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CYCLINGTHROUGH UKRAINE, REPORT &FACT-SHEET

by Ivo Miesen October 2005Table of Contents

Ukraine Report1.

Ukraine Fact-sheet2.

Related Links3.

Photos!4.

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Cycling through Ukraine

Crossing a country from one end to the other is an excellent way of seeing the differences

Ukraine 2005 http://cycling.ahands.org/ukraine_2005.h

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between the regions. While the Ukrainian landscape changes in reverse order at the otherside of the train window the memories of a memorable trip come back. I started my trip in the

west of Ukraine, in the town of Lviv. Fiercely Ukrainian, and only influenced by Russia andthe Soviet-Union for a relatively short period, the town breathes more a Central-European,even quite Habsburg, atmosphere. The city certainly merits a day or two of sightseeing.Now, on a quiet September Monday the population is reclaiming the city from the tourists.

Pensioners play chess in the shadow of old trees on the Planta, students have a good timearound the fountains of the market square. In the evening I visit a caf annex cultural centre.During the day I had seen that an interesting photo exposition is on display there. Whileentering I stumble over a workshop about folk-music and folk-dances given by two youngpeople from St. Petersburg.

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The next morning, I leave early for the mountains. According to the LP, some interestingtowns are a bit south of Lviv, only a small detour from my intended route. So I head south tothe town of Drohobic. Only a few dozen kilometers outside of Lviv the countryside iscomplete small bumpy roads, cattle and chickens running everywhere and a local farmeron a Dnjepr motorbike roaring past with part of his harvest in his sidecar.


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Drohobic is indeed a nice town to visit for a couple of hours. Originally I had planned toalso visit the Spa town of Truskavec, but a stiff southern wind slowed me down too much toadd another town to my itinerary. So I leave Drohobic and continue towards Stebnik. For a

while, I think that I'm riding near Roubaix. Roads covered with very rough cobbles andmineshafts at the horizon. Due to the cobbles I have to borrow some tools from a local so Ican fix some loose bolts.


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As evening falls, I'm near a perfect lake for camping. But I'm not yet far enough, so Icontinue towards the main road. I expect some sort of hotel near the town of Strii, after allthe main road is crossing the town. And indeed, a small motel is right at the entrance of thetown.


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Sometimes navigation can be very easy in Ukraine. Quite often you can follow the sameroad for days on end. Like today where in Strii I already can follow the signs for Ivano-Frankivsk. The road climbs out of one river valley, descends towards another along the townof Kalush before scaling another ridge to Ivano-Frankivsk. Everywhere it's easily visible thatthis region is very Ukrainian Lenin statues are replaced by statues and busts of theUkrainian writers Shevchenko and Franko, quotations of both are visible in many places.And of course the "Yushenko Tak!"posters in many shops and on many street corners.While passing Kalush I see signs leading towards a memorial at the place of a formerstronghold of Bandera's partizans. Earlier on the road towards Kalush I passed a partizancemetery.


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Also, my hosts in Ivano-Frankivsk tell me, in glowing terms, of their experiences whiledemonstrating in favour of Yushenko, last winter in Kiiv. Ivano-Frankivsk itself is a pleasantcity of Central-European style. Being showed around by locals is very handy for getting arapid overview of the town.


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The town keeps me dragging towards it. The whole morning I spent either talking with thedaughter of my hosts or discovering some other parts of Ivano-Frankivsk. When I finallycycle out of town it's well after midday. Again the strong southern wind, this time aided by afalse flat along the river valley, slows me down. I'm hardly gaining ground.


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In the late afternoon, I fry some eggs next to a shop, to the amazement of some locals. Afterthat, the scenery changes and my legs regain force. I'm now seriously entering theCarpathian Mountains. A small descent later I turn onto the Hungary-bound main road. It'salready evening now, while passing the tourist stronghold of Yaremcha I have to switch onmy lights. A good place to camp is hard to find here. All relatively flat parts of the valley arealready in use. So I don't doubt long when I find a cheap motel in Tatariv.


