Home » General » General » St Petersburg --> Moscow. What road to cycle? (We need a safe and non-too-long road to cycle in beween these two cities...)
| St Petersburg --> Moscow. What road to cycle? [message #297] |
Fri, 25 May 2012 13:58  |
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Hi everyone!
We are currently waiting for our Russian visa in Helsinki-Finland and planning our trip through Russia.
The mail problem we may encounter at the moment is "Which road should we take to cycle from Saint-Petersburg to Moscow?"
Obviously, the main road is a cyclist nightmare (Highways have never been "cyclable" routes, have they?...).
The option that seems to be better for us is to take a much longer road up north but way safer : This leading to Yaroslav', then down to Moscow. However, we have very little ideas of what the conditions should be on this itinerary concerning safety, free camping along the way, and finding food. Does anyone knows any details about this road ?
However, I have heard there must be some other ways to reach Moscow from Saint-Peterburg and I would love to hear of that!!!
Looking foreward to being in Russia...
Antoine & Elodie (Toinelo)
www.toinelo-a-velo.fr
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| Re: St Petersburg --> Moscow. What road to cycle? [message #301 is a reply to message #298 ] |
Thu, 31 May 2012 11:02  |
 vvsar 
Messages: 40
Registered: February 2009
Location: St. Petersburg |
Member |
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Hi again,
The following is a basis for the future Russia's national cycling route #1:
St. Petersburg - Pushkin - Pavlovsk - Gatchina - Vyritsa - Veliky Novgorod - Staraya Russa - Demyansk - Volgoverkhovye - Seliger - Ostashkov - Rzhev - Staritsa - Lotoshino - Volokolamsk - Zvenigorod - Moscow.
You may become the first foreign cyclists to follow this route, although it is not officially recognized and not signposted yet.
The link to the map.
The route may be corrected upon discussion. It partially depends on your equipment (bicycles. baggage, etc.) since road conditions are important for the choice. A part of the way from Vyritsa to Veliky Novgorod has to be gone by rail due to absense of roads.
In Russian: Санкт-Петербург - Пу�?кин - Павловск - Гатчина - Вырица - Великий Новгород - Старая Русса - Демянск - Волговерховье - Селигер - Оста�?ков - Ржев - Старица - Лото�?ино - ВОлоколамск - Звенигород -= Москва.
[Updated on: Thu, 31 May 2012 12:51]
Bicycly yours,
Victor
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| Re: St Petersburg --> Moscow. What road to cycle? [message #304 is a reply to message #297 ] |
Tue, 05 June 2012 16:18 |
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Hi !
We just crossed the border this morning and are presently in Vyborg. It should take us between 2 or 5 days to reach St Petersburg, depending on our plans which could change like the wind !
You can still make propositions, we'll be very happy to cycle with some of you, definetely !
Antoine & Elodie.
Antoine & Elodie (Toinelo)
www.toinelo-a-velo.fr
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| Re: St Petersburg --> Moscow. What road to cycle? [message #307 is a reply to message #306 ] |
Fri, 08 June 2012 01:52 |
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Hi,
We just arrived in Saint Petersbourg (despite a train shifting off its tracks across our road!) this evening after cycling along the coast.
We'll be on a trip in the Kostroma region from saturday to wednesday (yes, we'll have a little "teleportation" on the train !). Then we might stay a few days in SP before we leave. We haven't decided which day we'll leave but we'll definetely let you know.
Concerning the states of road, now we know... But that's the funny part of the adventure! Reminds me the mountainbike weekends back home!
How to reach us? Unfortunately (or fortunately?) we are not this joinable apart from our French phone which is switched on "from time to time" and on its silent mode.
Antoine & Elodie (Toinelo)
www.toinelo-a-velo.fr
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| Re: St Petersburg --> Moscow. What road to cycle? [message #309 is a reply to message #301 ] |
Thu, 14 June 2012 10:27 |
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Hi Victor,
We're back from our "weekend" in the Kostroma oblast (which was great!)and it's been quite a good training to Russian roads and maps!
I'm now having a look at the itinerary you've adviced us.
We do not want to take the train before the transsiberian as part of our dream was to reach Moscow from Paris only on 2 wheels! And actually, the whole preparation of the bikes for the train transfer is such a fuss and bothers us more than doing extra kms.
As our travel is supposed to be quite long, we're quite loaded and we've got paniers on the frontwheel which are quite low. Shit roads are ok, but to a certain extend ! And we also don't have suspensions at all. All this means that although we love riding country pathes because they're far more interesting, it is definetely more exhausting than proper roads and coming back to them are such a relief!
Then, 2 questions concerning this itinerary ! :
1. Are the road mostly in a good state according to the Russian standart?
2. Is there any solutions to avoid train-transfers ?
Actually 3 : Was this road to Yaroslavl' I thought about not worth it at all ? (I thought passing through the Yaroslavl' oblast was culturally very interesting)
Cyclingly yours!
Antoine..
Antoine & Elodie (Toinelo)
www.toinelo-a-velo.fr
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| Re: St Petersburg --> Moscow. What road to cycle? [message #310 is a reply to message #309 ] |
Fri, 15 June 2012 01:24 |
vvsar
Messages: 40
Registered: February 2009
Location: St. Petersburg |
Member |
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| Toinelo wrote on Thu, 14 June 2012 10:27 | Hi Victor,
We're back from our "weekend" in the Kostroma oblast (which was great!)and it's been quite a good training to Russian roads and maps!
