ASTANA – Karaganda resident Yuliya Ivanova is soon planning to embark on her first long-distance motorcycle ride. A group of experienced motorcyclists from the Russian city of Tyumen will accompany her.
“This upcoming motorcycle ride will be a new experience for me. I am planning to cover 5,500 kilometres by motorcycle with my Russian friends. Previously, I used to travel in comfortable circumstances. This time, we are going to sleep outside in a tent. I believe we will have a great time. Riding a motorbike will make the journey doubly interesting,” Ivanova told The Astana Times.
The young enthusiasts intend to start the extreme journey in June. The two-week route will run through the beautiful landmarks of Russia and Mongolia. Ivanova and her friends are anticipating an exciting trip to see the snow peaks of the Altai Mountains, boundless steppes of Mongolia and crystal blue waters of Baikal Lake.
The motorcyclists will ride the Chuysky Trakt, the auto road that goes from Russia through Altai to Mongolia. They are excited to visit known locations and the distant, exotic, unexplored and attractive country of Mongolia with its unique culture and pure nature.
“I am eager to experience new emotions and I am ready to face some challenges. I need to get out of my comfort zone. It is quite interesting to live in a field condition. When you leave home and have hundreds of kilometres to ride, the inner world seems to be filled with incredible feelings,” said Ivanova.
This idea belongs to her Russian motor friends. Last summer she rode to Balkhash Lake where she met likeminded people and recently joined the ranks of motor fans. She noted one feels indescribable emotions riding a motorbike.
“I do not think it will be a difficult journey. Perhaps there might be a breakdown of motorcycles on the road due to bad weather or road, especially in Mongolia, but I think the failure can be fixed quickly. In general, nothing frightens me at all. Even if we face difficulties during our trip, they will not spoil the vivid emotions that I’m going to get,” she added.
Ivanova works as a design engineer for a local organisation. Recently, she decided to make a little extra money working as a taxi driver in the evenings, as she must accumulate the required amount of money to cover the trip’s expenses.
“To make my dream come true, I need to buy another motorbike that is more adapted to ride on bad roads, off-road and highways. Now, I am looking for sponsors who will be willing to possibly help me in purchasing a new vehicle,” she said.
Ivanova bought her first motorcycle two years ago when she realised she was living a boring life and needed to diversify her daily life experience. She is looking forward to the summer trip.
The motorcyclists will gather in Omsk (Russia) and head to Altai. They then expect to cross the Russian-Mongolian border and reach Ulan Bator, the country’s capital. The travellers will move to the northern part of the country to cross the border and ride in the direction of the lake. The journey will end in the city of Irkutsk, where the Russians will put the motorbikes on trucks and return by train. Ivanova has not yet decided how she is going to end the journey.
The young and energetic resident of Kazakhstan’s mining city wants to take a camera and small laptop with her. She is planning to share short videos and post photos of breath-taking places on social networks.
