Home Route (No = km's from/to town) On Bike (km)     Flat tyre        
Date From To Day Cumulative where-of non-asphalt Observations Lodging A M Mid-day temp Weather Sauna Lenin statues
Totals:     7240         6 5     12 35
6-May Stockholm Tallinn       Ferry Ferry       Sun 1  
7-May Tallinn City   4 4   Half day of sightseeing       20 Sun    
7-May Tallinn Rapla +9 66 70     Tent     20 Sun    
8-May Rapla Viljandi -10 93 163     Tent     20 Sun    
9-May Viljandi Törva 96 259   via Kärksi-Nuia and Lilli; 5 km from the Estonian-Latvian Border, at Lilli, we were informed that this border crossing is not open to foreigners, so we had to go towards Valga/Valka. Better roads than the Lilli crossing, but 60 km extra in total B&B     20 Sun    
10-May Törva Valmiera +23 111 370   Exiting Estonia and entering Latvia at the border crossing at Valga/Valka; Small pain in Mathias left foot. Tent     20 Sun    
11-May Valmiera Riga 14 384   Foot pain is not too bad, but slowly getting worse. Not wanting to risk making the injury greater, Mathias decides to take public transport the last 72 km, from Straupe to Riga. Affi continues alone and reaches Riga in early afternoon. Adam & Ilze     20 Sun 1  
12-May Riga -   384   Resting, sightseeing, waiting for Affi's visa for Russia Adam & Ilze         1  
13-May Riga     384   d.o.              
14-May Riga     384   d.o.              
15-May Riga     384   d.o.              
16-May Riga     384   d.o.              
17-May Riga Aizkraukle 99 483 (10) 17. May!   (Nowegian National Day)   Notable increase of speed the first 50 km from Riga, after those 6 days of rest. Starting celebration of 17th of May before noon, in the forest south of river Daugava with some shots of Linie Akvavit. Thereafter calmer tempo + our first rain. Just small probs with my foot. More celebrations in a local Aizkraukle bar. Hotel     14 Clouds, afternoon rain    
18-May Aizkraukle Jekabpils +12 69 552   Great tailwind most of the day but chilly. Slept until 1100 (17th...). Small pain in other part of left foot. Tent     12 Cloudy    
19-May Jekabpils +12 Rezekne 95 647   More tailwind! Chilly morning outside J at 7 am, after 11 hrs of sleep. Foot ok, when not applying too much force. Arrival in R at 1500. Tent     13 Cloudy    
20-May Rezekne Border+7 
(Pskovskaya Oblast)
82 729   Affi gets the first flat tyre. Hassle-free crossing of the Russian-Latvian border, which takes an hour. Mainly heavy traffic on both sides of border. Border staff tells us we are the first ones ever to cross on bicycle. New time zone means we leave border to find a place to sleep at 2300, which find 7 km later. Tent 1   15 Clouds / sun    
21-May Border+7 
(Pskovskaya Oblast)
Pustoshka 82 811 (7) One more flat tyre for Affi. First Russian meal in small town of Idritsa, 40 after waking up; too far with no breakfast, but missed first village. Took an alternative route to Pustoshka, with a bit too much sand roads. Had planned continuing after P, but ended up drinking vodka with an Estonian driver. Hotel 1   20 Sun   1
22-May Pustoshka Churilovo -5 97 908   Affi's chain breaks just before Nevel'. Repaired, but continued probs. Were not able to register with the OVIR in Nevel', which we supposedly have to do latest today (3 days after entering Rus). Authorities say that there are no probs, "because we go by bicycle" (ehh??).   Very bad asphalt the last 30 km. Tent     22 Sun   1
23-May Churilovo -5 Demidov+15
(Smolenskaya Oblast)
