come out. They buzz around the bicycle and sometimes land and bite. When we’re walking the bike to find a campsite, they multiply until we are covered with them. They climb underneath the rainfly and buzz away.
My first tent site here didn’t have any horse flies. The problem was the ants. They were everywhere and had even picked off all the horseflies that landed. Unfortunately my gear was outside (in this one person tent) and the ants were also everywhere inside. I was being driven crazy by the ants. I finally packed everything up and moved away. This new site also has ants but in better balance. There are even flies still buzzing under the tent. There are still ants crawling over the tent. Some ants I call “rodeo antsâ€, run up to a fly and grab a leg and hold on. Most of the time, the horseflies is able to buzz off and shake off the rodeo ant. Sometimes the horsefly with extra passenger dives with the extra weight and gets stuck in the rainfly. If the timing is right the rodeo ant gets a helper and together they wrestle with the large fly. I saw many horseflies get captured this way by the ants.
Roads today were in worse shape and we had some more hills than yesterday. After some late days, we wanted to try to end today a little earlier. Plenty of mosquitoes when I packed my tent, so I was gone quickly. The road was narrow and there was a moderate amount of traffic. Worse, the surface was a patchwork of fixes. There were several hills to climb and half way up one of those hills at 38km was a cafe.
From here the road went mostly through forested areas. The railroad had curved away, a sign that hills were soon to follow. We decided to ride to ИтатÑкий at 80km and then see about camping. The town of ИтатÑкий had a bypass. I took the bypass but missed chalk arrows Mickey had left and so continued straight when she went into town. At the far end of town at 87km was a cafe where I stopped with no sign of Mickey. I ate at the cafe and eventually Mickey came from town where she had been waiting for me.
From here we went to find a place to camp. The first two roads were too swampy and filled with insects. Just past the oblast boundary was a promising spot. We were interrupted by local out chopping wood and the ants were ferocious but otherwise it was ok place to camp.
95km today, 7385km across Eurasia. [Photo: 916, 917]
МариинÑк + 10km, back to flat ground
Happy 4th of July! The mosquitoes are at least as plentiful as Canada Day three days ago. We left the hills and trees and are in flatter agricultural areas with wheat and rapeseed.
It is interesting to see the types of life that creeps under the rainfly. Typically four sizes of flies: large biting horseflies, medium buzzing flies, small flies that bite and small flies that don’t bite. There are occasionally butterflies, moths and centipedes. Last night had many slugs and ants. A large bumble bee kept trying to probe the tent. Spiders occasionally cross as well as caterpillars. Each morning I try my best to shake them off before packing things up.
This morning started with more hills to climb. Fortunately there were flat spots in between and I was fresh and ready for hills. A motorcyclist passed me and stopped. Valentin was a Russian motorcyclist traveling from Magadan, Russia to Lisbon, Portugal. He planned to sell his motorcycle there and hoped for enough for fare home. He warned of bad roads ahead.
At 36km I came to outskirts of КраÑныи Яр (any Russian speakers know meaning of «Яр» we’ve had a few of these places so far). The first cafe I came to looked run down and had remains of a burnt bus outside. Most of the menu items were crossed off. I waited at the window, but no one came to take my order. I gave up and continued on to a better place in town.
After breakfast the hills became smaller and the trees fewer. There was a slight headwind. The road was in good condition, so still made good time. We passed more wheat fields. At turn off to Верх Чебула, at 84km, was a gas station and small cafe.
The road became busier after lunch as we heading into and through МариинÑк. Signs led us through town, past the center and over a bridge. The villages on other side had water and soon thereafter we found a place to camp next to a wheat field. There are more horse flies than I’ve seen, but luckily they are on other side of the mesh.
118km today, 7290km across Eurasia. [Photo: 908, 909, 910, 915]
УÑпенка, here come some hills
Today we crossed Кемерово and were back on the main highway. There were more hills today, particularly the last third of the ride. The morning started foggy. The grass was tall and the mosquitoes were still asleep as I left. The first hill was in the first 2km. After this, the first 18km had more rolling hills before descending to the Томь river valley. Fields were planted with some form of grasses or grains. My glasses were fogged by the mist for most of this section.
After Мозжуха at 20km the road stayed flat along the river. At 34km we came to outskirts of Кемерово. Compared to other cities of half a million, it was easy to cross this city by following “M53†signs. We didn’t see much of the city other than industrial areas. At 41km we crossed the bridge across the Томь and then had several kilometers of climbing before a brief breakfast stop at a shop.
As we were cycling out of town, two reporters flagged us down. We gave our third press interview. Perhaps our smiling faces will show up in the Кемерово newspaper from one of many photos they took. After the interview we continued on a busy but good condition road. Traffic kept becoming less and less and shortly after БерезовÑкий at 68km we had a cafe and lunch stop (this journal must sound like a cafe to cafe ride but they really are plentiful enough that one can get most of your food along the way without having to carry too much along; I expect it to change in far eastern Siberia).
