Thu07Jul16: Kasmu - Tallinn (85.6km, 447.2km YTD)

Nice walk at 1:39am to ‘see a man about a dog’, but the pitter-patter on the tent roof started about 3:30am and continued…and continued...

Dozed for awhile but up at 6:12am so see just how long it takes to break camp in the rain – 26 minutes seems to be enough for me to take down the tent, stuff everything into my red duffle bag, and equip my bike for the ride ahead.

Instant coffee at 6:45am and a breakfast of porridge with strawberry chunks (got to try that sometime at home!) with everybody huddled under the canopy or a nearby spruce tree to avoid the rain. 

Headed out about 7:30am, solo, pedalled through pine forest farms for several kilometres, then small farms started at about 28km.  Startled a dark brown rabbit that was loping towards me, he turned and leaped through the wires of an electric fence, stood up on his rear two legs to see me better, then disappeared into a nearby bush.  Another stork nest in a farmyard indicates that these birds get along quite well with the local populace.  Sorry to see the pine forests behind because the wind is really strong in these open farmland areas.

Crossed the four-lane E20/Hwy#1 on foot and stopped for lunch at 58km.  Chris arrived just ahead of me, grabbed an apple, said his hands were freezing and he couldn’t make a sandwich, so he just kept riding.  Rain has kept up a steady patter and it’s only about 10C, but my fingers are still working.

Reached the outskirts of Tallinn at about 70km just as the rain decided to stop, followed the flagging tape into town until I caught up to Gergo who was still installing the tape – time to be bold and venture forth!  Okay, so I missed the hotel on my first pass but after a circuit of the downtown core I found our Tallink City Hotel – a monster 10 storey building right in the middle of town – and walked my bike through the front door and across the lobby. I always enjoy this kind of entry to fancy hotels, with other guests staring as if they can’t believe who walked in the door soaking wet and covered in grit.  Had to lock the bike in the rear parking lot until the hotel management figures out what to do with 23 bicycles.

Chris and I are the first to arrive so there’s some logistics to sort out, but we get a room (Room #914), grab a hot shower and wash our riding clothes.  As usual, the room becomes an instant disaster area with clothes and equipment hanging everywhere.    Reception let me pitch my tent in their Wine Cellar/Disco since it's shut down for the month of July, so that item should be dry by morning.  I locate the nearest bike shop (City Bikes) for tubes and a pump, change my rubles to Euros at a bank, and wander throughout the Old City (13th century town hall and wonderful high walls) taking photos. 

Buffet supper at the hotel costs E10 (!), after which I snag a couple of cleaning clothes (my request:  “Cloths that you wouldn’t ever expect to use again”) and wash down the bike and chain.  Now, it’s time to settle into the room for the night.

Wed06Jul16: Saka Cliff Hotell - Kasmu (108.9km, 361.6km YTD)

The storm continued all night, high winds and gusts shook the tent, occasional rain squalls pitter-pattered on the fly sheet, up at 3:39am for a ‘pit stop’ in the light rain.amp began breaking about 6am, no rain and the wind has subsided a bit, but all the tents are wet.  Rider’s meeting at 7am just before a breakfast of lovely warm porridge, then we’re off.   Wind farms in this area along the coast, and I'm riding with Kevin and Wayne through the same small farms, winding and weaving through the occasional stand of trees.  Just as we re-join the E20 highway I notice that my tire has gone flat and pull over.  Time for a quick change, and Peter McCartney & George (Swiss) pull over 

to help.  Short story is that either their spare or their pump doesn’t work, we reinstall

my tube, pump it up, and it holds.  Miracle!

George brings along a pump from the lunch van and follows me, but the leak seems to have healed itself.  Lunch stop is at 50km just off the small road in the pine forest. George dumps the pump, and we travel along together with faith on our side.  Through pine forests, sawmills in every small town, along the Baltic Coast with granite rocks just offshore and the occasional white pelican coasting past.  Farmers have installed nesting sites for cranes, and there are several nesting sites along the road.

Sagadi Mois (a.k.a. Manor) at 80km is an historical site where   four of us enjoy an ice cream, knowing that we’re close to the end.  Now the road leads along the coastline again, resort towns and harbours, our destination is Camp Lainela at 108km, a basic hostel/campsite/cottages site.

Biggest difference between Russia and Estonia is that none of the driver’s here have cell phones in their hands while they’re driving, and none of the young people have cell phones in their hands while they’re walking.  The Estonians definitely have their priorities straight.