134 1042 (9) Affi changes back tyre+tube to new ones after another flat tyre. 134 km is longest so far on during one day. Took some photos at ourselves sipping more Linie Akvavit, celebrating the first 1000 km (at two points, since I "lost" 72 km on the 11th. Slept well. Tent 2   20 Sun   1
24-May Demidov+15
(Smolenskaya Oblast)
Smolensk 62 1104   Easy day reaching Smolensk early afternoon, but certainly needing the planned 2-day rest here. Had a great Garspacho at a road cafe on the main Minsk-Moscow highway, where we biked a few km. Tent     22 Clouds    
25-May Smolensk     1104   Great biking weather, but we were not. Saw WWII and 1812 monuments and the impressive Uspensky Cathedral + the great kreml (walls) surrounding the city. Hotel     22 Sun 1 1
26-May Smolensk     1104     Hotel            
27-May Smolensk Roslavl 118 1222   One spoke of my back wheel breaks and I have to improvise. We reach Roslavl, which seems to be an old sleepy town. No locker at the hotel, so we are allowed to take the bikes into our small room. Hotel     18 Very cloudy   1
28-May Roslavl Krasnaya +
(Bryanskaya Oblast)
85 1307   Affi changes to new chain, but some probs remain. We have the wind against us and lots of hills. The surrogate spoke from yesterday breaks after 70 km, while biking and I instinctively use my (front) handbreak, causing me to "tryne" (Nowegian, meaning standing on my face) in the village of Peklino. Miraciously no major wounds on me or the bike. Trying similar surrogate construction, hoping it will support the wheel until next bike shop (wherever that might be...). No good day... Tent     17      
29-May Krasnaya +
(Bryanskaya Oblast)
Bryansk 59 1366   Slept until 0900. More south-eastern winds and hills made the 59 km to B a bit heavy. Arrived at 1400 after lunch in a nice Russian-Uzbek road cafe. Bike shops here have, as expected, limited supplies; no spoke for me and no parts for Affi. Hotel     21     1
30-May Bryansk Dolgoe+15 74 1440   Left B late afternoon after lots of sleep, spare part search & internetting. A back wheel spoke broke for Affi as well! Hotel     21 Sun :)   1
31-May Dolgoe+15 Oryol 62 1502   Fast morning despite quite bad asphalt, arriving 1440. Affi manages to fix his spoke, but I still lack the right size. Hotel     24 Sun   1
1-Jun Oryol     1502   Affi sick, staying in town. Trying to find spokes of right size with no success.  Hotel     22 Sun   1
2-Jun Oryol   4 1506     Hotel     22 Sun    
3-Jun Oryol Verkh Liodazh 103 1609   Extremely good road first 50 km, then rather bad asphalt. Good that Affi is ok and to be on the road again. Tent     25 Sun    
4-Jun Verkh Liodazh Kursk +30 (Kurskaya Oblast) 100 1709   Made it to Kursk at 1400. Took some photos of war monuments and memorials before continuing towards Voronezh. More and more hills to bike. Tent     25 Sun   3
5-Jun Kursk +30 (Kurskaya Oblast) Besedino 99 1808   Windy day, difficult to find cafes for food. Tent     20 Clouds, rain    
6-Jun Besedino Voronezh (Voronezhskaya oblast) 101 1909   Rain all night and whole days biking to Voronezh. Swedish national day, so I spent a small bottle of Armenian Cognac at the café on the oblast road check point (we needed it, being totally soaked in rain and sweat, freezing and longing to get to a warm and dry hotel in Voronezh). One flat tyre each today didn't improve things. Today and yesterday were by far the toughest so far. Hotel 1 1 15 Rain   1
7-Jun Voronezh (Voronezhskaya oblast)     1909   No biking, but a bike shop here with good but wrong spare parts. Listend to beautiful choir in nuns' monastary and drank late at night with (moto-)bikers in street café. Hotel     19 Clouds, sun    
