Yet Another Cycling Forum
General Category => Audax => Topic started by: mkam on 10 December, 2011, 11:17:44 pm
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Dear all,
We are pleased to invite you to participate in Vologda-Onego-Ladoga 1200 km event on 6-10 July 2012
(http://vol1200.ru/files/map/plan_vol2.jpg)
Brief information:
- Organization: Baltic Star http://www.balticstar.spb.ru/index_e.htm, Saint-Petersburg, Russia
- Distance: 1210 km
- Time limits: 42-90 hours
- Registration on the day before the day of start: 5-Jul-12, town of Vologda
- Start: 5-Jul-12, Vologda, Kremlyovska ploschad' (Kremlin square)
- Finish: town of Lahdenpohya (200 km from Saint-Petersburg)
- Qualification: 300km brevet during 2011-2012 season
- Age limit: 18+ years old cyclists are welcome
- Registration fee: (90 Euros) if paid before 1-May-12. Late registration: (110 Euros)
Event information site (English): http://vol1200.ru/index.php/en/ (http://vol1200.ru/index.php/en/)
Event information booklet (English): http://vol1200.ru/files/vol1200_en.pdf (http://vol1200.ru/files/vol1200_en.pdf)
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-TdEXTQTJNPY/TZzJTyTnYEI/AAAAAAAAH8I/7NfTKgqDEIA/s512/SSL21555.JPG)
Twelve reasons why you have to join the event:
- Beautiful landscapes of North-Western Russia and especially Karelia
- Great ancient Russian architecture
- Well-planned route
- Great paved scenic roads
- Low traffic all the way
- Dirty roads minimized for Russia
- "White nights" (you'll never forget that!)
- Two largest European lakes, must see
- Supporting cars available all the route
- A lot of checkpoints with sleeping places (dormitories / hostels)
- Many cyclists from Europe, and...
- ...even more cyclists from various Russian clubs, great company to join!
All queries to be addressed to:
Mikhail Kamentsev (The president of Baltic Star, BRM-responsible person), e-mail:vol@balticstar.spb.ru
Best regards and hope to see you on the event,
Mikhail
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Will this be on again in 2013? Not sure I can make this year.
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Will this be on again in 2013? Not sure I can make this year.
No. Next time only in 2016
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Photoseries of 2008: http://fotoalbum.dds.nl/ivo_m/vol2008
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Now that is a ride I'd like to do, but can't because of holiday time
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I have been denied entry to this on the grounds that we have too many other things to do next year and no money to do them with. The good news is that the partner veto doesn't extend to 2016 so will bide my time.
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For me 2012 is a year without a 1200 because I still owe Mrs W huge favours for being allowed to do PBP in 2011.
However, this Russian ride started to look damn attractive (as does Mrs W, I hasten to add) so I figured I'd casually mention that I was going to do the "Moscow 1200" next year - I apologise for deliberately getting the event name wrong, but I hoped Mrs W would at least know where Moscow was.
Sadly I have to report that at that point Mrs W started to hit me rather a lot. So I might not be allowed to take part.
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Now that is a ride I'd like to do, but can't because of holiday time
THere are plenty of other Russian rides to take part in, in other parts of the year.
I'm awaiting the decision of my boss on my holdiay timing. First choice will be the TransRussia 3000k, 2nd choice VOL. Some unsettled business along the shores of both lakes.
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I have to admit, it does look tempting. My wife would like to see St Petersburg so that means we could combine it with a bit of a holiday... though how she'd feel about the place after 5 days there on her own is another matter!
I was planning on riding that 1200 out of Tours next year but who knows. We'll decide on it early next year methinks, after checking out what Ivo means by "unsettled business"!
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I would love to do this and was very tempted by the last one but didn't have enough holiday.
I have overcome the biggest hurdle of all, the consent of Mrs D.G.E. When I say consent, I didn't get a 'No' when I mentioned it. That's the same as a 'Yes' isn't it!!
I may well be in :thumbsup:
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- Beautiful landscapes of North-Western Russia and especially Karelia
- Great ancient Russian architecture
- Well-planned route
- Great paved scenic roads
- Low traffic all the way
- Dirty roads minimized for Russia
- "White nights" (you'll never forget that!)
- Two largest European lakes, must see
- Supporting cars available all the route
- A lot of checkpoints with sleeping places (dormitories / hostels)
- Many cyclists from Europe, and...
- ...even more cyclists from various Russian clubs, great company to join!
I'm not sure what this means. I understand it as "By Russian standards there won't be many dirt roads" ie most of the route is on surfaced roads. Is that right?
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Last time maybe 1% of the route was off road as planned, another 2-3% unplanned due to roadworks on a major road. I was using a tourer with 35mm tyres which was way overdone. A standard audax bike with 28mm tyres would be excellent for Karelian circumstances.
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Привет, Михаил!
I've wanted to do this ride since I first read about it, but I've already planned a long trip for summer of 2012. Must make a note for myself to keep the summer of 2016 clear for this one.
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Having read Ivo's report of the last edition, I'm not quite as keen as I was! Words like 'mind numbing', 'pothole', 'highway' (et al) appear just a little too often. It does sound like a truly intrepid/epic ride though, perhaps one of those you enjoy more in retrospect than at the time.
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I enjoyed it during the ride too. If only my shoulder....
The mind-numbing bit of highway is not in the route anymore. From the village with the hotel you now turn right, via a road which under major reconstruction 4 years ago.
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- Dirty roads minimized for Russia
I'm not sure what this means. I understand it as "By Russian standards there won't be many dirt roads" ie most of the route is on surfaced roads. Is that right?
The distance contains about 5 km unpaved roads and about 100 km of asphalt poor quality (basically from Pudozh (450 km) to Medvegegorsk (700 km))
We changed route after Pryzha (930km) and new road will use on this part.
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And exactly the bit after Pryzha was mind-numbing. So I'm glad that part of the route is not used anymore.
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Are there bears in the mountains at Medvegegorsk? Do they chase audaxers, demanding honey and energy bars? :)
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Are there bears in the mountains at Medvegegorsk? Do they chase audaxers, demanding honey and energy bars? :)
It is obligatory ;D
http://balticstar.spb.ru/fotobefvol_2008/part1/73_e.html (http://balticstar.spb.ru/fotobefvol_2008/part1/73_e.html)
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Well, I have to say I’m tempted! With it not being a circular route, do the organisers offer any facilities for getting your kit from start to finish?
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Well, I have to say I’m tempted! With it not being a circular route, do the organisers offer any facilities for getting your kit from start to finish?
The 2008 version was one of the best in terms of pampering of the smaller rides (so not comparing to PBP or LEL). All controlls staffed, everywhere free sleeping facilities. Bagdrops. Common travelling to the start from St. Petersburg, bustransfer from the finish to St. Petersburg. And of course luggage transport from start to finish.
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Well, I have to say I’m tempted! With it not being a circular route, do the organisers offer any facilities for getting your kit from start to finish?
The 2008 version was one of the best in terms of pampering of the smaller rides (so not comparing to PBP or LEL). All controlls staffed, everywhere free sleeping facilities. Bagdrops. Common travelling to the start from St. Petersburg, bustransfer from the finish to St. Petersburg. And of course luggage transport from start to finish.
Now definitely interested. The big question is, do I leave it until after Christmas to mention it to the wife or risk upsetting the festive season! :-\
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Or just give here as a present a nice book full of photographs of St. Petersburg ;).
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Yes this is sounding better all the time, very tempted! Having missed the boat on the Mille Alba I am looking for a 1200k to do next year and this could be the one. Was wondering how you got back to the start but a bus transfer sounds great.
Ivo, where is your ride report posted from 2008? had a quick search on here but could not find it. Would be interested in reading a bit more about it from someone who has ridden its point of view. Obviously looks like there have been some road changes/improvements since 2008.
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Would there be any interest perhaps in a WAGS few days in St Petersburg? My wife hasn't asked for it but I know if situations were reversed, I'd be appreciative of some company.
It's beyond the remit of organising an audax so it'd have to be a DIY ;)
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Yes this is sounding better all the time, very tempted! Having missed the boat on the Mille Alba I am looking for a 1200k to do next year and this could be the one. Was wondering how you got back to the start but a bus transfer sounds great.
Ivo, where is your ride report posted from 2008? had a quick search on here but could not find it. Would be interested in reading a bit more about it from someone who has ridden its point of view. Obviously looks like there have been some road changes/improvements since 2008.
