Siberia Winter Bike Tour

Cycle-touring, Expeditions, Adventures, Major cycle routes NOT LeJoG (see other special board)
takeonafrica
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Siberia Winter Bike Tour

Post by takeonafrica »

It's gonna be a cold one...

It's just 10 days until I fly back out to Russia with my bike. Very excited now and can't wait to get out there!

The plan is to start cycling from Irkutsk, up Lake Baikal, to Severobaykalsk. Then head to Yakutsk on the zimnik (ice road) via the Lena River. Hopefully I can pop to Oymyakon (coldest inhabited place on earth). Then it'll be along the Road of Bones until turning north on another zimnik to meet the Kolyma River and continue up to Cherskiy on the north coast.

I've got 3 months on my visa and I'm going to need every day of that. Even so, it's a bit too far to cycle the whole distance, so I'll be hitching a ride for a bit, probably between Lensk and Yakutsk. All I know for sure is that I want to bike from Yakutsk to Cherskiy, and Lake Baikal (if it actually freezes over in time! I am yet to develop the ability to ride on water )

So the route will be something like this:

Winter Siberia Route copy.jpg


Not sure how much I'll be blogging on the way (keeping warm will be a priority over writing :) ). I'll try to post some stuff on my blog as I go. But I will def be sending updates via Twitter. And I'll be carrying a SPOT so you can see how I'm progressing if you want...

Wish me luck and a return with all my fingers and toes!
http://www.helenstakeon.com
Books: Desert Snow and A Siberian Winter's Tale
DaleFTW
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Re: Siberia Winter Bike Tour

Post by DaleFTW »

Looking forward to seeing how it goes :)
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NATURAL ANKLING
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Re: Siberia Winter Bike Tour

Post by NATURAL ANKLING »

Hi,
Good Luck
Some ride, are you going solo :?:
You done this stuff before :?:
NA Thinks Just End 2 End Return + Bivvy - Some day Soon I hope
You'll Still Find Me At The Top Of A Hill
Please forgive the poor Grammar I blame it on my mobile and phat thinkers.
takeonafrica
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Re: Siberia Winter Bike Tour

Post by takeonafrica »

NATURAL ANKLING wrote:Some ride, are you going solo :?:
You done this stuff before :?:


Solo, yes.
I've cycled in Russia before. And I've been winter biking in Scandinavia before. So it's just a combination of earlier trips... sounds easy when I put it like that :)
http://www.helenstakeon.com
Books: Desert Snow and A Siberian Winter's Tale
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cycletourer
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Re: Siberia Winter Bike Tour

Post by cycletourer »

Good luck Helen, sounds like a great trip.
It definitely is going to be a cold one, so keep warm :D
We will look forward to hearing how you get on and seeing your photos.

All the best.
Jon
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pedalsheep
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Re: Siberia Winter Bike Tour

Post by pedalsheep »

That's one amazing trip! Best of luck to you, it makes me feel cold just thinking about it! :)
'Why cycling for joy is not the most popular pastime on earth is still a mystery to me.'
Frank J Urry, Salute to Cycling, 1956.
mercalia
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Re: Siberia Winter Bike Tour

Post by mercalia »

well good luck. dont like the sound of the "Road of Bones" though. I hope u dont add yours to them
andrewk
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Re: Siberia Winter Bike Tour

Post by andrewk »

I think you're nuts in attempting to cycle through a Siberian Winter but I wish you luck. My father survived the Siberian gulag so I was brought up on horror stories of Soviet Russia and the Siberian Winter.
pdstsp
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Re: Siberia Winter Bike Tour

Post by pdstsp »

Very best of luck - I'm in the middle of reading Desert Snow so looking forward to the book on this trip.

Paul
22camels
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Re: Siberia Winter Bike Tour

Post by 22camels »

Good luck! How good is your Russian?
takeonafrica
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Re: Siberia Winter Bike Tour

Post by takeonafrica »

22camels wrote:Good luck! How good is your Russian?

As unintelligible as a Russian after a few vodkas. I'll get on just fine :)
Seriously, I know enough to get me by.
I'm trying to learn a bit more - got my 'teach yourself Russian' book for reading in the evening (in case I have trouble falling asleep)...
http://www.helenstakeon.com
Books: Desert Snow and A Siberian Winter's Tale
22camels
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Re: Siberia Winter Bike Tour

Post by 22camels »

удачи! :)
takeonafrica
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Re: Siberia Winter Bike Tour

Post by takeonafrica »

22camels wrote:удачи! :)


спасибо! я думаю что мне это нужно... :)
http://www.helenstakeon.com
Books: Desert Snow and A Siberian Winter's Tale
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RickH
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Re: Siberia Winter Bike Tour

Post by RickH »

All the best.

Have you read Rob Lilwall's "Cycling Home from Siberia"? He & his friend rode along the Road of Bones & through Irkutsk in the opposite direction before looping South & East again to head towards Japan.

I shall look forward to reading to stories from your latest adventures! :D

Rick.
Former member of the Cult of the Polystyrene Head Carbuncle.
22camels
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Re: Siberia Winter Bike Tour

Post by 22camels »

this reminds me of a line from a well-known song called "Ваше благородие" by a famous Russian poet/performer by the name of Bulat Okudzhava, you can find it here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5a3-FN ... r_embedded
or here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwWEMl8RGkI
and there is a decent translation on page 27 of http://atasld.org/sites/atasld.org/file ... g-2012.pdf
bon courage!
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