8-Jun Voronezh Rogachevko +30 62 1971   Late departure at 1800, because of last night (Affi coming home very late (or rather early) and bike repairs. Still managed to do 62 km, setting up the tent at 2330, very very dark. Used the bike lights for the first time. Tent     22 Clouds, sun    
9-Jun Rogachevko +30 Borisoglebsk ++ 171 2142   Waking up at 0800, 10 metres from a farmer doing his potato field (at least we put the tent on the side of the field). He said nothing and neither did we, but we decided not to make our soup here, took 3 bananas for breakfast and went biking. Record distance this day, but could not find Borisoglebsk entrance road, so used the tent, again very late/dark and plenty of mosquitoes). Less hills. Tent     21 Clouds, sun    
10-Jun Borisoglebsk ++ Panfilovo 132 2274   From Borisoglebsk we are on the main Moscow-Volgograd road, definitely better than most of last week's roads. Also more frequent cafes and shops. Affi managed to replace another broken spoke. Tent     21 Clouds, sun    
11-Jun Panfilovo Log ++ 136 2410   I had another broken spoke on the "wrong" side of the back wheel , which I cannot replace (lack of tool). Had to use a too long 'adusted' spoke. Tent     26 Sun    
12-Jun Log ++ Volgograd (Volgogradskaya oblast) 100 2510   Reached Volgograd after an nice day of biking, depite Affi having to spend hours on broken spokes. Hotel     28 Sun 1  
13-Jun Volgograd     2510     Hotel     28 Sun   2
14-Jun Volgograd     2510     Hotel     28 Sun    
15-Jun Volgograd   17 2527   Local bicycle club Strannik helped us with repairs of spokes and more.. Hotel     28 Sun    
16-Jun Volga river cruise     2527   Met Thomas, fellow German cyclist, taking same boat as us. Boat     25 Sun    
17-Jun Volga river cruise (Saratov)     2527   Few hours in Saratov, before continuing with ferry, stopping in the middle of nowhere for a quick swim. Boat     23 Sun, clouds    
18-Jun Samara Samara +56 km 56 2583   Quick look at Samara, including Soyuz rocket monument, before leaving towards the Urals Hotel     24 Sun, clouds    
19-Jun Samara Sokhodol +66 141 2724   Up and down hill most of the day. Met Swiss cyclist Fritz on his 40 year old bike cycling from Baikal. Hotel   1 22 Sun, clouds, rain    
20-Jun Sokhodol +66 Kandry+ 161 2885   Great weather, but exhausting hills. Passed border to Tatarstand and, little later, into Bashkiria. Tent     22 Sun    
21-Jun Kandry+ Ufa 141 3026   Passed 3000 km, tyre+tube exploded on the way… Hotel   1 20 Rain, clouds    
22-Jun Ufa     3026     Hotel     25 Sun, clouds    
23-Jun Ufa     3026     Hotel     25 Sun, clouds    
24-Jun Ufa     3026     Hotel     22 Sun, rain    
25-Jun Ufa     3026     Dacha     20 Sun, clouds    
26-Jun Ufa Sim 96 3122   Left 1430 from the dacha, Affi having a hangover. Arrived in Sim where we stayed in a train wagon turned 'hotel'. Hotel     21 Clouds, showers    
27-Jun Sim Ural somewhere 145 3267   Lots of hills, as expected, but not as bad had we thought after listening to Fritz last week. Affi broke 3 spokes on same side of back wheel - worrying. Tent     21 Sun, clouds    
28-Jun Ural somewhere Miass 66 3333   Affi sick, decideing to go the 15 km off the main road to Miass to rest. Hotel     23 Rain   1
29-Jun Miass     3333           18 Rain    
30-Jun Miass Chelyabinsk 122 3455   Efficient biking day, arriving at 1730 to a grey town. Hotel     18 Cloudy   1
1-Jul Chelyabinsk Shchuch'e 102 3557   Left big town 1530 after getting ticks vaccine cash and hair cut, buying cycle spare parts. Headwind Hotel     18 Sun, clouds   1
2-Jul Shchuch'e Kurgan 184 3741   Headwind all day, still making record 184 km. Hotel     22 Sun, clouds   1
