- Most people are surprised at the value of my bike which I normally dont always share with the locals. I keep it dirty as I see no point in washing the frame and it makes the bike look less valuable except in India where everyone crowds around you and chants “gear cycle”, “gear cycle” in an awed tone. The value to me though far exceeds the monetary value.
- I went to what seems to be a pretty good bike shop in Kiev. They only had SRAM kit which I wasnt aversed to trying but not when heading to Central Asia and not at the prices the guy was quoting.
- Anyone heading to this neck of the woods is well advised to make bike repairs in Vilnius there is an excellent bike shop there called “good bikes” and the prices are fair and the staff capable. Anyway I declined the gold plated transmission and headed back to the office to order the parts for my rebuild.
- While walking back I realised that I really wanted to fit the Rolhoff speed hub and there was no one I knew in the city who had done it before and I had no desire to do it myself, especially the building of the rear wheel which requires precise tensioning of the spokes.
- So thinking about it for a while I had a look at the bus prices to Berlin and decided Id hit Berlin and do the rebuild there, where I know I can get the equipment at a good price and help from the guys at Radspannerei so on Thursday 17th the bike and I are on an overnight bus to Berlin.
Kiev
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Bikes of Gold
Monday, July 14th, 2008Two days later, Anti-distinctly-minty
Friday, July 11th, 2008After a couple of days the realisation that I would not manage through China this year has finally settled and with a heavy heart I started thinking about my route options.
I need to be motivated and enthusiastic about where Im heading otherwise I find it very difficult to keep pedaling, keep getting wet, smelling bad and verbally abusing the wind.
Visas are not my only problem, weather is too. I could head East through Russia to the sea but its gets cold and if I didnt die first by being eaten by a bear or dissolved in a bottle of vodka, my tyres will shatter when it reaches minus 45deg call me a wimp if you like.
Ive spent the last two days looking at options and alternatives and Ive narrowed it down to roughly two ideas:
Route One
Continue my route Crimea -> Russia -> Georgia then Armenia ->Turkey ->Iran.
Whats interesting about this route is that I could delay in Iran killing time seeing much of the country that Im interested in, this was a truly civilised country once and the people are still. Visa extensions in country are reportedly easy to get and I could then head to China via Pakistan but this bypasses most of the silk route. There is the possibility of going via Mashad but it could still be wintry there in early spring.
Route two
My other idea is to head through Western Ukraine where if the people Ive met so far are any indication the locals are fabulous. This has the distinct negative that my beer belly will unquestionably get worse but the following leg should knock that out of me. Then after a quick blast through Moldova down through Bulgaria ->Turkey avoiding Stabul (been there dodged that traffic) and into Syria & Jordan hopefully making Petra.
I would then turn tail and head back but this time cross central Turkey -> Armenia -> Georgia -> Azerbaijan and would be once again after a pause for Visas probably in Tbilisi be back on the route Id planned early/ late the spring.
Anti-distinctly-minty!
Not the best day today
Wednesday, July 9th, 2008If you have read the previous posts you will know that Ive been sleeping on the floor of an ISP here in Kiev.
Generally iNet cafe connections are not that great in the Ukraine but here especially after we swapped out the office switch the connection is rather good 
My biggest achievement of the last five days of very intense research and route planning was helping splice a new optical feed to the office, for those of you not so technically minded yes this is cool and for those of you who are, yes that is the kitchen table.
I was expecting a fair amount of trouble organising the next leg of the trip, coordinating seven or eight VISAs at once is not that easy. Russia is a drag especially with the new rules, but with a time delay achievable.
Georgia and Azerbaijan straightforward. The first hurdle is Turkmenistan, where Im supposed to have a car and driver, booked hotels and published itinerary – does not really sound like me.
Kazakhstan is a drag as they only give you a month and there is no possibility for extension in country, this is only really a problem if I took my longer route through Kazakhstan, but even with the shorter route I would not have as much time as I would like with the locals. Uzbekistan is straight forward but limited to thirty days. Kyrgyzstan is probably the easiest of them all and then we reach China.
You would think access to this great and democratic country would be easy during the Olympics – think again.
VISA issue is heavily restricted with a great amount of confusion existing, not helped by the already overly complex VISA categories.
Yesterday an Agent in London proudly told me they could get me a 60day double entry VISA, which means you can leave the country and come back for a second 60 day period. This is a little difficult if Im in the middle of the desert at the time.
Ive yet to give up on this route, but at the moment China isnt possible and Ive no desire to make it through Kyrgyzstan and then have few or no options.
Another important factor is the season, time is pressing on and the extra time spent in Latvia & Lithuania makes crossing the Tien Shen into China tight anyway.
From Hong Kong’s South China Morning Post, April 6:
“Beijing has stopped issuing multiple-entry visas, risking major inconvenience to foreigners who travel to the mainland regularly, especially on business. Hong Kong travel agents say the ban will stay in place until after the Olympic Games.
Cult of the Car
Monday, July 7th, 2008Kiev traffic and driving attitude is shocking, truly shocking. The only place I have cycled with such an attrocious driving attitude and bad roads is Hungary – yup, you wont catch me on a bike there again.
Here in Kiev, the bigger, crasser and more dangerous to the pedestrian the better.
Pedestrian crossings and traffic lights with a pedestrian cycle are not safe avenues to traverse junctions, merely places where the drivers will pay the pedestrian a little more than their mobile phone, the locals dash across, I saunter while impaling the driver with my best 1000yard stare, there is a good chance that this behavior will land me in hospital after a sound thrashing but Im sticking to my principles - at least until it hurts too much.
In Belarussia, I was used to sharing the hard shoulder with various slow moving vehicles. Here in Kiev, the pavement (sidewalk for those of you unfortunate enough to only speak American) provides both a secondary approach to your destination and around junctions but also serves as parking – pretty handy.
Inspired by “Jack and Jill vs. the world”, I have a plan to print STUPID stickers and start attaching them to large ugly American cars/ SUVs parked on the pavement.
All that said there is a small group of brave cyclists who unlike me stick mainly to the pavements. This is Ivan he is a Disc-jokey here in the city and I met him on my way in.Once I have a route planned I hope to have a beer or two with him, but until things are a little clearer I wont be able to relax.
Being a big city Kiev suffers from the usual city maladies, however most of the people Ive met are understanding and helpful. This group I have fallen in with here are great. There is a sub group of Western Ukrainians and I must say we all get along very well.