Tue05Jul16: Kingisepp, Russia – Saka, Estonia (101.4km, 252.7km YTD)

Another early-to-bed early-to-rise night, shut it down at 10pm last night but up at 4:15am this morning to the sound of dogs barking/fighting somewhere in the neighbourhood.  Bags downstairs at 6:45am, café opens at 7am with a good breakfast selection.  No rush today because some people are really nervous with border crossings and Gergo thinks we should cross together at about 9am.

Six of us cruising single-file through town at about 21kph, cloudy skies and the occasional shower, then out into the countryside, good highway, then warning signs that we’re in the Border Area followed almost immediately by a passport check point. 

Border town on the Russian side is the usual mess of apartment buildings at 24km, but the traffic flow is confusing:  cars to the left, pedestrians and bicycles (and some cars) to the right.  Construction fences and pylons add to the confusion but by walking our bikes and following the pedestrians, Wayne, George, and I enter the Russian immigration office. 

Nice young lady checks my passport & visa & immigration slip, 2-3 minutes and George & I are through and onto the bridge that links/separates Russian from Estonia.  Medieval forts on both sides of the river show that things have not always gone smoothly between these two countries.  Estonian Customs & Immigration are well organised, modern buildings, red & green arrows plus signs in English, another 2-3 minutes and we're in the European Economic Community. 

Quiet at 9am, the Tourist Info office is closed until 10am, banks closed, rain has started again so nothing to do except follow the orange marking tape. George was right behind me but has now disappeared, so a few zigs and zags and I’m out of town, on a narrow 2-lane road heading down along the riverbank toward the Baltic Ocean.  Turn left along the coast and it’s lots of tall trees and small well-kept houses on both sides of the road.

This road parallels the ocean coastline but that means I’m cycling northwest toward Talinn into a northwest wind of 30kph, not much fun at all whenever there's a clearing.  Fewer trees and more small acreages of farmland now, crops of grain and peas growing tall and green, lots of farm buildings along the roadside, wind is increasing to 40-50kph and now accompanied by rain.

About this time I realise that we were all supposed to wait at the Russian side of the border and cross as a group in case there was any difficulty having our baggage in the van.  Oops!  No wonder nobody else has passed me yet.  Our overnight campsite is at Saka Cliff Hotell and I pull in about 1:30pm.  Ozgur shows me where our tents should go, and where the toilets/showers are located.  However, I have to wait for my other bag to arrive because it’s got all my camping gear inside.

Riders keep coming into camp throughout the afternoon, but all the married couples seem to have chosen to get rooms in the hotel (!), all the single women/men are pitching their colourful tents together. 

Vilma and Ozgur are getting things ready for supper.  The wind is still strong and the frequent rain squalls are quite unpleasant.
Supper is spaghetti and salad, and everyone - including the hotel guests - group together under the canopy to enjoy the meal.
Internet not working well in the campsite so it's over to the hotel for some warmth, dryness, and better connections.

Mon04Jul16: Peterhof - Kingisepp (118.6km, 151.3km YTD)

Chris was tired so we shut things down at 9pm last night, and I slept okay until 4:15am.  Dozing doesn't come easy, but we both decided to crawl out of bed at 5:45am.  Chris says "You snored", I reply "Probably, because my wife knows, TDA knows" (because months ago I sent TDA an e-mail asking for an understanding roommate.)

Rain showers last night so the bikes are all wet, and the heavy clouds overhead suggest that the precipitation isn't over yet.  Bags down to the van at 6:45am, breakfast at 7:00am (coffee & juice & choice for 5 cooked dishes), a Choco Pie (similar to a small Wagon Wheel cookie) for the road.  When pulling out of the parking lot, found that I'd forgotten to lower the bike seat after Peter's check-up, however, after a little vertical adjustment, the delay made me the last onto the highway to everyone's bemusement.

Heading west out of town in another long convoy for the first 12km until we passed the freeway interchange, then it's every rider for her/himself.  As usual I was stopping often for photos, but eventually settled into a group of 8 riders who seemed to be matching my speed.
Just before 9am I realised that Kathy was probably sitting in the lobby of the Andersen Hotel, waiting for the Uber driver to arrive and take her to Pulkovo Airport for the flight to Brussels.  Bon voyage! 





The rain started as a little drizzle but gradually increased to a "light" rain by the time we reached the lunch stop at 66km.  My roommate, Chris Wille was there ahead of us, and apparently this is no surprise to the others who have ridden with him before - apparently he cycled the Cairo-Capetown as a race (came in 3rd) and South America as a race (came in 1st).