3-Jul Kurgan Lebyazh'e 123 3864   Headwind in the morning. Repaired flat tyre three times before changing to new tube. Very annoying Paot flies (big fat flies, similar to Swedish bromsar, biting hard when they get a chance) following us all day. Hot and very little water made us make the extra way to Lebyazh'e (30 km) to buy food and drinks in the evening.  Tent   1 26 Sun   1
4-Jul Lebyazh'e Chastozero 140 4004   The small roads we must take because of the M51 going through Kazakstan (for where we have no visa) are better than expected, mainly asphalt and little traffic (no trucks!), but this also means less places to eat Tent     28 Sun    
5-Jul Chastozero Ishim 125 4129 (12)   Hotel     25 Sun   1
6-Jul Ishim     4129     Hotel     26 Sun    
7-Jul Ishim Krutinka 156 4285   Headwind again. Hotel     26 Sun    
8-Jul Krutinka Krasni Yar 157 4442   Very fast day, but tired in the evening, if we had not slept until 1000, we would have made the 193 km to Omsk.. Tent     27 Sun    
9-Jul Krasni Yar Omsk 50 4492   Short day, the remaining 50 km to Omsk. Hotel     24 Clouds 1 1
10-Jul Omsk     4492     Hotel     25 Clouds rain    
11-Jul Omsk Kalachinsk 93 4585   Stopped already at 1900, because there was a hotel at the roadside and it looked certain that it would start raining soon. Hotel     26 Initial rain, very cloudy    
12-Jul Kalachinsk Chaney +30 175 4760   Tailwind, fast day. Hotel     25 Rain, clouds, sun    
13-Jul Chaney +30 Barabinsk 85 4845   Chillier and windier. Stopped early again because of approaching rain. Signs of getting a cold. Hotel     21 Clouds, rain 1  
14-Jul Barabinsk Chulin 178 5023   Went up early hoping that the weather would be better today, but it was not. Colder and rain most of the day. Road worse (not very bad, since Omsk it was quite good). Hotel     16 Rain    
15-Jul Chulin Chulin +29          (->Novosibirsk) 29 5052   Better weather, but after trying for 30 km to make it to Novosibirsk, I had to give up, not wanting to risk a serious flu. We caught a ride the remaining 120 km with an empty truck. Flat     22 Sun, clouds    
16-Jul Novosibirsk     5052   Waiting for Fredrik who should be here on Friday. Me recovering from cold Flat            
17-Jul Novosibirsk     5052     Flat            
18-Jul Novosibirsk     5052     Flat            
19-Jul Novosibirsk     5052     Flat            
20-Jul Novosibirsk Moshkovo 75 5127   Fredrik arrived 0400 from Sweden, slept and assembled his bike before leaving late afternoon. Very strong thunders in the middle of the night and suddenly very little space in Affi's 3-man tent. Fredrik welcome anyway. Tent   1 31 Sun    
21-Jul Moshkovo Bolotnoe 73 5200   One of my spoke broke - first since Volgograd, but quickly mended. Fine rain all gray day. Hotel     25 very cloudy, fine rain   1
22-Jul Bolotnoe Kemerovo 137 5337   Affi taken by the police while releiving himself in the wrong bush... 100 R fine Hotel     27 clouds, sun    
23-Jul Kemerovo     5337   Staying in town because it was nice. I had wanted to continue, but was voted down. Hotel           1
24-Jul Kemerovo Marijinsk 177 5514     Hotel     26 cloudy   1
25-Jul Marijinsk Bolotol 133 5647   Met a Russsian who had hear of us from other people on the road. Hotel       clouds, sun   1
26-Jul Bolotol ???? 165 5812   Superb road conditions, but somewhat hilly. Affi's back tyre through (new 23rd of May) and had to be changed to his last spare. Dissappointed on performance today, because - should have made more getting up this early (for a change), probably due to far too long breaks. Tent 1   26 sun    
