European Russia
This was the spirit in which I climbed, descended, pedalled up, down, up, up, up, down, over and over again, when I noticed what looked like a cyclist approaching from the opposite direction. It turned out to be a middle-aged Dutchman called Gerald. He was unemployed but he had another job to go to. Whilst he was waiting he decided to do this bicycle trip. His route was from Holland through Eastern Europe to Moscow, then on to Irkutsk, Baikal, Ulan Ude back to Pelm by train and a little way to the south before heading back to Holland. It was a five-month trip. He had done a huge number of cycling tours within Europe and had prepared for this trip by studying Russian for about a year. How different to my preparation, drinking vodka in Japan instead of studying Russian.(from "Against the Wind" - Poolbeg Press)