I have it on Facebook and on Vkontakte, https://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=33082356354
For the ease of those without facebook I'll post it here ;)
An early morning in july. A few cabloads of bike-less foreigners arrive
at an unmarked sportshall near Vologda trainstation. There they meet a
few dozen semi-locals who are busy unbagging their bikes. A few minutes
later and out of the sportshall the bikeless foreigners re-emerge, now
properly equipped with bikes and everything. Frantically everyone starts
to check his bike, load the bikes and fill the bottles. Some have a lot
to do, others are ready to go in 5 minutes. When most are ready the
organiser and his daughter start to distribute brevetcards and
framenumbers. More frantic running around as the few happy souls
posessing knifes or scissors are raided to facilitate a good mounting of
framenumbers. Just as everyone has calmed down again the organiser calls
all to cycle to the local Kremlin.
We manage to evade a small rain shower and parade down the centre. Sadly
hardly a soul is watching, 6h30 is way too early for the average
Russian. At the square in front of the Kremlin we meet other riders.
Some have just arrived in town, others had time to do some sightseeing
in the previous days. Again the organisers distribute essentials while
the rest takes their time talking and admiring the Kremlin. Finally,
long past the official start hour Mikhail sends us off with the
instructions to ride in small groups to the outskirts of town and wait
there for the official start.
The neutralisation is, as usual, quite nervous. I manage to jump a group
since the potholed and busy roads slow the not so experienced down. From
the first kilometers on I'm glad that I've chosen a sturdy tourer as my
steed. Those on mountainbikes are working hard on the asfalt, those on
skinny tires have to slam the brakes each time a pothole appears. In
betwen the busy sections I have a chance to see the others. The usual
selection of international audaxers, sinewy old chaps, nervous
youngsters and a wide selection of bikes. Shortly before we reach the
assembly point at the outskirts I see a roadsign for the
turnaroundpoint, Medvezhegorsk, a mere 650km away.
As Mikhail sends us off a mad dash ensues. On one of the first hills I'm
dropped from the first bunch. Together with Avi I manage to keep them
into sight for quite some time. As I see that we don't get any closer I
decide to ride a bit slower, blowing it in the first section is a bad
idea. Avi climbs a lot better than I so I lose contact with him after a
while. Not that I'm nervous about that, there should be many riders
behind. And indeed, not long therafter I hear a mainly German group
approaching. With them I continue, riding at the back on the good
sections of asfalt and moving up front when the potholes appear. They
seem to be afraid of risking their bikes. I ride quite often in Flanders
so I know that bikes can handle a great deal of abuse.
The routesheet mentions a café and a scenic view after 50km. At the
bridge I stop and admire the view. Nearly everyone in the group doesn't
look around but keeps on pushing it. While admiring the view some others
whizz past.
The wind is quite favourable at the moment so I don't mind riding alone.
In fact, I enjoy it. More time to see the scenery and no problems with
short stops to admire the view. 112km from the start is the first turn,
left to the Kirilov Monastry. Nearly immediately after the turn I see
the first rider encountering me, the doyen du peloton. Another rider is
in hot pursuit, followed by the first organised group. Only one other
organised group appears shortly before I enter Kirillov. Most riders are
riding on their own. About 100m before the monastry I'm flagged down by
one of the organisers. Just behind the stalls selling tourist
parafrenalia is the control. The usual Russian style, out in the open
but with food and drinks.
A few lonely riders are still heading towards Kirillov when I head out,
back to the main road. Wind and heat slow me down. At some parts of the
route the asfalt has melted. Sanitary stops have to be performed on the
asfalt now, the sandy shoulders are no-go area now, unless you want to
spend several minutes scratching the stones from your tires. Luckily I
still have a tailwind after I turn back onto the mainroad.
Although the wind aids me the heat reduces my progress. We really enter
remote backyards now, hardly any traffic and enormous distances between
villages. The few places with facilities are clearly marked on the
routesheet though. Notting serious happens untill the 200km control.
Next to the servicestation is a small cafe/restaurant. I profit from the
opportunity and get myself a decent meal. At the control I see the first
rider ready to pack.
The controllers warn me that the next stretch is very remote, no
services for most of stretch. Probably the heat has numbed me as I
forget to check the contents of my pack. Every few dozen kilometres I
see a few farmsteads partly hidden in the forest. The only village of
any size is halfway this stretch, about a kilometre from the route. I
turn towards it. No shop is directly visible. I aks a few youngsters but
they can only say me that the villageshop is allready closed. Back on
the mainroad I check my pack and see that I only have a bag of dried
apricots, my emergency rations. Since it's only 50km to the next control
I stuff the apricots in my pocket. Just as I want to head on a tandem
appears. They stop. The riders are from St. Petersburg and started
nearly 2 hours after the others. We continue on together. Finally a
riding partner. I immediately ride a bit faster, munching some apricots
frome time to time.
Slowly it starts getting a bit dark, not really dark though, this is the
area of the white nights. It's near midnight when I finally see the
control at a small lay-by. A small campfire is alight. The midges have
allready found it. As I try to eat I remark that my stomach didn't like
the apricots. The early start and ensuing sleep loss in the night before
departure combined with the stomach problems make me decide to have a
small kip. The controller hands me a sleeping bag and I doze off. An
hour or so later I awake again, halfway frozen and luckily not eaten
alive by the midges. Now my stomach accepts food.
The controller gives me some info on a diversion about 30km further on.
I easily find it and am again glad about my choice of steed. The whole
diversion is quite sandy and lany. Dawn allready starts as I pass the
small gauge railroadstation. Not much later the sky is aflame and I stop
for some pictures.
I head on in search of the first open shop. Luckily the controller
handed me some supplies. No more riders to be expected so he doesn't
have to budget. The tandem riders were still asleep when I left, just as
another rider who is packing.
While passing the canal towards Lake Onega I see a few cruiseships
ferrying their guests up north, probably to some monastry island or to
the city of Petrozavodsk.
The small town of Vitegra has some open shops, 150km behind the service
station. Finally I can restock on food and cola. Not that that helps
much. With the full daylight the wind reappears. This time not as a
tailwind but as a stiff headwind. Halfway to the control I stop and have
a small kip in a sheltered location. I reach the control around closing
time, in a fairly bad shape. I take advantage of the tents and have
another kip.
I leave the control more than an hour after the closing time. I know
that I have no chance to catch up for the next 200km, the next controls
are 50km apart from each other, so I'll loose too much time at the
controls. The strong headwind will make a fast ride between the controls
impossible. But I also know that I'll get an extra few hours later this
day since I pass the 600km mark. So I still set out. Most others don't
make this calculation and pack. Again a lonely ride.
Not far from the control I pass the border between the Vologda Oblast
and the Karelian Republic. A republic with a very scenic reputation.
Although the routesheet mentions a few degraded roads, I'm not too much
bothered by them. In fact, I'm more pleased by the occasional stretches
of excellent road.
In fact, the day is quite uneventfull. The route leads through large
forests with a few villages along the stretch. Only one of them, Pudozh,
has some facilities. Here the next control in a school is located.
Finding the entrance door takes me some time. When I enter the school my
phone rings, the controller asks me where I am. Having a local
phonenumber is quite handy during this ride although it did cost me some
time in the days before. I had to do some communicating with the
organiser when one of the German riders ended in hospital after cutting
his leg when falling in a restaurant.
In the school another rider is sleeping, another DNF. When I leave the
control I restock for the rest of the day. Not much chance to resuply
for the next 200km. The next control I nearly overshoot, I'm allready
past the village and I have to turn around to find the scouts camp. A
sort of place I know from earlier holidays in Russia. A small group of
controllers is still around, tea is still ready and a hot meal rapidly
appears.
To my surprise the village shop in Pudozhgorsky, half a km from the
road, is still open and has a good supply of cyclist food. I restock
again, happy to have enough now. I try to send an SMS to Mikhail with my
expected arrival time at the next control, but can't get it send,
probably my credit has expired. Luckily the controllers phone me. They
ask me if I have a problem with a flying cntrol. That suits me quite
well in fact, less time loss at the control. An hour or so later I see a
car appearing with bikes on it. It looks like another rider has packed.
We all stop by the roadside. They still have tea in thermos flasks and
some food. I leave before the midges find me and head on into a chilly
night.
Luckily I have enough warm clothes to survive this night. Around 3 in
the morning my thermometer in my watch gives 6 degrees as temperature,
that although it's heated a bit by my body. I manage to keep on going
for most of the ride, I only need a short kip in a busshelter. The
emergency blanket is absolutely needed in this temperature. A nearby
lake even looks quite foggy since the water is a lot warmer than the air.
In the early morning I pass the locks of the Belomoro-Baltiysky channel.