I'm now having a look at the itinerary you've adviced us.
We do not want to take the train before the transsiberian as part of our dream was to reach Moscow from Paris only on 2 wheels! And actually, the whole preparation of the bikes for the train transfer is such a fuss and bothers us more than doing extra kms.
As our travel is supposed to be quite long, we're quite loaded and we've got paniers on the frontwheel which are quite low. Shit roads are ok, but to a certain extend ! And we also don't have suspensions at all. All this means that although we love riding country pathes because they're far more interesting, it is definetely more exhausting than proper roads and coming back to them are such a relief!
Then, 2 questions concerning this itinerary ! :
1. Are the road mostly in a good state according to the Russian standart?
2. Is there any solutions to avoid train-transfers ?
Actually 3 : Was this road to Yaroslavl' I thought about not worth it at all ? (I thought passing through the Yaroslavl' oblast was culturally very interesting)
Cyclingly yours!
Antoine..
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Hi,
As for train transfers, I mentioned only one transfer - just several kilometers on a local train in which you don't need to prepare your bikes and baggage, just enter the train with the bikes and the baggage on them. This transfer is needed because no roads in this place, just a forest path that proceeds through 500 m of a marsh. It is possible to cross the marsh, but your feet may well become wet and dirty.
All the other roads on the way are good enough for cycling. My colleagues offered some improvements that I will draw tomorrow.
As to the way via Yaroslavl' as you had drawn it, it is completely on the asphalt roads but with heavy traffik, at least on M18 and M8. Although M8 is a part of "The Golden Ring of Russia". If Yaroslavl' is so attractive for you, I will not dissuade you from this route.
Bicycly yours,
Victor
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| Re: St Petersburg --> Moscow. What road to cycle? [message #311 is a reply to message #310 ] |
Fri, 15 June 2012 02:28 |
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Concerning the road to Yaroslavl, we'll definetely avoid this heavy trafic option.
We will definetely follow your itinerary! I've had a look on the internet about the places we'll cycle through and it sounds like a very exciting path. By the way, thanks for the tip, we didn't know you could hop on a local train without packing your bikes (Same in France actually) which is such a relief.
By the way, if any of you still wish to come with us for some part of the trip, we may not leave St-Petersburg before Tuesday (we've made fantastic friends in this wonderful city...).
Thanks again for your advices and looking foreward to hear about your colleagues' improvements of the road!
Antoine & Elodie (Toinelo)
www.toinelo-a-velo.fr
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| Re: St Petersburg --> Moscow. What road to cycle? [message #313 is a reply to message #312 ] |
Sat, 16 June 2012 00:28 |
vvsar
Messages: 40
Registered: February 2009
Location: St. Petersburg |
Member |
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About train transfer.
At least, you need a transfer from Chashcha (ЧАЩА) to Cholovo (ЧОЛОВО), unless you choose other stations for the start and the finish that makes the transfer longer.
Timetable for Chashcha (weekdays) for southward trains (destination Oredezh):
8.27, 11.00, 14.44, 16.29, 19.03, 21.40, 23.32
Journey duration: 13-17 min.
Price: 32 roubles for person's ticket and 32 roubles for a bicycle (the price for person's ticket depends on a distance while the price for a bike is fixed).
I am not sure that there is a ticket office in Chashcha. If yes, cashiers hardly speak English of another foreign language.
If you board at a station without ticket office, you can buy tickets from a conductor. A couple of them usualy go along the train from time to time. But for so short journey, you may avoid meeting them.
Bicycly yours,
Victor
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| Re: St Petersburg --> Moscow. What road to cycle? [message #316 is a reply to message #297 ] |
Tue, 26 June 2012 15:59 |
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Hi everyone,
We arrived yesterday in Novgorod after that crazy fantastic passage from Chachia to Cholovo (between Orediej and Vyritsa) along the railway ! Good God, that was good !
(that road rocks ! But we can swim.)
(we're cycling upon the water...)
(nice sandy road after Cholovo)
(nice camping sites...)
No train, then, as we really want to reach Moscow only on bicycle and without highway... Safer, more interesting, better air and less trafic noise.
We experience a lot the Russian hospitality and it warms our heart. We're now staying in our 2nd datcha since we left St Pete, and we've already had our relieving bania !
(damn f***ing hot, just what we need)
(I want my own when we go back to France...)
If anybody knows any oter nice roads on the way to Moscow, we never know, maybe you know some other 
By the way, thanks a lot to Dima who led us out of Saint-Petersburg safely and in the most interesting manner. Man, you've been a great cycling-guide through this gorgeous parks of Pushkin and Pavlovsk and it's been really nice to have your spontaneous explainations on the historic details of them and anecdotes !
(we'll come back in 2 years and maybe we'll see you running your own cycling-sightseeing tour business in St Pete or Pushkin ?! )
(Beautiful Russia... In Pushkin Park)
Thanks again for your tips and advices,
Antoine & Elodie.
Antoine & Elodie (Toinelo)
www.toinelo-a-velo.fr
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Congratulation!
Of course, we'll let you know about our cycling days on this road.
