I made peace with Russian roads... It's like the wind: don't try to beat it, just let it be and you will enjoy it anyway!
Russia made me think what makes me so fond of cycling, besides the mere physical aspect of it. What am I looking for? It's not only the roads what makes cycling Russia another experience for me than cycling Europe.
In Europe as I knew it, forests have a beginning and an end, the scenery is landmarked by the regular appearance of towns, especially church towers, roads are going somewhere, whole mountain ranges can be overviewed from the valley, valleys overlooked from the mountains.
Cycling through Europe is cycling through a scenery in motion, it's an ongoing patchwork of natural, historical and contemporary particularities. I am connecting the dots and patches to write the story and that's what I like! I might not stop and visit villages, castles, and other so-called places of interest - though I have seen them and I don't take them for granted - they are part of the map I draw.
Cycling in Russia is not like that, for four days and about 700 km I was riding the same kind of partly forested, partly open field wilderness, connecting only some dusty villages and depressingly ragged cities. To reach the Japanese Sea I should cycle about 9000 km more - through more or less the same kind of landscape lacking any spatial reference points. Honestly I wouldn't cycle to Vladivostok because it wouldn't make too much sense for me. The road is the destination and ultimately the road would get a little boring. I started to realize I am very fond of the wilderness, spending time in the wide open world is a basic need but as a cycler I am apparently looking for more than just the plain wilderness.
As a matter of fact I am a sunday child and in the end, I am a sunday cycler who wants te be home in time for dinner!
Tomorrow is Monday, I am going to Moscow, having dinner on Red Square!