A faded no photography sign is hardly visible. Knowing the Russian
habits I allready expected this. So I stop and just admire the view. I
transfer some things from my barbag to my pocket and immediately a guard
appears. I show him that I only transfered some innocent things and he
wishes me a good journey.
Just after the locks another problem appears. My shoulder hurts. An old
injury, related to my job. 3 years ago I had an inflammation in my
shoulder. So I direct action is needed. I raise my handlebars and decide
to look for a pharmacy in the next town, Medvezhegorsk. I anyway have to
restock on credit for my phone.
When entering Medvezhegorsk It's too early to look for a pharmacy and a
phoneshop. I need to ask around to find the turn-of to Velikaya Guba.
23km further is the control. I see a few riders returning to the main
road, I'm less far behind them as expected.
Since the control has allready somewhat more relaxed opening times I win
back a bit on the time schedule. I'm not yet within the time limit
again, but gaining ground. The controllers tell me that I'm a bit late
but still give me my stamp. I crash out between two other riders in a tent.
After an hour of sleep I eat at the control and retrace to the outskirts
of Medvezhegorsk. There are several shops before the crossroads but I
have to retrace to the centre for some other errants. I rapidly spot a
phoneshop and replenish the the phonecredit. Then I ask for a pharmacy.
But all pharmacies are closed. For my shoulder I'd need some Ibuprofen
creme, that helps a lot in this stage of the injury. But none to be had,
it's sundaymorning and all pharmacies are closed :( .
I don't have the time to hunt around for the pharmacy so I go back to
the outskirts of town and head on to the main road. The next 64km are
mindnumbing. They are along the M18, the motorway from St. Petersburg to
Murmansk. In this area still a wide road, although not wide enough to be
a 'real' motorway. Only the first bit is a bit scenic, for the rest it's
straight as an arrow with forests to the left and right. And of course
the wind has turned again, another headwind for another day. Slowly I
grind forwards, the only distraction being a dropped bottle. I turn
around over the shoulder, misjudging the firmness of it. My frontwheel
slips away and I tumble. No real harm done, I retrieve my bottle and
carry on.
Finally the crossroads turning to Girvas appears. Finally some smaller
roads and better sheltered against the wind. To my surprise I see Claus
coming back towards the mainroad. That's not according to the roadbook.
And I didn't expect to see any riders that soon. The control is well
signposted and the roadbook is accurate. So I easily find the control.
Mikhail and his team await me, the first control I reach within the
cutoff for since a day and a half. I even have the time to sleep 15
minutes before I carry on. Outside a bike waits for transport, one of
the riders sheared off his crank. Luckily for him Mikhail borrowed him
his own bike.
From Girvas on the route is very scenic. I immediately enjoy it and my
speed improves. That although I stop a few times to enjoy the scenery.
In Spasskaya guba I stop to resupply. When I enter the shop I hear the
saleslady saying to a customer that there were loads of cyclists passing
today. In these remote villages 40 cyclists passing in the same day is
allready a big happening. I restock on various necessary things like
cola and chips.
Some 50km after Spasskaya Guba I'm on the M18 again. This time near
Petrozavodsk. I visited Petrozavodsk last year, a nice town with some
beautiful rainbows. And yes, again there are rainshowers and rainbows.
Just south of the town is another controll. Again I reach it well within
the cut-off. Finally I'm back in the ride.
I leave the control shortly before the controllers do. They have to
return to St. Petersburg for work. Now it's clear to me why the start is
on a friday. Most controllers are needed on saturday and sunday, the
days when volunteers are quite available. Leaving a control before
closure time is a luxury for me during this ride. And even more, the
wind has died down in the late evening. So finally I can make some
progress. But not for all too long. 30km from the control major
roadworks are announced. I'm flagged down when arriving there. The road
is completely unpaved now. A long line of trucks and cars waits at the
start of the section. I have to wait and lose valuable time. After a
long period of waiting I get the signal to start. Nearly immediately I
have to shift down. The road is in first stage of reconstruction. The
rainshowers of the previous days have softened the sand down and created
many muddy sections. During the whole day I've been riding to the south,
so no more white nights. I have to negotiate whole sections by the light
of my head torch and half an E6. I estimate my speed at 10-15km/h.
Faster is impossible. The whole section is a bit longer as the announced
5km. And above all, my shoulder doesn't like it. Finally the roadworks
and and I arrive in the village of Pryazha. I decide to give my shoulder
a rest here. After all, one of the few hotels on the route is located
here. I doubt if I can find any other accomodation between here and the
control. Without shoulder troubles I'd have continued especially since
there's hardly any wind now, a situation you normally ought to profit
from. I find the hotel. It takes a good 10 minutes to wake up the night
watch and be allowed in. I'm relieved of 500 rubles and enter the small
room. I decide on 3 hours of sleep. That should be enough to take me to
the finish. But I have to gamble. I've lost well over an hour due to the
roadworks and I don't have 3 hours in hand. This gamble will only work
if the headwind ceases.
3 hours later I wake up and start out again. It's still 59km to the
control. When I reach the turn of to Kotkozero the wind has reappeared.
It's even stronger as yesterday :( . During the ride to Kotkozero I see
the results of not sleeping enough, a truckdriver stands next to his
jacknifed truck. He fell asleep, got onto the shoulder and overcorrected
on the soft shoulder. Bad luck for him.
I reach the Kotkozero control after the cut off. But the controllers are
still there. Immediately I'm supplied with food and drinks. When I ask
them if there's a pharmacy in the village they ask me what I need and
head out. Within 10 minutes they return with something against my
shoulder troubles. I hope it's still on time. They have to leave the
control soon but if I need I can still sleep there. But the lavish sleep
stop in Pryazha was enough so I decline the offer. But since they head
on to the finish I hand them my night gear. I can use any help available.
A few km after Kotkozero I return to the M18. The wind has picked up
enormously. I hardly make progress. The road is again mindnumbing. I
stop within 20km from the control at the first roadside restaurant. I
have a good lunch while I check my maps. I see two possibilities to
escape from the M18, both unpaved. I decide on the one sticking closest
to the M18. The other one will be several dozen km's on unpaved road of
unclear quality. I won't risk that.
A few km after the restaurant I turn right and immediately onto a gravel
road. Only once I have to stop due to wheelspin on a small climb. But my
map is not all too detailed and in the next village I have to ask
around. The only source of information available wants to point me to
the main road again. I keep on asking for the small road so he finally
points to a earthroad not far away. 'Follow that one and keep left' is
the advise while he returns to his house.
The road directly turns into a track. I'm not much faster here than on
the M18 with it's headwind. The road twists and turns, at the end I
won't have gained any ground with this one. Finally I see a village
appearing. Now the next question, how to get back to the route. From
afar I see an UAZ (Russian jeep) appear. I wait for it and flag it down.
The young lady inside points me in the right direction. Through a very
scenic village I ride to the west, into the headwind. Just after I'm
back on the course I'm slowed down even more. The very scenic road along
the river is completely exposed to the wind. I wait with my decisions
untill the turn-off 10km further on. Then I know if I'll have a headwind
or a tailwind for the remaining 200km.
Nearly immediatly after the turn-of at the edge of Lake Ladoga I sense
that it's a lost battle. The wind is completely western today. So to the
side or even sometimes a headwind. No chance for a tailwind and I'm
allready 1,5 hours behind the closing times. I decide to call it a day
and contact Mikhail. He tells me that I can keep on going, they will be
at the finish untill noon the next day, 11 hours after the closing of
the control. Without the shoulder troubles I'd have accepted this offer
but not now, I don't want to risk my shoulder for a mere HD finish.
I check my map for possibilities to travel to Sortavala. There's a
railwayline in my directon. So I decide to check at the nearest
railwaystation. That railwaystation takes a long time, only in Vidlitsa
is one. Just 5km before the next control. In Vidlitsa I head for it but
they can only tell me that the next train to Sortavala leaves tomorrow
morning. I decide to head on to the control. It's one of the best Baltic
Star has on offer, at a very scenic location on the shore of Lake
Ladoga. I recognise the road from previous rides here. Since I didn't
push it I arrive there 2 hours behind closing time. The controllers are
still there. I tell them that I quite and settle for tea and a hot meal.
Now there's only the problem of my return to Sortavala to be solved. The
controllers tell me that there's an elderly German couple at the beach.