Our last 32km were tough. The road would climb a long hill only to then descend on the other side. Up and down, we kept crossing from drainage to drainage. I was slow at both climbing and descending. We were happy to have УÑпенка come ar 100km and call it a day. We camped in a pretty meadow. The tent site has a few more ants and is closer to the road noise but otherwise a pretty place.
100km today, 7172km across Eurasia. [Photo: 900, 903]
Медынино, cycling with tanks
Today we saw more back roads of Russia. My watch was set ahead an hour to Moscow + 4 hours as we would cross times zones again today. Within two miles was a ДПС road police and a large cafe. I refilled my water and headed off. There were more gentle hills to climb over. As I came up on 14km, I saw a motorcycle coming out of the woods. The rider was from Japan and was riding from Japan to Europe, perhaps even Morocco. He looked at my thin bicycle tires and warned me of bad roads to the east.
At 20km was a turnoff to ЮргиÑкий. I waited here for a bit, before continuing to find at cafe at 24km. We decided we would try some smaller roads here rather than the main highway to Кемерово. At 26km we followed the side road headed towards ТомÑк. It was a nice new smooth road that descended and then was flat. We turned south again at 41km to the road junction at outskirts of Юорга at 45km. We followed the truck route that ended up winding all the way around town. There was some sort of truck factory where picture below was taken below (immediately hidden by the truck in the background was an armed guard atop the wall behind, I decided not to have him in the photo). All in all it was 16km before we finally crossed Юорга.
Just at eastern outskirts of town was a military base with a large perimeter fence, new looking apartment barracks and many soldiers walking or driving around in uniform. As I passed the base, I looked to my right and noticed four Russian tanks riding along about 100 meters away. They were riding close to the same speed, except they were going up and over obstacles on a muddy path.
For the next 12kms, those four tanks and others from a group of about 20 tanks were riding to my right. Their path came very close to the road, so at times I was less than 10 meters from the tank. I was generally faster riding down hills and they faster up hills. It did give me some motivation to “race†the tanks and keep my speed up (note to training bike video makers: create a “Russian tank†version for a heavy gear that simulates a touring bike). It was fun to watch the tanks bounding over and occasionally slipping around in the mud. After 12km our tank contingent came to the edge of their training area. Some of their friends were already here. I counted perhaps 35 tanks in all. They stopped and I continued on. Sorry no photos to post to the internet as I figured photographing military training exercises might be frowned upon.
Not long after leaving the tanks it started raining. The sun was shining too, but I didn’t find the rainbow. At 77km, Mickey was having lunch in Мал. Тайменка in a bus shelter to avoid the rain. An obnoxious person had joined her. I was initially friendly to him, but as I realized he was a pest, I decided I didn’t know any Russian anymore and mostly tried to direct him away.
A few more hills and we were in Ðовороманово at a small store and the center of attention again. From here it was a long slow climb to top of the hill and then across and down to end the day. We camped in a beautiful meadow with wildflowers. We’re definitely in areas less flat than before.
111km today, 7072km across Eurasia. [Photo: 895, 896, 897, 898]
Чахлово, mosquitoes to remind us of Canada Day
A drenching rainshower, followed by a quick setup of the tent in a mosquito-infested swamp reminds us that days on the road are different than days in the big city. Despite all that, it is nice to be riding again after those rest days. The new hub handles well. It will be time for some new drive train components in Irkutsk.
After breakfast we packed everything on the bikes and headed out of the city. Sunday morning traffic was light and our maps made for an easy exit of Siberia’s largest city. At 14km we left the city limits and at 17km the first highway signs for Чита almost 3000km away.
Today had a few more hills but nothing bad. I hoped we might trade mosquitoes for hills but looks like the hills were more of an addition. The road was in reasonable shape, with worst roads right at the end. We went through a few villages and then around Сокур. At Мошково was a nice lunch stop at 58km. From here mostly flat and then another cafe at 82km. Here Oxana, a 13-year old girl practiced here English lessons with us, while the rest of the family listened with curiosity at these strangers who had come to visit.
As I was coming down a hill at 93km, my rear tire felt squishy. I pumped it up, but at 96km it was squishy again. This is the same tire I’ve had since Amsterdam and the tread is worn off (though the rest of the tire still has some wear). I decided to swap tires and tubes at once to diagnose things later.
After the flat cycling became more challenging with rain showers passing through. My flat also made for a late arrival at the next stop where Mickey had an invitation from a Kurdish family to stay. They spoke some German. We crossed wires a bit and instead ended up leaving to camp down the road. Finding a campsite was difficult. First two side roads were too wet. The third was marshy as well, but we ended up setting up on slightly higher ground. Mosquitoes are as bad here as we’ve seen during the trip. Nice to be cycling again.
126km today, 6961km across Eurasia. [Photo: 891, 894]
ÐовоÑибирÑк, extra rest day
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 (ТеÑÑ‚ 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 firstâ€. 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. ТеÑÑ‚ 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]
ÐовоÑибирÑк, searching for hotels
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 themâ€. We tried different possibilities and were clearly stuck. They went back and relented and “ok, you can put bicycles in the roomâ€. 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]