suklamin2

Hi everybody

i am planning to do a bikepackingtrip trough russia and ukraine this summer (Moscow-Odessa). It will be my first big trip with the bycicle.
I wonder if somebody travelled already this Route, or in general trough Russia/Ukraine, and can tell me a little bit about his experience? How are the Routes, People...? Do you have some tips for me?

Thanks

mev

My experiences are quite a few years ago but included:

Uzhhorod the Hungary/Ukraine border via Kiev, Kursk to Samara Russia in 2006 and Amsterdam to St Petersburg to Vladivostok in 2007.

A few general comments:
1. Roads in European part of Russia and in Ukraine are pretty variable with Russian roads on average better than Ukrainian. Took some pretty awful concrete highways (thump, thump, thump) and some good ones too...
2. People are friendly and hospitable, particularly if you speak some Russian. Photo below was taken with our bike gear when we were asked to toast the bride and groom. Saturday is wedding day and in some places the wedding party goes out to visit various historical places, so we'd been leapfrogging for a while.

djb

Natasha and Yuri on their wedding day, with their two mail order cycle tourists.

"This hot, strong legged American man is dying to power your pedal powered generator, ALL day and night"

www.capitalistpumpinglegsofsteel.com

gerryl

I was in Ukraine last summer. I assume you're aware of the political tensions between the two countries. Pick your crossing point between Russia and Ukraine carefully, the further west the better. Ukrainian roads on the whole are barely ok, you really have pay attention to such things as manhole covers ( missing, or the grate so far apart that anything narrower than a motorcycle will fall through). The largest city I visited, Lvov, was practically unrideable, the cobblestones being in such bad state. There is no bicycle infrastructure, so don't bother looking for bike paths.
The upside is that the people are really friendly, excellent quality accomodations are ridiculously cheap, border formalities are painless ( if you have the right passport) , and the natural and cultural landscapes offer endless possibilities...oh yeah and the beer is good and cheap.