They intend to travel north. So I strike up a conversation with them. It
would be no problem to hitch a ride with them, but they only leave in
the morning, far too late for me. When I return to the controllers they
have allready phoned with the next control. They'll give me a ride to
the Pitkjaranta from where I can go to the finish with the Pitkjaranta
controllers. My bike is shoved into the car and we head on. Part of the
ride I sleep. When we arrive in Pitkjaranta not all riders have arrived
yet. At least Claus and one of the Austrians are missing. As usual in
Russia I immediately get food and drinks. Then I sleep, no use in
wasting a good moment of sleeping. When I wake up Claus is still at the
control despite the late hour. He tells me that he had set out from the
control but had to return due to a back injury. In contrast to me this
is his first DNF, a bitter pill to swallow. When we all sit in the
minibus to Sortavala it's a hard ride for Claus. Each pothole he feels
in his back. We arrive in Sortavala when nearly everyone is allready
asleep in the finish control. I join the sleepers and only have a look
around town in the next morning.
Now, writing a few weeks after the event I know that this ride is
feasible for me. It was the shoulder which caused me too much time loss.
I had to sit very upright to lessen the pressure on it. And twice I had
to stop and sleep at an untactical moment, especially the sleepstop in
Pryazah costed an enormous delay. The shoulderproblem was clearly caused
by my job, especially by the extra workpressure the week before setting
out. I allready had problems with it during the last day of work.
The headwind caused me severe delays. Had the controllers interpeted the
rules very strictly, I'd have been DQ'd before the 500km mark.
Finally the starting time caused me some delays. I had to wake up at 5
in the morning, Russian time, which was 3 in the morning for my body
clock. So I lost half a night of sleep. This caused the need for 2
sleepstops in the first night. Normally I can ride the first night
without sleeping. So I lost 2-3 hours due to this starting time. The LEL
start time of 10 am combined with the 1 hour timechange with home is
great, then I can gain lot's of ground in the first night and create a
comfortable timecushion. This timecushion was lacking now.
The road surface was mentioned by many as a problem point. For me it was
not. The right selection of bike and tyres is needed here, a good tourer
equiped with 35mm tyres works great for Russian roads. A mountainbike
slows you down too much on the asfalt, a pure racer is punishing on the
bad sections and causes timeloss due to punctures.
I'll certainly return for another ride with Baltic Star, be it a rerun
of Vologda-Onega-Ladoga or one of their other rides.
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Thanks Ivo, that's a great ride report! Interesting reading, certainly sounds like a ride to remember.
Will have to give this some serious thought I think.
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Other reports and photos
http://vol1200.ru/index.php/en/archive/results2008 (http://vol1200.ru/index.php/en/archive/results2008)
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I’m still giving this serious consideration. Can anyone say if Visas are an issue. A visitors visa seems to require a letter of invitation and accommodation pre booked for every night of the visit. Could be an issue on a 1200! I last went to Russia 25 years ago and things were very different, St Petersburg was still Leningrad for a start!!
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A visa is rather simple nowadays. If you reserve a hotel or even a hostel for a few days before the start in St. Petersburg (it would be a shame not to visit the city) you'll get an invitation and a reservation. Alternatively a visa office could arrange an invitation for you. If you plan on using such a service, it's better to check if they have their own suppliers so things are kept in one hand. Even hostels nowadays do registration. Simply ask them kindly to register you for the whole period of your stay. After that there's no problem at all leaving town and cycling around for a few days. No need to pre-book accomodation for your entire trip.
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Another one here who only wished he'd known......
It won't happen this year as I have other commitments.
2016 sounds like a long-term plan/objective as I would love to visit Russia and ride over there.
H
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Other Russian clubs organise 1200-s too. You could for example do a 1200 in Russia next year and help out at LEL ;D
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I’m still giving this serious consideration. Can anyone say if Visas are an issue. A visitors visa seems to require a letter of invitation and accommodation pre booked for every night of the visit. Could be an issue on a 1200! I last went to Russia 25 years ago and things were very different, St Petersburg was still Leningrad for a start!!
I'm intending to do this ride, DTCMAN. Maybe I should get on with logistics, was going to leave it till March.
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I've left it till March, bottom of page: Registration (http://vol1200.ru/index.php/en/regen)
Jan Erik Jensen also on the list. Jan did the Kiwi Hunt.
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Last time most of the Russians came from the St. Petersburg and Moscow regions, now there's a very strong Siberian delegation. And much more smaller Russian towns.
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That's good - I'm not sure whether it means that Russian society is becoming more enlightened or that cycling is becoming less metropolitan within that society, but either way it's a good change.
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Audaxing has always been strong in Volgograd, Moscow and St. Petersburg. The Mosovites are a bit slowed down in development by some internal bickering. New strong groups are appearing, among others in the high north (Archangelsk), the Ural and now Novosibirsk. In the long run I can easily see 10-15 strong clubs appearing. Also good to see a rider from Nizhnij Novgorod on the list, that town has the infrastructure to set up a good audax club.
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The current chaos at Dutch passport offices forced me to rearrange my travel plans. My passport is still valid for travelling to Russia untill 27th of july. So VOL is possible, TransRussia not. Today I spoke with the planner at work and there are no objections to an earlier holiday. So I just registered for VOL. Something about unfinished business ;).
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News on VOL, there'll be a special shirt:
(http://vol1200.ru/images/tshirt.jpg)
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Not long to go (http://bikesandbees.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/6-july-russian-1200-vologda-onega.html)
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You take the quick in and out approach. I'll fly out on sunday and will stay a few days in Moscow and Jaroslavl before going to Vologda. And after the ride a few days to stay in St. Petersburg.
Now the only thing to do is waiting for the visa to arrive.
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Just a small tip for those setting out to Russia, take an unlocked mobile phone with you and buy a local SIM-card. That makes communication on the road a lot easier (the organisers prefer to have mobile phone numbers of the riders, a local number is a lot cheaper).
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just to let all parishioners know that Els (queen bee of audax) has began her journey out to the start of this ..planes, trains etc ...an adventure in it's self I feel.
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I'm allready in Russia, within reach of the start location. Will finally arrive there tomorrow. The weather is hot, not the usual weather of this brevet.
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On the VOL pages a page appeared which seems to indicate that you can follow VOL online: http://vol1200.ru/index.php/en/onlineen
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There are links to photos and stories at http://balticstar.spb.ru/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=158&sid=3cf560fd5f60cf5ca6e8626e85aa399c (you may want to use a translation service)
My photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/mkpaa/sets/72157630534128274/ and some more of the bikes used at Vologda-Onega-Ladoga http://www.flickr.com/photos/mkpaa/sets/72157630545402940/
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Just uploaded my VOL photos to http://fotoalbum.dds.nl/ivo_m/vol2012
Also available on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.4301687586518.2177964.1416563510&type=3
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My photos are also ready, here: MyPhotos (https://picasaweb.google.com/113386555289222850470/VologdaOnegaLadogaRussian1200)
Ride report to follow.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-foMg5fdqTeE/UAHPOBepArI/AAAAAAAAP-w/H3UO8Qm4Hno/s400/IMG_6280.JPG)
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amazing pictures Els ....what an adventure! The setup for some of the Controls is just extraoridnary!
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Well just goes to show what a unique insight into a country, Audax can be. :thumbsup: To all
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Well Done Els !!!
What an experience. Strange customs, strange language, weather-beaten people making the best of what little they have. Yes, I'm talking about BCM600 in Wales but it also seems to apply to this Russian ride.
Tell me, how many people have completed all the following ?LEL1400, PBP1200, NZ1200 and Russian 1200?
Is it just you Els? (Avi seems to ride everything available)
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Amazing photos on a brief skim through.
Well done on completing another epic adventure - what an amazing year you've had!
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Amazing photos on a brief skim through.
Well done on completing another epic adventure - what an amazing year you've had!
She owes it all to the Faccombe 4 you know?
We taught her everything she knows, towed her through some difficult miles, talked her out of some dark places and this is how she thanks us....by being much better than us.
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Amazing photos on a brief skim through.
Well done on completing another epic adventure - what an amazing year you've had!
She owes it all to the Faccombe 4 you know?
We taught her everything she knows, towed her through some difficult miles, talked her out of some dark places and this is how she thanks us....by being much better than us.
;D :thumbsup: ;D Some lovely photos Els. Congratulations on an extraordinary year of achievements.
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Another extraordinary year of achivements, I think...
Chapeau Els!!
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Nice pictures. It looks quite flat with some interestingly surfaced roads.
Is it correct that Hiroshi didn't ride with a disc wheel? I noticed Avi has taken over his idea/habit of a themed disc wheel/wheel cloth. IIRC Avi had a Union Jack in his rear wheel on both LEL and Mille Miglia and Hiroshi did those rides with a ride-themed disc wheel.
How did it go for the darksider?