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The next morning, I'm even more satisfied about my decision to find a roof. When I look outof the window I see the last remnants of rain. And it's quite chilly, I even leave Tatariv

wearing my autumn gear. In Vorochta I stop. The local market is an excellent place toresupply and shoot some scenic pictures. A salesman even sells some basic cycling gear.Luckily the sun appears again just before I want to leave Vorochta. A little further on theroad towards Ukraine's highest peak, Mount Hoverla branches off. Originally I planedto hike up the mountain, but I couldn't find any space for my mountain boots in my luggage.With all the photography gear I carry, my bike is already hopelessly overloaded. Thebus-shelter at this crossroads is a good place for lunch. An elderly man joins me at thebench. He's surprised about the luxury a traveling cyclist can afford to carry, even a teapot.After a while he continues his hitchhiking whi le I repack my kit and resume climbingKrivolivskij pass. The pass is very irregular but at just over 1000m not too difficult. When Ipause for pictures at the top a man passes with a backpack full of collected berries and

mushrooms. He confirms for me that the small road along the valleys is a better itinerary forme than the main road climbing up to Kosiv. And indeed, the valley road is a pleasant ride.Only a small section is unpaved, at the border of two oblasts. I'm already used to this, oblastauthorities seem to dislike those citizens who wish to travel from their oblast to the next one.


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Still the wind is influencing my progress heavily. In the valley I'm slowed down by aheadwind, when I leave the mountains and turn towards Chernvchi I feel the wind changingin a more favourable direction, a very welcome change since i t's still a long haul to the town.Some 50km before Chernivchi it's time to switch on my lights. It's dark early in this time of theyear. The same problem I had three years ago while cycling to Odessa in October. Lightfades so fast that you resort to cycling long stretches in the dark. I decide to equip my touringbikes with the same quality lighting I have on my audax bike, a good job to do this winter.


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It's already nearing 22 hours when I enter Chernivchi. An unpleasant surprise is thelocation of the town, on a small hill a bit away from the river. Along the 'bmuur' of Chernichi Iclimb to the centre. Finally I find a place to stay in the former Intouristhotel, my bike can staybehind the booth of the carpark guard. Chernivchi itself is a disappointment for me. On ahazy Saturday morning this university town turns into a dull provincial one. Even the scenicuniversity building is closed. So I head out, back again onto the main road. Destinationsgiven on this road are often abroad, like the Moldovan town of Chisinau. Still I choose theleft branch of the road heading to the scenic fortresses of Khotyn and Kamjanetsk-Podolski.


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Again the main craft of the villagers along the route is easily visible. Yesterday acontinuous line of woodwork was displayed, accompanied by regular sounds of sawmillsand other woodworking; now I see whole villages lined with the results of metalwork and thesounds of metal being hammered into shape. I arrive at the fortress of Khotyn in the lateafternoon. Under the beautiful autumn light the fortress turns into a real fairy tale fortress. Istay there for several hours, trying to see all corners of the castle. It's already dark when Iarrive in Kamjanetsk-Podolski. The darkness masks the beauty of historic town, turning itinto a quiet provincial town.


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Only in the morning I can enjoy the beauty of Kamjanetsk-Podolski. And Sunday morningis probably the best time for visiting the town. Before the touring groups arrive I've seen theold town. It's very calm now, the scars of the 2nd WW are not yet mended. Buildings whichon old postcards are surrounded by a mass of houses are now standing alone in a park.The fortress at the edge of the city misses the stunning beauty of the Khotyn fortress but isstill a must-see. The new fortress I skip, living in a city where some of the fortifications arebuilt by Vauban, the new fortress of Kamjanetsk-Podilski looks too normal for me.


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I leave Kamjanetsk-Podilski via minor roads. Progress is very slow on them, rough surfaceand constantly going up and down. After only 50km it's already dark. I ask water from an oldman selling apples by the side of the road. He doesn't only give me water from his well butalso wants to give me a whole bag of apples. I manage to convince him that more than twoapples won't fit in my panniers. Only a few km further on I find an acceptable place to pitchmy tent.


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It's already noon when I reach Novaja Usycja, the place where I intended to stay for thenight. The lanes I had been taking yesterday and today are not suited for long days in thesaddle. Potholes everywhere make it impossible to ride in the evening and the constantsteep hills slow me down during the day. And just in this region I had planned some longdays. Services like hotels are scarce in this area, the border district with Moldova. In theshadow of the first Lenin monument I see on this trip I check my maps. I decide to alter myitinerary and ride a bit more on main roads, more through the centre of Ukraine.