27-Jul ???? Krasnoyarsk 75 5887 (1) Arrived in nice Krasnoyarsk after half day of biking. Hotel-boat     28 sun 1 1
28-Jul Krasnoyarsk     5887     Hotel-boat     28 sun    
29-Jul Krasnoyarsk Ujar 118 6005   Hilly, but ok. We were told about a Norvegian cyclist just days ahead of us, going to Magadan. Hotel     23 rain   1
30-Jul Ujar Kansk 158 6163   Long way around Kansk caused us not to reach the goal Ilansky, so we tented on a piece of grass on the outskirsts of Kansk. Tent     26 sun   1
31-Jul Kansk Tayshet 161 6324 (8) Thought we we find cafe at Kansk city exit, but there wasn't any, so we had to bike 20 km before breakfast. Good tailwind, but hilly and some gravel road. Hotel     24 mixed   1
1-Aug Tayshet Kamishet +2 120 6444 (40) Few cafes today. Met two Austrians on motorbike going from Mongola to Krigistan, and later met a Russia going from Vladivostok to Krasnoyarsk on horse!   I felt throat infection coming in the morning. Fever at the end of the day forced us to stop at 2030. I had felt it coming all day, but we pedalled quite slowly because of the bad road conditions (gravel 40 km). I had had to give up earlier, had we biked harder, for sure. Slept 12 hours, while the guys had pic nic in nice eve sun. Tent     24 mixed    
2-Aug Kamishet +2 Nizhneudinsk 43 6487   Not better today. We made it to Nizhneudinsk, where I told the guys that I have to stay resting a few days. On the way there we met a Russia police man from Ulan Ude who were going from there to Moscow on his old, but nice, Russian bike. Hotel     26 sun    
3-Aug Nizhneudinsk     6487   Resting. Affi and Fredrik left for Irkutsk where they will wait for me.  Hotel     23 rain    
4-Aug Nizhneudinsk     6487   Resting, visiting the local hospital. Hotel     26 sun    
5-Aug Nizhneudinsk     6487   Resting. Interviewed by the local TV station. Feeling much better Hotel     26 sun   1
6-Aug Nizhneudinsk Kaytun 195 6682 (30) Got up 0700, finished 2200, 10 h 20 min effective biking time. A bit too much consindering how I felt a few days ago, but the the biking was very good today - couldn't stop. Hotel     26 sun   1
7-Aug Kaytun Zima 70 6752 (2) Felt I had to rest after only 50 km today. Took the train to Irkutsk, as I realised that I would not make it to Affi & Fredrik in time otherwise. Hotel     26 sun    
8-Aug Irkutsk   10 6762   Resting, meeting Affi & Fredrik again. Hotel     26 sun 1 2
9-Aug Irkutsk     6762     Hotel     27 sun 1  
10-Aug Irkutsk Bolshaya Glubukaya 79 6841   Decided to leave Affi & Fredrik, who sudddely decided not to leave today as agreed. Bought tent and left in the afternoon. Two max-upward hills of about 8 km each took most of my energy today. Hot. Tent     30 sun    
11-Aug Bolshaya Glubukaya Boldrino +12 136 6977   Reached Baikal Lake after 20 km of hills, getting flatter though. Tenting right at the beach. Tent     26 sun    
12-Aug Boldrino +12 Kashensk 145 7122   Tough and slow first 80 km, then better. Still nice views. Passed the 7000 km mark. Hotel     27 sun 1  
13-Aug Kashensk Ulan Ude 118 7240   Fine cycling day, despite very hot and another 8 km upward hill just 25 km before Ulan Ude. Quite flat after that following the Selenga river from Baikal all the way to Ulan Ude. Hotel     31 sun 1 1
14-Aug Ulan Ude         Resting. Stomach pain late afternoon. Hotel     29 sun    
15-Aug Ulan Ude         Stomach pain continuing all night and morning. Visit to a poliklinika where the surgeon orders immediate transport to the hospital and removal of appendicitis. End of bike tour. Hospital     26 sun    
                           
23-Aug   Stockholm