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Interesting photos! My wife also enjoyed them. Reminds me of my CTC tours in Western Ukraine and Crimea in the 1990s. We travelled on a similar train to the Crimea. I well remember cycling with Hiroshi, Abi and others in the photos on Mille Miglia 2010. Not sure how you managed to take so many during the ride, and still finish in audax time - obviously fewer hills than in Wessex... :)
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Nice pictures. It looks quite flat with some interestingly surfaced roads.
Is it correct that Hiroshi didn't ride with a disc wheel? I noticed Avi has taken over his idea/habit of a themed disc wheel/wheel cloth. IIRC Avi had a Union Jack in his rear wheel on both LEL and Mille Miglia and Hiroshi did those rides with a ride-themed disc wheel.
How did it go for the darksider?
The only discwheel was with Avi. Chikara finished within the time but he lost a lot of time in the final section. It looked like he suffered a lot. I had about 5000m of denivellation. Especially the final section was very lumpy with the last 40km being a real rollercoaster. Bad news for those on the edge of the timelimit.
The amount of riders doubled compared to last time. No significant changes in the amount of foreigners. The new riders were mostly from new randonneur clubs from various smaller Russian towns. Clearly the sport is broadening. Moscow was not that well represented, St. Petersburg was very strong with 13 riders. Very visible was the contingent from Voronezh, they rode French style, sticking together all the time, riding briskly in a well rehearsed paceline.
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My photos are also ready, here: MyPhotos (https://picasaweb.google.com/113386555289222850470/VologdaOnegaLadogaRussian1200)
Ride report to follow.
Nice shots Els. What a fascinating adventure that must have been. I always thought that Audax could be so much more than just destroying the body!
Blimey, you've been doing some miles. Chapeau!
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(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-foMg5fdqTeE/UAHPOBepArI/AAAAAAAAP-w/H3UO8Qm4Hno/s400/IMG_6280.JPG)
Personally, I would have appreciated a pair of pants hanging out to dry in this picture.
Well done m'dear :-*
H
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(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-foMg5fdqTeE/UAHPOBepArI/AAAAAAAAP-w/H3UO8Qm4Hno/s400/IMG_6280.JPG)
Personally, I would have appreciated a pair of pants hanging out to dry in this picture.
Well done m'dear :-*
H
The Yellow Thong of Ambition?
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;D
H
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Viktor, one of the riders from Baltic Star, made a short (20 minutes) film on VOL: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mI7p-uz0IQ&list=UUYgX7wh3ElJwFpt9BvAeF9g&index=2&feature=plcp
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I added another video about what it means when road condition is "varies".
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mkpaa/7673100764/?likes_hd=1
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Near Depo?
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That was 1st day just after Vytegra.
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Ah, a section I did during the night. It didn't feel that bad.
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Part 1 of my report:
In recent years the St. Petersburg audax club, Baltic Star, has rapidly grown into one of the European powerhouses of audaxing. Their yellow/blue jerseys are visible during many 1200+ events throughout Europe. At home they organise a 1200 around two large Russian lakes, the Onega and Ladoga lakes. Due to the dense traffic situation in St. Petersburg the start is in the quiet provincial town of Vologda. During their first edition, in 2008, I had to pack due to a shoulder injury. So in early july I set out by train from Moscow to the starttown of Vologda. This time I opted for a quiet preparation, admiring the old Russian town of Jaroslavl situated halfway between Moscow and Vologda. I arrived in the early afternoon. The sightseeing in Vologda I had done allready two and four years ago. By now I know my way around town so directly out of the railwaystation I went to the bikeshop to get some last minute suplies. A lavish late lunch in a local eatery later I set out for the assembly point, a students hostel 14km north of town.
I leave the town throug dense traffic and easily I find the commuter village north of Vologda. Riding towards the hostel I spot a reassuring amount of supermarkets and food stores. No need to head back to town to buy the neede supplies for the first leg of the ride. In front of the hostel I meet Claus from Hamburg. He is waiting for the van which transports his bike. The Russian railways don't cause too many headaches for cyclists so I prefer taking the bike by train. In the hostel I meet many old friends from previous rides. I quickly settle in and transport my things to my room which I share with Michael from Switzerland. A dash to one of the foodstores gets me nearly everything I need. Only my batterysupply is rather low. There's no restaurant in the village but a kitchen in the hostel solves all problems.
(http://fotoalbum.dds.nl/ivo_m/vol2012/large/IMGP4982.JPG)
(http://fotoalbum.dds.nl/ivo_m/vol2012/large/IMGP5000.JPG)
Together with the others I head out for the pre-ride meeting, in front of another student hostel. Last time the chief organiser Mikhail did all the registration work, assited by his daughter. Now she takes over teh job, efficiently organising the distribution of frame numbers, routesheets (in 3 languages) and brevetcards. And the much coveted VOL shirts of course. A promising young organiser (still in her teenage years). The van with the bikes only arrives after the documents are issued. Those who still have their bikes boxed scramble for them and with some assistance from others assemble their bikes. Chikara's box is a bit startling. He extracts a strange amount of tubes and assorted bike parts from it which after some work form a nice recumbent, the only one in the ride. We all wonder how he managed to pass airport security with this, disassembled it hardly looks like a bike.
Back in the hostel we all eat from our supplies. Some riders didn't manage to download the newest GPS track. Luckily I downloaded it in Jaroslavl so I can transfer it from my netbook. Some of the younger riders wonder a bit about my bike, a 1987 Koga Miyata Grantourer. Many parts are not known to the younger ones. So the old hands explain how we used to ride back in the old days. I like the comfortable front fork of it. Tyre clearance is a bit larger as on my PBP bike. That combined it forms an excellent bike for the rough roads of Northern Russia. I opted for bar-end shifters. There's no need for quick shifting on this brevet. Russian roads are rather straigh, no steep hills looming behind sharp corners here. And a bar-end shifter is repairable by a Russian village mechanic, in contrast to the more modern stuff.
Only a few riders are still fettling with their bikes when most riders go to sleep. We need every sleep we can catch now. In the morning most riders wake up far too early. There is some nervousness in the air. Breakfast is again a do it yourself affair. Probably better as being served something which you might not like before the start of a big ride.
(http://fotoalbum.dds.nl/ivo_m/vol2012/large/IMGP5068.jpg)
(http://fotoalbum.dds.nl/ivo_m/vol2012/large/IMGP5070.jpg)
Start is at 7. At 6.30 a van is announced for the dropbags. But no van in sight when we all are outside the hostel waiting for it. 7 is nearing when there's still no van. A rider's wife volunteers to stay with the bags so we can set out for the start, 2km from the hostel. We all arrive after 7. But the organisers are still handing out routesheets and brevet cards to those who arrived in the early morning. When all of us are equipped with them a group photo is made and we set out in small groups, half an hour later as scheduled. I opt for the first group, with my (lack of) speed I need every wheel I can follow during the first part of the ride. We're with 80 riders, twice as much as 4 years ago. Looking around I see many unfamiliar jerseys. A lot of new clubs around, many of them from smaller towns all over Russia. Of the classic three only Baltic Star is out in force, Caravan Moscow and Orion Volograd are outnumbered by clubs from Novosibirsk and Voronezh.
(http://fotoalbum.dds.nl/ivo_m/vol2012/large/IMGP5071.jpg)
(http://fotoalbum.dds.nl/ivo_m/vol2012/large/IMGP5084.jpg)
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The first group settles rapidly into a reasonable pace. Even during the first rise there's not a single rider tearing off. I'm happy with this situation. For the first 10k we keep this reasonable pace. Then something uncommon happens, something I've never seen during the 5 other audax rides I've done in Russia so far. The Voronezh-club passes us in an excellent paceline, several other riders in tow. Up till now most riders I've seen during brevets overhere were riding rather individually, this is the first time I see a proper road men's paceline during a Russian audax ride. Immediately the front riders in my group increase speed and not much later the group rips just in front of me. I try to keep the gap small but hardly anyone wishes to help or is capable to do this. Most are quite happy to sit on my wheel for a long time. For a few dozen kilometers I ride with this group untill I stop for a call of nature.
(http://fotoalbum.dds.nl/ivo_m/vol2012/large/IMGP5093.jpg)
(http://fotoalbum.dds.nl/ivo_m/vol2012/large/IMGP5115.jpg)
I resume the road alone, something I'm quite used to. And it doesn't bother me at all. I quickly find a steady rhytm and roll along through the usual Russian countryside of endless forests interspersed with scenic lakes. Ocassionally a sideroad veers off to a distant riverside village. In this part of Russia the villages were founded along the rivers. The rivers were the old roads. Only in the age of motoring the asfalt roads took over and were built on the high grounds. Not far before the turn-off to the Fillipovo Monastry the first control is located by the roadside. Nothing fancy, just a car, some food and water and a few controllers. Not that anyone needs more. The only thing to be desired could be more water. It's a hot day and not everyone took enough water with him. I started out with 4 liter of drinks, most of it used allready. I top off at the control. There are still riders out when I resume my ride, I've allready built a comfortable time-cushion to the closing times.