When Chris leaves the lunch stop, I go with him just to see what sort of pace that requires.  The rain has now increased to "medium" intensity and there's a 20kph northwest wind blowing in our faces.  Keeping up with Chris is a real chore, and I note that my heart beat is registering as 168-173bpm, well above my comfort level and definitely not something that I can maintain all day.  At the 89km turn toward Kingisepp I drop back, watch Chris's lime green jersey gradually pull ahead, and settle into whatever speed matches my usual 145-150bpm rhythm.
The rain has picked up to the "heavy" category by this stage so at 107km I pull over and cower in a bus shelter for a few minutes, eat a couple of Choco Pies, and then head out with slightly more energy. 

There's a busy round-about at 117.5km but I do all the usual hand signals and head south toward the Hotel Mega.  This dingy grey building looks like a meat packing plant (Gergo's words, not mine!), and Chris's bike is propped up near the front doorway.  TDA vans in the back confirm that this is out official stop, staff inside the lobby confirm that the rooms won't be ready for 1-1/2 hours due to "cleaning".  Sure, we're the only guests in this place, and they knew we were coming several months ago, but NO rooms are ready for us until the official 2pm check-in time.




Kathy's flight leaves at 1:45pm, so she's in a nice warm airport waiting room while I'm sitting - soaking wet and shivering - on a hard vinyl chair in the so-called 'lobby' of this dump.

Short story?  The bike is locked to a hot water radiator in a storage garage, the room is spacious but has been painted pink & purple, the shower is hot (even though there was very little water pressure), my daily laundry is hung up to drip and dry, and there's still a couple of hours to work on photos and blog before the 5:45pm rider meeting.

Sun03Jul16: Санкт-Петербург-Дти Cycling (32.7km, 16.5kph convoy, 32.7km YTD)

We're up just before the 7am alarm, I wheel the bike and carry my permanent bag down to the TDA vans for Vilma, then it's time for breakfast.  The courtyard starts filling up with riders just after 8am, bags are loaded onto the vans, riders are doing short practice rides with their bikes, Kathy has her camera operating.

Our convoy heads out the gate at 9:10am, then single file and south along Kamennoostrovsky Prospekt into the city.  Sunday morning so road traffic is light, we're going slowly because the convoy gets broken up occasionally by signal light intersections and we have to pull over until all the riders regroup.  Ozgur is riding 'sweep' today, so when you see him you know that you're the last rider.

There's a road block at the bridge - a city marathon is being held and there are runners on our planned route.  Gergo (who rides a recumbent bicycle with lots of flags and marking tape) does some negotiating with the police and soon we're heading over the bridge with them, cheering crowds,  one of the volunteers at a water/refreshment stops even offers us bottles of water as we pedal by.  The marathon ends in front of the Hermitage, which is where we also pull over to have a group photo taken:  TDA Epic Tour; St. Petersburg to Lison (although some of us are only going half-way).  Then our convoy pedals over to the bronze statue of Peter the Great slaying the dragon, and pose for another group photo.

Finally we're done with the formalities and make our way out of town, along narrow canal-side roads and back streets, through an industrial section along the harbour shore, and after 23km Gergo pulls into a shopping centre Macdonald's for rider refreshments and 'pit stop'.

Our north-south 4-lane route intersects an east-west boulevard and we turn west onto a cycling trail that parallels the 4-lane highway.












After 37.8km and about 12:15pm, we turn into the Alexander Hotel, a 3-storey pastel green building that looks like a French villa.

Lunch is already set out on the forecourt, and rooms won't be ready until 2pm, so everybody starts eating, then pull out their cell phones / iPads and start catching up on personal business.










Peter, our TDA mechanic, helps me mount my Garmin computer holder onto the handle bars so I can keep a closer check on distances tomorrow, when we set out on our individual rides and have to follow the flagged route.

My roommate on this trip is Chris Wille from Royal Oak, Saanich, British Columbia.  Married with three adult children, he's already done several of the TDA epic rides and this one fitted into his personal schedule.  Tonight we're in Room #22 on the second floor, Chris heads out to see the palace at Peterhof so I have my shower, wash my clothes and hang them out on the upstairs railing, then get to work on the blog and photos. 