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And indeed, the more I near Vynitsa the better and easier the roads are. And of course thefaster I ride. Although being a fairly large and industrious city, Vynitsa is not mentioned inthe Lonely Planet. It hardly deserves a mention. In the morning I rapidly see that this is thesort of city nearly completely destroyed during the war and rapidly rebuilt afterward. Only afew old buildings remain. I leave the town via the Kirovgrad-bound highway. At least it'snumbered like a highway. In reality it's a two-lane regional road. Towards the evening Isense the disadvantage of my choice for main roads. Lorry after lorry roars pasts, hardlygiving me any space. The nearest known hotel is still a two hours ride away so I quicklydecide to look for a camping spot. In a small forest along the road I find a nice soft spotbetween the trees.


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In the morning, I'm woken up by some locals. They wish to stock up with firewood for thewinter and ask me friendly to leave. A tent isn't a good protection against falling trees. I eatby the roadside and continue my way to Uman. There ought to be a magnificent park here,but I'm not short on nature during this trip. So I skip this sight, the lake in the centre of Umanis beautiful enough for my lunch.


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After lunch, I leave the Kirovgrad road and turn towards Odessa. The side-wind of thismorning changes into a massive tailwind. Combined with the ultra-smooth asphalt of hisrenovated road, the wind gives the chance to cruise easily at 30+ kph. The pleasure israther short-lived. After an hour of racing along I turn left onto a smaller mainroad, into the

wind again. It's a hard decision, not only because of the excellent riding straight on but alsobecause of the beauty of the city of Odessa at the far end of the main road. But Jalta is myintended goal now so I head left towards Cherson. All this racing puts the small town ofPervomajsk within reach for this evening. HGV traffic is a lot lighter here, so I continuethrough the evening until I reach Pervomajsk and a small pub renting rooms.


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Riding away from Pervomajsk, it strikes me again how different Central-Ukraine is fromWestern-Ukraine. Not only the Lenin statues in the centre of the various towns but also thedifferent usage of the land. In Galicia it were mostly families working on a small plot of land,here in Central Ukraine whole villages work on huge pieces of land. It looks like part of thekolchoz structures are still functioning. The area is very sparsely inhabited. Most villages

which state a founding date at the entrance are founded somewhere in the 18th

century.Before this period, this was largely very fertile, uninhabited land due to centuries of raids byvarious armed groups borderlands, made uninhabitable by man. And in the past centuryagain two periods decimating the population. Only when I reach the mouth of the variousrivers large population centres appear. Not that this is a huge problem for the traveling

cyclist, along the main road there are enough services.


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Slightly more than a day later, on leaving Pervomajsk, I cycle towards the city of Nikolajiv.The city has a nice atmosphere but is lacking major sights. By skipping the sightseeing I amback on schedule. So, I can leave the main road again, which now leaves the valley of theBug river. Instead I stick to the river valley along a quiet regional road. A local cyclist leadsme to the right spot at the end of town. As predicted by him, the road deteriorates as I nearthe border of the next oblast.


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The reward is at the end of the unpaved part of the road. A nice selection of cliffs therewhere the Bug river enters the Dnipro-delta. Right at the edge is the village of Stanislav. Themap indicates a harbour here so I decide to go there and see if I can arrange transport tothe other side of the Dnipro. I ask directions from a local and after some searching find theharbour. Some rusty fishing boats sturdy enough to wage the afternoon voyage are there,but the only boatmen I can see are the ones in small fishing boats. Chances are slim, theguard tells me that it's a fishing kolchoz. One of the fishermen suggest that I sleep in thevillage guest-house and try again next morning but I decide to try and push on to Cherson.After all there is still more than an hour of daylight left. While cycling towards Kherson I seethat it was a good decision I made. No way to see the Dnipro from the road, houses blockthe view nearly everywhere.


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The cheapest hotel mentioned went seriously up in price, now being above my budget.But they tell me about a small hotel next to the river terminal. And indeed, this is the righttype of hotel for me. My camping gear I haul around hardly used, there are enough cheaphotels now in Ukraine. I might leave it at home next time. Cherson on Friday evening lookslike a pleasant town with lot's of life. But again, like Nikolajiv, without any apparent mainsights.


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In the morning, I wander around Cherson and enjoy the quiet atmosphere. But not for toolong, I want to reach northern Crimea today. East of the town I finally cross the river via along and high bridge. The scenery from the bridge is great. Many locals enjoy it in science,trying to catch some fish at the same time. Directly at the southern shore of the Dnipro thelandscape changes again. Now it resembles a steppe. But also the wind changes. It's nownortheast, while the road is southeast. Again my progress is slowed down by the wind. It'salready dark when I enter the Autonomous Republic Crimea. A small police post guards theentrance. No problems with the policemen here, their questions are more out of curiosity. Inthe first Crimean village I ask for accommodation. I find a small guest-house with sharedrooms for a rock-bottom price. My roommate is a silent computer technician, constantly

reading books about computers. The bar below the guest-house still serves food but ismainly catering to the local youth who spent the evening as everywhere drinking anddancing.