(http://fotoalbum.dds.nl/ivo_m/vol2012/large/IMGP5117.jpg)
We don't visit the Fillipovo Monastry this time so I keep on heading north. Temperatures start to rise, it should be around 30 degrees now. Normally I would enter the disaster zone here. Before I started using sports drinks my stomach would gradually shut-down above 30 degrees. After some experimenting I found some sports drinks I can still drink in the heat and which keep my stomach working. Not that I would enter rides were much higher temperatures are expected though. In fact, I choose this ride because usually temperatures are in the 20-ies here, my prefered range of temperature for long distance cycling.
Now we've passed the Fillipovo Monastry traffic gradually deminishes to a few cars per hour. One feels quite lonely here. It's my second time on this road so I know that I can expect some services at the second control. Here a road leads to the small town of Lipin Bor. We continue on the main road but not before checking in at the 2nd control. Just next to it is a service station. I stop there for a hot meal. Els is allready sitting there, enjoying some of the local pastries. I stock up with supplies. No-one knows if the next shops will be open or not, they only cater for the villager's needs. There's one halfway the next stage. I leave the route and to my surprise it's open. That's perfect, it's still hot and an icecream would be great. And stocking up on drinks again. During the first days I'm drinking about 15 litres a day so I need a regular supply of water. Last time the shop was allready closed, I had to use my emergency rations to reach the next control.
(http://fotoalbum.dds.nl/ivo_m/vol2012/large/IMGP5123.jpg)
(http://fotoalbum.dds.nl/ivo_m/vol2012/large/IMGP5146.jpg)
Just after resuming the route I meet Vadim and Elizaveta from Moscow. It's their first big brevet and they're still equipped as proper roadies. Shiny carbon fibre bikes and neat kit. They don't speak English so my basic Russian has to do for conversation. Sometimes we ride together, sometimes alone. But still to ocassional stretches of riding together are enough to reach the 3rd control in good spirits. Last time I was struggling here and needed some sleep. I remember that this control is midge-infested so one of the first things to do is using the midge-repellant. Industrial strength is needed in this part of Russia. I eat and drink the usual mugs of tea (staple drink at Russian controls). There's a 4th rider at the control, Aleksey. He suffers from a nasty crash and has to retire. When I'm about to leave Vadim and Elizaveta also pack. Vadim has kneeproblems and Elizaveta joins him in packing. Quite a shame, she's still in good form and there are enough riders near us to ride together for the remainder of the ride. I'm back in my usual position, last man on the road.
(http://fotoalbum.dds.nl/ivo_m/vol2012/large/IMGP5158.jpg)
(http://fotoalbum.dds.nl/ivo_m/vol2012/large/IMGP5159.jpg)
So I settle out alone again. The next stage is far more scenic and populated as the previous ones. Several times I'll cross the great waterway from the Volga to the White Sea. But first I have to negotiate some bad roads near the village of Depo. The main road veers to the left but I continue straight on, up ahead I see a cloud of dust in the evening sun. The asfalt disappears as I cross the small gauge railway track. This is a logging village. Last time I was here at dawn, now it's still evening. It's still scenic, the white nights are something to experience. Near Beluosovo the white nights are especially spectacular. I pass a scenic bay where several cruise ships are moored for the night. The Onega lake starts here.
(http://fotoalbum.dds.nl/ivo_m/vol2012/large/IMGP5169.jpg)
(http://fotoalbum.dds.nl/ivo_m/vol2012/large/IMGP5181.jpg)
To my surprise the local shop is still open. I enter it as I make my way through the cluster of late-evening drinkers at the doorstep. Probably they think that they've drank a bottle too much as they see me in reflective jacket and helmet light. I stock up again on food and drinks. When I resume the road I head north into the sun. A strange feeling for me, the sun shouldn't be in that corner. In Vytegra I reach the first turn of the ride. I've been riding straight on for more than 300km. Still one rider manages to overshoot the turn and log some extra miles. The small town of Vytegra is asleep. Probably some riders too in the local hotel. I continue on, not far up is the control of Saminky Pogost. I reach it without problems. A lot of bikes at the control, I'm clearly not that far behind. I opt for a short kip before eating and continuing. I'm not very sleepy but I have enough time in hand to invest in some sleep. Usually that makes you faster in the next legs.
(http://fotoalbum.dds.nl/ivo_m/vol2012/large/IMGP5191.jpg)
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Lovely photos, so atmospheric
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Less than an hour later I wake up. But it takes some time between waking up and really being active. It takes an awfull long time before I really start going again. I sit around a bit trying not to b noticed by the midges. Wearing full raingear is the best method at this moment not to get bitten. Luckily my mind kicks in again, I take some extra clothes from my dropbag and resume my ride. I'm among the backmarkers now. We'll be seeing eachother regularilly for the next few days. Luckily no quitters this time, 4 years ago all the riders which I met at the controls were packing. These are the real riders, determined to finish, not afraid to balance on the edge of the timelimit. The rest of the backmarkers are all fairly local, lot's of them from St. Petersburg. About half of them speak English, for the others my basic Russian has to do. But it's a good feeling to see some other riders.
(http://fotoalbum.dds.nl/ivo_m/vol2012/large/IMGP5198.jpg)
Shortly after the control I pass the Karelian border. The rest of the ride will be held here, in one of the Russian autonomous republics. Not that I hear Karelian in this part of Karelia. There are more Karelians living on the shores of the Ladoga lake. There are many controls here, spaced about 60km apart. Hospitality is superb, a bit too superb in fact for those who are fighting with the time limits. Controls eat away a massive amount of time. I'd rather prefer them spaced about 100km apart Especially since the food is more or less the same at all the controls. So for variety it's needed to shop at local shops or use the few roadside restaurants available.
Mostly defined by the circumstances, a lot of the controls consist of a few tents by the side of a lake. The only solutions if habitation is nearly failing. Roadsigns informing you that the next hospital, service station ore other amenities are more than 60km further on are quite a normal sight. As are roadsigns warning for potholes. It would be cheaper to point out the roads without potholes. Pudozh is the only place of any size during daytime. Even large enough to have a mainstreet market. Police officers guard the entrance and send me via some backroads. When I'm back at the mainstreet the police officer on duty there allready knows what's happening and points out the school where the control is. Another control with dropbags so I change clothes. Opposite to it is a shop. Finlly a chance to cool down with an ice-cream. The next announced shop is 80km further on. A village shop so no certainty if it's open.
(http://fotoalbum.dds.nl/ivo_m/vol2012/large/IMGP5201.jpg)
The only company I have for the next leg are all sorts of insects. A lot of short sharp hills here, uphill I'm an easy target for them. I could do without the next control, 60km is far too short. The control is located in a holiday camp. I arrive here without any water. I could have asked one or two villages before but knowing there's a control ahead I simply press on. Several riders are still at the control when I arrive, eating in a small hut. I'm escorted to another hut where the vegetarian food is. It's very relaxed here. One could stay here for hours. But I don't have the time for that, soon it's time to continue. 20Km further on is the announced shop, not too far away from the route. It's still open so I can stock up on food and drinks.
(http://fotoalbum.dds.nl/ivo_m/vol2012/large/IMGP5220.jpg)
When I'm back on the route I see Dima, a young rider from St. Petersburg. Together with him I continue to the next control. One of the lakeside contols. We have to dismount and walk through the forest for a few minutes to reach it. The path to it is very muddy. Over a rickety bridge we reach the control. One of the controllers arrives, fishing rod in his hand. The fire is burning, water in the large kettle allready boiling. A typical Baltic Star control.