   

Sat02Jul16: Alexander Nevskiy Monastery / Odds & Ends

Kathy and my last day together in St. Petersburg, so it's time to wrap up the Odds & Ends - those things we've thought about, but just couldn't find the opportunity.  First on the list is the Alexander Nevskiy Monastery, named after the Prince of Novgorod who defeated the Swedes in 1240, and containing the graves of prominent Russian cultural figures e.g.  Feodor Dostoevsky (author),












Peter Tchaikovsky (composer),















Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (composer), Mikhail Lomonosov (scientist).


The remains of Alexander Nevskiy, a knight who was elevated to sainthood in the 16th century, are entombed to the right side of the altar and his silver reliquary has a continuous line of worshippers.










Back into the centre of town a short walk to the Church on Spilled Blood, built over the very spot where Czar Alexander II was assassinated.  Inside the structure is a canopy over the very ground where he died,















and a gorgeous church with brightly coloured tile depicting scenes from the Bible, covering all the surfaces from floor to domed ceiling.


We stop for lunch at Jamie's Italian, a restaurant run by Jamie Oliver from Toronto.  Reasonable prices for pizza (490 rubles) and salad (290 rubles) but there's no drink prices on the menu so we just order a bottle of water - when the bill comes, it turns out that a 610mL bottle of Evian costs 630 rubles - CDN$14.25!!!  Ouch.

Then a visit to Pushkin's apartment, where he and his family lived for a short period just before his fateful duel in January 1837.

In keeping with the Pushkin theme, we then had coffee and a dessert at the International Cafe where Pushkin enjoyed his last meal before heading out to the edge of town for the duel.



Back home by Metro and bus just before 6pm for a shower, laundry, and the final repacking.  This bike takes up a lot of space in our room, so Kathy will probably be happy to see it go.  We'll enjoy one more Euro2016 football game this evening, Germany vs Italy, then make sure that we've got everything loaded into the proper bags.

Fri01Jul16: Fortress of St. Peter & St. Paul / Bicycle Assembly Workshop

Up early this morning to work on photos while Kathy slept a bit longer.  After 8am we go for breakfast, where we find and meet several tour cyclists who are enjoying their first morning in St. Petersburg.  Most people seem quite surprised that Kathy and I have been in Russia for two weeks; we can't figure out why they've arrived just 48 hours before the tour departs.  Today we test the bus service past our hotel and get on a vehicle that makes a sudden left turn just when we thought we knew where it was going; surprise!  Time to get out and walk the rest of the way to Peter & Paul Fortress.


Peter I built this fort on dinky little Hare Island (and there are statues of rabbits everywhere) so that it's battlements and guns would protect his growing capital from a Swedish incursion.  The foundation started out as wooden casemates filled with stones and hard rubble, and over the years they just kept adding more material until the base was solid enough to construct brick walls and battlements facing the Neva River.



The fort was located directly across from the Winter Palace, and there was a small residence inside the walls for the royal family in the case of an attack on the St. Petersburg.  Criminals entered the fortress through the Neva Gate, because Trubetskoy Bastion was the maximum security prison for political prisoners during those frequent political upheavals of the late 19th and early 20th century.   

Although we purchased the Combination Ticket for 600 rubles @, it turns out that there are many exhibits that demand an additional charge and ticket; visitors would probably have to spend 2,000 rubles @ in order to visit the lot of them.

Cathedral of St. Peter & St. Paul was the burial site for Peter the Great in 1725 and since that time has become the mausoleum for most of the Romanov dynasty.




The most poignant collection of tombs is in the Chapel of St. Catherine the Martyr, where the remains of Nicholas II and his family and their servants were reburied in 17 July 1998, the eightieth anniversary of their slaughter by the Bolsheviks.


We enjoy another meal at Burger King where the same enthusiastic horde of 'server trainees' is just busting to practice their English and take our lunch order.  Then it's south by Metro, under the Neva River, to buy a couple of souvenirs on
Nevskiy Prospekt.


We've never been back to the Andersen Hotel so early, but the TDA Global Cycling bicycle assembly is scheduled for 4pm, in the rear parking lot, and we don't want to be late.  Peter, our TDA mechanic, is there to help and eventually there are 18 of us cyclists, opening cardboard shipping boxes, assembling wheels and handlebars, having Peter check their brakes and gears, then taking short spins around the parking lot.  We meet and chat with a lot more participants, exchanging first names and mini-biographies.


A Russian tour group has taken over the hotel dining room for their buffet supper, so we order 'a la care' off the menu when the horde has departed.  Then it's back to the room for some blog & photo time before the Euro2016 football game at 10pm.