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In the morning, the wind hasn't changed direction. Since the road heads straightsouth/southwest I have to battle a sidewind. Already early in the day, I eat lunch in aroadside caf in Krasnoperekops. The caf is run by Crimean Tatars, the food is a welcomechange from the usual Ukrainian taste. South of Krasnoperekps chances for supplying areslim, only a few tiny vil lages are visible on the map until the outskirts of Simferopol. Despitebeing hardly inhabited, the landscape is not too dull. Several details of the landscape, andthe locals harvesting, are a welcome change of scenery on the dead-straight road.


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The map is an entirely different question. For Crimea, I didn't manage to acquire atopographical map, but only a new car-map of nearly the same scale. As the dayprogresses, I'm more and more fed up with this map. Altitude information is nearlycompletely lacking, the road is rather roughly drawn on the map. Especially in a situation ofsidewind this is a big nuisance. The estimated arrival time in Simferopol, which I gave to myfriend Pasja, proves to be grossly incorrect. I phone him again when I'm in the outskirts ofSimferopol, passing the airport at the moment that I'd promised to be near the railwaystation. So he is already waiting for me when I arrive there. After receiving indications howto get to his place he boards a trolleybus and I mount my bike. Together with three friends,he rents an older single story house on the outskirts of Simferopol. That's good news for me,hot water guaranteed. The evening lasts long, finally I can have a meaningful conversation Pasja is fluent in Esperanto, some of his housemates speak English.


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The next day, everyone leaves early. I don't head for the main road though. Yesterday Idiscovered a broken spoke, so in front of the house I remove the cassette and take my sparepokes. But the matter is more serious now. A long crack in the hub flange is visible. No wayto repair this by the side of the road. With only 85km to go I decide to wage it. I plan to finishmy ride anyway in Jalta. Otherwise it wouldn't be a disaster in Jalta is a good bikeshop.


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But first, I head to the centre. In two days time I want to take a train to Lviv. In order to havea bed in a decent location I buy my ticket already now. After that's done I permit myself a fewhours of sightseeing and head to Jalta. The northern slope of the Angarskij pass is fairlyeasy. The gradient is adapted to the many trolleybuses on this road. Five years ago, Iclimbed the pass via a tiny sideroad a tougher version of it. The descent is marvelous.Good asphalt and many corners. Finally I can take revenge on the truck drivers, passingmany of them on the descent. In the corners I can even outbrake cars.


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The stretch from Alushta to Jalta is the most scenic of my trip. And the hardest of course.But the many photo opportunities along the road make it worthwhile. On this road I meet theonly other cycletourist on this trip, a mountain-biker from Belarus. Before darkness I find theapartment of Jefim, the local Esperanto teacher.


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The next day is filled with taking it easy and meeting many old friends. Jefim evenarranged a TV interview with a local TV crew. In the evening Jefim shows a video of thefestival that the Jalta Esperanto club organized last month. To my surprise, I see the twomusicians from St. Petersburg again.


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Traveling back is fairly easy. The only trouble point is the trip to Simferopol. The old Ikarusbuses are now replaced by shiny new Mitsubishi buses. Airco and radio on board, but a tinyhold. It takes some effort to convince the driver that a disassembled bike fits in the rear hold.Luckily Jefim and Slava are there to solve the l inguistic problems. In Simferopol, Ireassemble my bike and buy an excess luggage ticket. No discussion about my bike now,but about my identity. The guards can't read a Dutch identity card. One of them dashes off toa colleague who can confirm that everything is okay. My bike finds it's usual spot at theupper luggage board and I start to write my report.

Ivo MiesenOctober 2005

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Cycling in Ukraine Fact-sheet

Cycling in Ukraine:

Groups of cycletourists are no uncommon sight on Ukraine's roads. Solo cyclists createmore surprise. During the Soviet period Crimea was a highly popular spring destination forcycleclubs. Cycletourists, especially those covering serious distances, are regarded assportsmen with all the respect usually attached to them.

Regions:

Best for cycling are Crimea and the Carpathian mountains. Crimea has enough sights tokeep you busy during several visits. The west of the country is easier to reach from WesternEurope.