(http://fotoalbum.dds.nl/ivo_m/vol2012/large/IMGP5226.jpg)
(http://fotoalbum.dds.nl/ivo_m/vol2012/large/IMGP5243.jpg)
I eat and drink tea here before resuming my ride, together with Konstantin and Katja this time. Out of the blue a good asfalt road appears. We enjoy it, it might not last long. And indeed, after passing the village of Novaja Gabalja the road deteriorates again. A sign for a café points to the village. We try to find it but it's too well hidden. Katja and Konstantin left the village a bit earlier so I'm alone again. In the next village I pass the Belomorskij-Baltiskij kanal. One of the many in this region. It's getting quite chilly so I change clothes after Povonets. I'm not that far away from Medvezhegorsk but my progress is very slow. I nearly fall asleep and need a few short kips on the handlebars. Finally I reach Medvezhegorsk where I find an open service station. I stop and drink some tea. Finally I start fo feel human again. This is the first place where I find a proper map of Karelia. I immediately buy it. In the centre of Medvezhegorsk I easily find the turn to the control, 25km further away. Immediately I see the first rider returning from the control. A few minutes later a car stops. A few controllers inside. Tanja is among them and tells me that the control opening times are changed, we have a few more hours. I had expected something like that since the control times were still calculated on the basis of the 15km/h average although I've passed the 600km mark allready. So it's quite normal to get some extra hours. The control is excellently located, 2nd night and past the 600km mark. The moment most people need some sleep. That's also my first thought when I arrive at the control. Especially since I've eaten in Medvezhegorsk so I don't need food directly. I enter a tent and fall asleep.
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I'm really enjoying your report. The words and the photos.
But...
I'm escorted to another hut where the vegetarian food is.
...this is not the Russia I remember! Vegetarian food?! :o
In the next village I pass the Belomorskij-Baltiskij kanal.
Canal of infamy, built by Stalin's prisoners. There used to be a brand of cigarettes called Belomorskiy, I don't know if they're still made.
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More than 2 hours later I awake. There's still breakfast and there are still some other riders present. So I take my time to eat and try to get my body back into working order.
(http://fotoalbum.dds.nl/ivo_m/vol2012/large/IMGP5260.jpg)
During the first kilomters to Medvezhegorsk I feel that I'm not asleep but not awake either. It takes ages for my body to get going. Still I have to make some tactical choices in Medvezhegorsk. I don't know if the next control will stay open longer and if, for how long. But I do know that after leaving Medvezhegorsk there are hardly any services untill the turn-off to the next control, over 60kms with only one truckstop mentioned on the map. And I do remember this stretch from last time. The map indicates a service station on the outskirts of Medvezhegorsk. But no information if it sells food. So I cycle back to the centre of Medvezhegorsk. The big supermarket is not open yet, they only start at 10am. But a small shop opposite to it is allready open for business. I stock up for the next 100km, at least with food. No batteries here and I need to restock somewhere today. It's the first big brevet I ride on battery lights with an old bottom bracket generator as back-up. So I don't really know how much bateries I need. And my GPS is slowly giving in, every few kilometers it shuts off. Battery consumption is rather high, probably due to the constant restarting of the unit.
When I exit Medvezhegorsk I see that the service station has a small shop. And indeed, they stock batteries. Of unknown quality. I buy a set of 4 and continue. This stretch was one of my worst last time. And it is this time. Only the first bit is interesting. The rest is simply mind-numbing. A long line of straight asfalt is visible ahead. Next to it some wasteland and 30-40m later the forest starts. Endless forest with no human habitation in sight. But there's enough traffic to form a nuisance. On the busy sections I have to ride on the 70-80cm wide stretch of asfalt to the right of the actual road. The only distractions are a logging truck entering the road in the first section and a river crossing later on.
(http://fotoalbum.dds.nl/ivo_m/vol2012/large/IMGP5266.jpg)
(http://fotoalbum.dds.nl/ivo_m/vol2012/large/IMGP5268.jpg)
The truckstop is a welcome sight. I stop and order the food I have been missing at the controls, scrambled eggs. 2 years ago there were no services during the White Nights 1200 but enough truckstops serving hot food. Overhere even the truckstops are lacking for large sections of the route. While waiting for my food I check the map. The route this time returns to the M18 after the Girvas control. Last time we took the old road via the villages. That road looks a lot better to me. I even wonder if the more northern road from Medvezhegorsk to Girvas would be better. A simple relocation of the control south of Medvezhegorsk to a lake along the northern road would solve all control problems. That supposing that the northern road has a half-decent surface. The first bit after the truckstop I manage to ride at reasonable pace. Later on I'm back at plodding. Shortly before the final turn-off to Vladimir calls me. He asks me where I am. Still 15km to go to the control I report him. That's ok for him, now he can plan the closing of the control. At the turn-off a service station looks very appealing. The routesheet even mentions that it has showers. But I have no time for that luxury, I stop rapidly to restock on cola. When I'm back on the road I first see Nikolai and Katja entering the café behind the service station. Not much later I see the other Katja returning to the M18. So I'm not that awfully far behind the others. Nothing I couldn't solve with budgetting on sleep. I reach Girvas without much problems. One of the controllers waits at the roadside to point me to the school where the control is located. I'm quickly served with hot food and tea.
(http://fotoalbum.dds.nl/ivo_m/vol2012/large/IMGP5276.jpg)
With Vladimir I discuss my mental problems with the M18 and my idea of taking the old road. It should be about as long as retracing to the M18 and following that road to the next control. But I don't know if Mikhail had a special reason to skip replace the old road. So Vladimir calls Mikhail. Mikhail sees no problems with following the old road. Releaved I check the contents of my dropbag and hit the road again.
(http://fotoalbum.dds.nl/ivo_m/vol2012/large/IMGP5282.jpg)
(http://fotoalbum.dds.nl/ivo_m/vol2012/large/IMGP5284.jpg)
I immediately feel refreshed when I am at the old road. The scenery is a lot better, starting with leaving Girvas via a small rivercanyon. The road winds its way trough forests, lakes and lot's of small villages. Finally I don't have to stop at each available shop becaue the next one is hours away but I can simply stop and buy whenever I need something. In the following hours I see more people as during the first half of the ride. I'm enjoying my ride again. The last bit of the old roads leads me through a series of scenic lakes. Lot's of people here, it looks like half of Petrozavdosk has a summerhouse here. It's Sundayafternoon so there's a bit more traffic as expected. But still within acceptable limits. Shortly before Petrozavodsk I'm back on the M18. It's just a short bit to the control. But it's still an interesting feeling to ride under and over motorwaybridges.
When I reach the control I see a few known bikes. So I'm back among the other backmarkers. Claus is sleeping but awakens when I'm eating. We talk a bit, he was also nerved by riding on the M18. I tell him that when we leave the M18 in the village of Prjazha there are some amenities here including a small 24h restaurant. Last time I covered this stretch in darkness, crossing over 20km of roadworks. So now I expect a very well kept road. Well kept it indeed is. There's hardly a section of bad road untill the Kroznozero control. Although this road is mostly at 2 lane motorway standard it has a different feeling as the previous part of the M18. Here it's the old road refurbished to higher standards, a road grown naturally, a road following the lines of the terrain. Not a road designed in a far-away office. Several villages after the control I see a sign for a watersource. When signposted like this it has to be good water. Several cars are parked here and people carry jerrycans full of water to their car. I only refresh myself. Downstream of the source I hold my feet in the cold water, a welcome treat after another hot day. Without any incidents I reach the village of Prjazha. Is top here to eat. That might be the last café food before I reach the shores of Lake Ladoga. When I leave Prjazha it's dark enough to use my lights. Also this road is recently refurbished and feels very good in the semi-darkness. When I reach the Kroznozero control. There's another control 56km further on, but with tents. Here it's a school. I decide to sleep here and not to press on. I still remember the problems I had during the first part of the previous night.
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When I awake the control should be closed for hours allready. But over the next stretch we get another batch of bonus time, 5 hours are available for 56km. That should be fairly doable, including some sleep. When I'm back on the road I see that I made the wise choice to sleep here. The road is wet, there has been a serious rainshower during the past 2 hours. Later on I see video footage from the rain, it was indeed quite serious. Sometimes you need a bit of luck. The next control is with tents again so not the best place to arrive wet. Within a few kilometers I'm on the refurbished road. Again very wide and superb asfalt. A complete contrast to the shores of Lake Onega. But again it's a road designed in a far away office. It completely bypasses all villages. The roadsigns sometimes have Russian names of villages, sometimes typical Karelian names. Which could mean that Karelians and Russians don't live together in the same villages but are separated. Only the morning sun and light fog create a decent scenery.
(http://fotoalbum.dds.nl/ivo_m/vol2012/large/IMGP5289.jpg)
(http://fotoalbum.dds.nl/ivo_m/vol2012/large/IMGP5290.jpg)
Somewhere halfway to the Mandera control I see a controller's car passing with a bike on the roof. I can't recognise it that rapidly. Later on I hear that it's Nikolai's bike, he packed due to a broken rear mech hanger. Shortly before I reach the control the road turns more natural again. A short stretch of unpaved road and I enter the tent village of Mandera control. Still some bikes around and riders sleeping in an old box shaped trailer cabin. The sort used by roadworkers. Within minutes I'm sipping hot tea and enjoying the stop.
