17.03.2016 2016 Crimea Russia

Over the Crimean mountains by Enduro.

This trip is to the Crimea again! And this time I am going by Enduro motorbike.

There has been a drizzle that hit the dust to the ground and now we are racing along the unpaved rocky paths, jumping over ravines and fords, climbing the cliffs, following the steep slopes to the very tops of the mountains, which offer us absolutely breathtaking views... We feel the adrenaline charge pulsating in our veins and only the stones are flying out from under the rear wheels. That's such an enjoyable thrill!

The second day of our Enduro trip to the Crimea was finished with a stop in Balaklava Bay. The route from Bakhchisarai, which was about 80 km long, led us mainly along mountain trails and forest roads.

The steep ascents and crazy descents, which might be scary to look at, are now left behind. We experienced everything: the high-speed prowlers along a rocky plateau, narrow paths and steep slopes, creeping through thickets of bushes, falls and equipment breakdowns. But the apogee are certainly the stunning views…

Back in the Soviet Union times, I had been living in the Crimea for more than five years. And later I have visited it quite often, however, every time I come back here, I never stop admiring the incredible beauty of its unique landscapes! Actually, motorbike trips are probably the best way to see in a short time and fully enjoy everything that our beautiful planet has shared with us as a gift.

The final day of our Crimean adventure pleased us with the wonderful weather, as well as both of the two days before. It was about +15°C and a little bit cloudy, which are the perfect conditions for travelling by Enduro. Today we left quite early, as our route was going to be long and difficult enough. It seems that a 120 km distance challenged us in all the ways possible: there were rocks, mud, slippery clay, steep ascents and descents, narrow trails with sharp unexpected turns and fords on our way...

We also experienced some quite dramatic falls. From time to time our motorbikes would be boiling or would not start and sometimes it seemed that it was impossible go further, but all these momentary doubts tended to disappear as soon as Sanya Samoilov, our instructor, did something unreal in terms of general rules.

I mean, something unreal in our view, of course. And our guide Vladimir, did not fail to take our team to the most interesting locations, which none of us would ever be able to imagine. For example, we managed to visit the abandoned secret "Object 221", which used to be the reserve command post of the Black Sea Fleet! This multi-tiered concrete structure squeezed in the rock impressed us with its gigantic size. And a multi-kilometer branched network of tunnels, through which we rode by motorbikes, felt as if we descended right to the hell. And all this are not just tricks of our imagination. The labyrinths of innumerable corridors and rooms, where eternal darkness and deadly silence reign, were placed 180 meters below the sea level in order to withstand a nuclear bombardment in terms of a war.
At 5 p.m. we arrived at the campsite near Simferopol and already at 10:30 the landing gear of the airbus A-320 touched the runway of Sheremetyevo airport!

We brought with us not only a lot of positive emotions and amazing impressions, but also invaluable experience and skills in the off-road riding by Enduro motorbikes. That will definitely help us in the nearest future, because there will be a start of a motorbike season soon as well as time for new motorbike trips and journeys around our boundless homeland (and not only around it)!