Time:


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Especially when cycling near the Black Sea coast, summer should be avoided. It's way toohot and crowded during summer. Spring and autumn are the best periods. Nights can bechilly in May and October. In October, the amount of daylight is limited.

Roads:

Away from the main urban centres M-roads are okay for cycling, although they sometimesare a bit busy. The M3 and the M5 are proper motorways, the other M-roads are morecomparable with British A-roads or French N roads. Intermediate T-roads are of varyingquality. Especially at the borders of two oblasts, the road surface can be appalling. Despitethat they are the best choice for a cyclist who is not in a hurry. Potholes and bad cobbleroads are common in towns and villages.

Dangers:

Ukrainian car-drivers don't give a lot of space to cyclists. Luckily the shoulders of the mainroads are of hard-packed sand so you can evade cars and lorries without risking your

wheels. Dogs are more of a nuisance. Several vicious dogs will pursue you until you arewell away of their territory. Always carry a full water-bottle to cool them off. In urban areaswatch out near bus stops. If someone hails a minibus, the minibus wil l swerve out of the lineof traffic immediately.

Supplies:

Food is easy to get in Ukraine. Shops and kiosks are everywhere. Most of them are openduring weekends and in the evenings. Best places to buy food are the village and smalltown markets where you can buy agricultural products directly from the farmers. On mainroads you wil l often see farmers selling their products by the side of he road. You don't needto carry more than half a days supply of food with you, a rare treat for cyclists used to

German shop closing times. Spare parts for your bike are hard to get. A very basic selectioncan sometimes be found at larger markets, sports shops or car parts shops. Usual tyre sizeis 37-622, although MTB-tyres gain popularity. Tubes usually have Sclavarand valves. Fordisaster repairs count on the art of improvisation practiced by Ukrainians. Repairs which areimpossible in the west can be done by Ukrainian craftsmen.

Sleeping:

Smaller towns have enough accommodation in the 30-100 grivna per night range. Alongmotorways lot's of new hotels are built. In touristic regions there's plenty of accommodation.Usually they have a secure place for your bike. Wild camping is quite common. Just leavethe road and hide yourself behind some trees. Farmers won't be surprised to see you in the

morning.

Bike:

A sturdy tourer or a roadworthy mountain-bike is the right bike for touring in Ukraine. Equipyour bike with not too small semi-slicks (37-50mm). Full suspension is not needed for those

who don't want to follow the mountain trails in Crimea or the Carpathian Mountains.


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Although central-Ukraine doesn't have high hil ls, steep climbs out of river valleys are quitecommon. So, low gears and good brakes are necessary.

Maps:

Excellent maps are on sale in bookshops throughout the country. 1:200.000 topographical

maps printed by Kievskaya Vojeno Kartografichkaja Fabrika. Check the dates of the mapssince older series with now defunct road-numbers are still on sale. The ones mentioningregional roads under T-numbers are the good ones. New 1:250.000 road maps(http://www.ukrmap.com.ua/) are good, but lack the altitude and profile information which thetopographical maps offer. They do, however, indicate some hotels and campsites. On theback of these maps are the maps of the centre of the towns of the region.

Public transport:

Long distance trains accept bikes as accompanied luggage in third class (platzkart)carriages. Since a bike and panniers usually are heavier than permitted you'll also need aticket for excess luggage. Without the front wheel, three bikes fit in one 'compartment' of aplatzkart carriage, on the uppermost luggageboard. On long-distance buses it's usuallypossible to transport your bike, again with a surcharge for excess luggage. Citybuses andminibuses usually don't accept bikes. On the medium distance it depends on the type of busand the mood of the driver. The new Mitshubishi buses serving the Jalta-Simferopolconnection only have space for one disassembled bike.

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Related Links:

Photos from this tripBaltic Star Randonneurs Homepage - Around Lake Ladoga 2004Randonneuring in Russia by Jim Trout - Seattle International Randonneurs - 2000Bike marathon around Lake Ladoga from "PetersburgCity.com" (2001)Ivo's Crackpot-1000, a Hill too Far (UK; 1998) PDFIvo's Dodging Potholes in Bulgaria (SVS-2002)Ivo's Lake Ladoga 2004Ivo's 2006 tour through through the lands of Kalmuks and CircassiansIvo's 2008 Vologda-Onega-LadogaMore of Ivo's great Photos!Ivo leads brevets in Maastricht.

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Ivo 2005

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