Siberian Sillyness and False Starts

So I haven't had Internet so I haven't blogged. We're not dead, we're just slow and a bit cold. I left you last time en route to the start line. That seemed to be the easiest journey of the lot.

We got to Irbit and partied hard for a couple of days, got cold, and picked up our bikes. If I had written this at the right time, I would have been telling you how awesome the bikes were. Our steed named Riskiana is a wonder to behold. However she is a bitch whatever way we treat her. We took her on the ice rink and she behaved immaculately. We were sliding round corners, doing donuts and getting a feel for her. But what should have been a big red flag was when returning to the hanger she lost all power and was running or rather not running on one cylinder. We got towed the 500m back and the mechanics simply adjusted the idle and said it was all good. We have experience of Adventurists mechanics and should have known better.

Regardless we we're ready for the off on the 13th. Although promised an early start, after doing some television interviews (we are quite famous in Siberia randomly) getting the bikes that couldn't even start fixed, we were ready to leave at 2pm.

By 4pm we had broken down and it was the same problem. Complete power loss. Of the ten teams, 5 (including us) had decided to take one route (going west) and the other 5 had chosen to go East. A shorter but slightly more difficult approach. We would then both bow north and meet in priobe before taking just zimniks (ice roads) north into the Arctic and Salekhard.

As we had no power we got a tow from one of the teams and as a convey en masse we decided to camp in the Siberian wilderness having completed only 70km. It was amazing to sleep in the ice fields that I can assure you. When we woke the next morning though our tent looked more like an igloo. Ice crystals had covered everything not in the sleeping bag and it was freezing. The mercury read -30 and I had never been colder. We needed to get a fire going or we would be gonners. Fire came courtesy of Eric, Fish and myself. It was a beauty. We painfully defrosted ourselves, packed up and was ready to go. Our bike miraculously started and we headed off. We decided we needed a mechanic as we could only go half an hour before more engine troubles. We pulled into a small village, then oiling get going again so after enough hand gesturing pushed the bike to a mechanic who's wife fed and watered us but he could only get us started again however he couldn't fix the original problem. We then got moving again having effectively wasted half a day and then found a mechanic at the next town. He was more skilled and seemingly fixed our problem as Riskiana sounded in much ruder health. The kids though loved us and we entertained and got entertained in equal measure. We decided to get to the next big town and get a place to stay all ready for a big day the following morning. The hotel owner was also the mayor and we exchanged guitar riffs in his office and seemed to get a discount as another amazing welcome was given to the now three crazy foreigners on Urals.

After a meal of kebab and chips, an encounter with a crazy drunk, we had an early night. This morning our bikes wouldn't start. We push started Riskiana but Eric's beast seemed dead. We tried to tow but thought it best to see another mechanic as this town was big. I'm writing this is a Russian halfords, but one run by 5 amazing girls who have fed us and taken us in as we are waiting for the mechanic to turn up at 3pm. At present Salekhard seems an impossible dream. We need working Urals but as any traveller would tell you it's not the destination but the journey. And this is already looking Incaredible.