(http://fotoalbum.dds.nl/ivo_m/vol2012/large/IMGP5292.jpg)
But I don't stay long. A bit further on is a guesthouse where we can have a shower. I return to the mainroad and 10km further on stop at the guesthouse. But it's closed, Monday is it's usual closing day. Bad luck. I check my GPS for possible places further on the road for a 2nd breakfast. A café is mentioned in the next village. And indeed, at the crossroads is a busstop and café just opening for business. I enjoy the great Russian rolls here. Allways very tasty and filling.
The first bit of the next stretch is via an interesting road. But the whole middle section is again one of these modern roads, wide, unappealing and without a single bit of shadow. The sun is out again and the temperature rises rapidly. For dozens of kilometers I plod on. There's hardly anything to see, my speed really suffers because of this. Only towards the end of this stretch a sight merits a short stop. A monument to honour a few Soviet soldiers who died here, probably fighting the Finnish army during WW2. A fact which isn't widely known in the west, the Finnish army supporting Nazi-Germany. Various visitors left food, drinks and sigarettes for the souls of the fallen soldiers. Old pagan rituals don't die here.
(http://fotoalbum.dds.nl/ivo_m/vol2012/large/IMGP5310.jpg)
(http://fotoalbum.dds.nl/ivo_m/vol2012/large/IMGP5306.jpg)
But I can't pause for long here, I have to continue. A while further on I reach the only service station of this stretch. No fuel to be had here but the café is open, an ice cream is all I need at this moment.
After the servicestation I turn left, a dogleg to Salmi. I arrive at the shores of Lake Ladoga. Immediately the scenery changes. There's much to see and a lot of villages. And I directly gain speed. I need the scenery to keep on going. My supplies are low when I reach Pitkyaranta. A small shop has all I need for now. The last bit to Salmi is my favourite stretch for this ride. I've passed here a few times during previous Baltic Star brevets. A nice winding road with constantly changing scenery. And well sheltered against the wind.
(http://fotoalbum.dds.nl/ivo_m/vol2012/large/IMGP5321.jpg)
(http://fotoalbum.dds.nl/ivo_m/vol2012/large/IMGP5340.jpg)
I see lot's of riders allready riding northwards to the finish. I had expected many of them to be further on the road. Either they took it easy or the brevet is harder as expected. I nearly reached Salmi when a rider stops to give me the exact location of it. His English is worse as my Russian so we switch to Russian. I reach the control where Vladimir and his crew are allready catering the few riders still present.
By now I know that I can finish this ride. But I don't know if it will be an official finish or an out of time finish.
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You've got me on tenterhooks now! A cliffhanger - you know how to serialise a story!
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Vladimir tells me the new location of the next control. Again a lakeside tent. The original spot was allready taken by other campers. The new spot is 4km further on. The GPS coordinates give me the exact location. My batterysupplies are very low again. The next shop which might stock batteries is down in the village. Pitkyaranta should be a better option. So I set out again trying to reach Pitkyaranta before the electronics shop closes. Luckily my legs are good again so I can push it a bit. Halfway to Pitkyaranta I have to stop to change the GPS batteries. No new ones so I'll have to rob my frontlight from half it's batteries. Vladimir passes me when I'm changing the batteries. As does Katja. I pass her again later on, she's having a bad moment.
(http://fotoalbum.dds.nl/ivo_m/vol2012/large/IMGP5371.jpg)
In the outskirts of Pitkyaranta a car overtakes me and the driver stops me. He tells me that there's a cyclist in trouble somewhere behind me. Vladimir shouldn't be too far away so I call him so he can have a look. Not much later he calls back, he phoned with Katja and she's tyred but still ok. I resume my ride to the electronics shop. Before I reach it I see a supermarket. And this one doesn't only stock food and drinks but also decent quality batteries. I buy two sets and am relieved. I put the light batteries back in it's place and finally know that I have fitting batteries again. An elderly man approaches me while I do this. He has seen a few riders passing with framenumbers and studies mine. He is impressed and invites me for coffee at his place. I politely decline, no time for this. I still don't know if I can finish in time or not.
I continue at a brisk pace and leave Pitkyaranta. But not much later I must admit that I can't keep on like this. It's very hot again and I'm overheating. My legs can support the speed, the rest of my system not. I stop at the last service station before I reach an empty stretch of road. An ice cream and a long rest in the shadow have to restore my temperature balance. I gambled and it went wrong. When I continue I have to ride slower so my body can cope with the temperatures. I'm in plodding mode again. Luckily the road is quite old and scenic so at least I have some distraction in the form of old villages and nice views on Lake Ladoga. I don't stop in Lyaskelya to admire the small waterfall. I have seen this a few times before.
(http://fotoalbum.dds.nl/ivo_m/vol2012/large/IMGP5373.jpg)
When I reach the control they are allready packing. I'm short on time but they still insist on serving me a meal and brewing tea. I've allready decided not to bother about time anymore, I just ride as fast as feasible. The next town I reach just before 'darkness'. This was the finish town last time. But now we have to continue, the new finish is 40km further on in Lahdenopolya. I've done this stretch only once, 8 years ago during the Ladoga 800. In Sortavala I have to make a detour, the bridge in the central part of town is under repair. The deviation is well signposted. For the last time I switch on my lights. I hope to be at the finish within a reasonable time.
But I must have forgot that the stretch between Sortavala and Lahdenopolya is a beast. It's a complete rollercoaster, mostly between 20 and 100m altitude. But sometimes hitting 200m. The sort of stretch where you only need two gears. Luckily the temperatures are ok now and my legs are good. So I don't loose an enormous lot of time. But still too much. About halfway I have to change from trying to gain time to trying to finish. I don't barrel downhill anymore with 60+km/h, don't sprint uphill (ok, sort of sprinting). Even in Lahdenopolya I have to climb, the finish is in a high part of town. It takes a few minutes before I found the right building. I'm not sure if I am on time, all depends on the exact calculations of the organisers. The exact time of departure (about half an hour too late) and the possible time extension for overdistance. Even at the moment of writing I don't know if I'll be pardonned or if it will be an out of time finish.
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excellent report Ivo, and well done - i hope you're in time.
(and damn those batteries, what a faff! ;D)
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The ride is over but the suspense continues! Well, even if out of time, it sounds like a mega ride and you've written a very enjoyable report of it. Thank you.
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Both the excellent photos and the report really capture the atmosphere of being on a long ride!Chapeau!
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Here is, finally, MyRideReport (http://bikesandbees.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/vologda-onega-ladoga-1200.html)
Thanks for all the comments earlier in this thread. It's nice to share experiences with an appreciative audience, including LEE :)
Ivo's excellent report triggered a few more memories for me. Thank you Ivo!
Photo below was taken by Pavel. That is Lars on the left with me on the right, looking at my best.
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-HyowUyunLsI/UAknBnGegLI/AAAAAAAAAXk/_ltw_-XWVE0/s767/IMG_1276.JPG)
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excellent report Els! (i slept on three chairs during pbp for 1.5h - comfy enough when you're tired)
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Here is, finally, MyRideReport (http://bikesandbees.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/vologda-onega-ladoga-1200.html)
Mikko (me) is from Finland. Not from Norway. :)
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Here is, finally, MyRideReport (http://bikesandbees.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/vologda-onega-ladoga-1200.html)
Mikko (me) is from Finland. Not from Norway. :)
My bad, I knew that because you cycled home!
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Here is, finally, MyRideReport (http://bikesandbees.blogspot.co.uk/2012/08/vologda-onega-ladoga-1200.html)
Mikko (me) is from Finland. Not from Norway. :)
My bad, I knew that because you cycled home!
Probably being more of a 'home rider' as most of the Russians ;).
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In other news.. has anyone seen report of Transrussia 3000? How it went?
And has anyone seen VOL photos of Johan De Keukelaere? I'd like to see some he took at lake Onega. :)
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TransRussia had some problems. Especially for Manfred. First his bike was stolen near Jaroslavl. After several days the police found his bike back (stupid thief, you don't steal a carbon fibre M5). 200km before the finish he was hit by a driver and ended in hospital. I just recieved the mesage that he was flown back home. Broke a few bones but nothing which will keep him from cycling LEL.
The others arrived ok as far as I could follow them.
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Ah. Sad. Anything can happen on those roads.
Please let us know if you see reports from the Transrussia. I'd like to read stories from it.
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Els is allready sitting there, enjoying some of the local pastries.
some things never change... ;)