Sibirsky Extreme 2012 - The Toughest Ride of Them All

[Colebatch]

Sorry ... a bit out of order here ....

As soon as the texts started coming in from the guys out partying, I realised I had missed a golden opportunity to let my hair down with Adrian, Terry, Geir, Steve and Neil from Kudu, our gang of guys in Yakutsk, before everyone went their separate ways. (I think Erik and I were just needing to spend time with wifi chatting to loved ones from back at the hotel)

I wished I was with them in Europa ... and wished Rod Currie could be there to shake his money maker too.

[Colebatch]

Originally Posted by Jarno123

Two question to either one of the whole group.
You have told us you kept uploading waypoints at your night camp. Assuming you use some form of laptop, where'd you get the power? Can't imagine there are any sockets in the middle of the Mongolian steppe.
And is there a particular reason you all go from West of East? Is it inadvisable to go the other way around, or did it just turn out this way?
Keep the updates coming!

Its best to go west to east for a number of reasons ... (1) since you do most of your riding in the afternoon, you dont have the sun in your eyes ... which as I found in 2010 in Mongolia, at dusk, makes riding off road at speed VERY challenging. A bit like ... well I think the road goes round to the left here ... I will lean that way and see. (2) you build into the ride. As you leave the developed world, the challenges get progressively larger and your location gets progressively more remote. Starting an off road ride in Magadan, as I did in 2010, has you feeling like its over by the time to leave Mongolia. You cant be bothered with the bit back to Europe - its an anticlimax. Psychologically, like a movie, you need to build up and up and up in your challenges, difficulties and problems .... and ending it with the Old Summer Road and them limping into Magadan has that adventure feel to it. Its a logical climax. Seeing the sign on the outskirts of Magadan is a symbol of vistory over the roads and the elements. Coming the other way, you wouldnt feel that coming back to the outskirts of London. Limping along the motorways of Europe on a half broken bike, heading towards London at the end of your journey just seems pitiful.

As for laptops et al, I dont think we camped more than 2 nights in a row. often it was alternating nights. Once you reach the BAM and Road of Bones, the idea of camping really sux anyway. Its really not a romantic concept. Its a last resort. Its fine in western Russia, or the Kazakh steppes, or even Mongolia if the weather was good. But its not fun on the BAM. Charging much more than mobile phones off the bikes power is not really practical. Trust me, I have tried loads of things to charge off the bikes outlets. The charge rate is terrible, the connections not always reliable and the chargers double the bulk you are carrying in electrical chargers (the volume in electrical cables and chargers is high enough as it is. Having to double up so you have power from mains sockets as well as bike is something I have tried and disregarded for this kind of trip. It works if you have a big 1200cc adventure bike and are travelling around europe camping ... but its not practical in the boonies. My advice is try to get all your plugs on your accessories switched over to euro plugs (loads smaller than big UK plugs or still quite bulky Aussie plugs) and used all thru Russia, Stans, Mongolia etc ... so no adapters needed. Secondly, take a compact 3 way splitter (for euro plugs obviously) ... cause often old hotel rooms will only have a solitary socket, and after a few days in the boonies, you need to charge 4-5 things up, cameras, phones, laptops, ipods etc - per person.

[Seth S]

Originally Posted by Colebatch

interesting photo

[EtronX]

Originally Posted by hardwaregrrl

Ok, Geir what happened to the facial hair? I notice no one has said anything. I didn't recognize you without it??

Again, awesome story telling skills all of you have. Thanks again for sharing!

The hair disappeared in Tynda. Max said I looked to old with it and that I had to take it off

It's back on again

[GB]

Originally Posted by nii

do you really have to quote all the photos???

Bad netiquette and bandwidth hog... post deleted.

[Colebatch]

Originally Posted by EtronX

The hair disappeared in Tynda. Max said I looked to old with it and that I had to take it off

It's back on again

So you cared enough to look good for Max???

[EtronX]

Originally Posted by Colebatch

So you cared enough to look good for Max???

I put my head on the chopping block there, did I not

[tee bee]

[ROD CURRIE]

Originally Posted by EtronX

I put my head on the chopping block there, did I not

You haven't anything to tell us have you Geir ( or is it "Gay-er")...have you been on Broke-Bike Mountain.

Well well...I know you Scandinavians are more permissive ...and it's a long way to Magadan...but who'd a thunk it.

[EtronX]

We left Khandygan in the morning. The roads were nice, but the scenery a bit dull. This was for us another transport stretch. We got our heads down and twisted the throttles as good as we could. Then we literarily came around a bend and we had the most magnificent mountains ahead of us.




We were now following the river Vostochnaya and the scenery was beautiful.




There were quite a bit of road work in the area. This is the main road to Magadan, via Ust Nera, and there are a lot big trucks using the road.




Since the M56 is gravel you also have the dust when it is dry. That said, I'll take the dust any given day compared to the mud




We had a really great time riding now. Everyone set their own pace and just enjoyed the moment.




The goal of the day was Kyubyueme, 330 kilometer's from Khandyga. There is a gas station there, a place to eat (I think the word restaurant is a bit over the top when describing the establishment) and Kyubyueme is also where you will leave the M56 in order to go to Tomtor and the Ols Summer Road.

The first thing we did when we got there was to get some gas.




Then we payed the girl in the "office". One note here. It is the same girl who is part of the "diner" crew. We had to walk over and get her. Between the gas station and the "diner" there are a lot of dogs. They looked ominously at us and circled around us. Not very aggressive, but on a high alert. I think you have to look very confident when you pass dogs like that. They will smell fear. While we were eating the dogs attacked a truck driver and he had to fight the dogs off with his Vodka bottle...

We got the girl and got the gas (no pun intended ;-). New note. She is really friendly and she collects coins from all over the world. If you happen to pass buy, remember to bring some change from home

After we got the gas we had to put up our sticker. Adrian and Walter had also requested us to put up their stickers, which we did




After the feeding frenzy we got ready to cross the Kyubyueme river. This is the first major obstacle you meet when you want to ride the Old Summer Road

[Colebatch]

Originally Posted by EtronX

The first thing we did when we got there was to get some gas.

Gosh ... they have been renovating it since I was last in Kyubeme ... new fancy pump location ... cafe .... more than one human being .... its getting civilised there in Kyubeme.

[beat]

Originally Posted by EtronX

After we got the gas we had to put up our sticker. Adrian and Walter had also requested us to put up their stickers, which we did

w didn't put the sticker there himself?
now i wonder howmany stickers other people stick up for him somewhere

[igormortis]

I too was suspicious of the surrogate stickering....

[Colebatch]

Originally Posted by beat

w didn't put the sticker there himself?
now i wonder howmany stickers other people stick up for him somewhere

Well I had been there several times before ... but had always forgot to sticker it Or on one occasion it was pissing down rain ... too wet to sticker it ...



Adrian too had been there just a week or so earlier, and forgot to sticker it.

It seems the fuel station at Kyubeme has become a compulsory sticker stop.

But rest assured, anywhere you see a Sibirsky sticker, I have been

[GRinCR]

Like the other Sibirsky RRs of the past, I can not wait to and dread to see it end all at the same time.