TRAVERSE Issue 10 - February 2019 | Seite 49

D o you know where with- out crossing a border, you can cover more than 11,000 kilometres from west to east? Where there is a possibility to traverse 7 time zones? Where can you find a roadway with the most ancient mountains on the Earth, the widest forestland and the deepest lake in the world that contains 19% of the planet’s fresh water? I suppose you have guessed that I am talking about Russia; the world's largest country. You see it all by fol- lowing the Trans-Siberian route. I decided to try for myself and com- plete this marathon during the month of September (2018) which added some spice on top of such a fascinating jour- ney. It was to be kind of a lottery due to the fact that at the given times Si- berian roads could already have more than 10 cm of snow. However, it only added to my enthusiasm! This is why I packed up, put all of my things into the panniers and rode ahead … TRAVERSE 49