Siberia
There were sections of gravel road. I thought the road surface would end imminently, but although I tried to make light of it, the gravel seemed to go on interminably. I had struggled along similar tracks on the Mongolian Plateau, of course, and should really have been toughened by the experience, but these gravel roads left me knackered. The gravel got stuck in my tyres and since the frictional resistance was great, I failed to make the sort of progress I hoped I would. To make it worse, vehicles bombing along the road with utter disregard for the road surface sent up long, thick plumes of dust and exhaust fumes. The temperature soared to a high of 34 degrees. These difficult conditions eventually ended after 20 kilometres, leaving me covered and choking on dust These roads were, in reality, either under construction or their construction was at the planning stage. Imagining that the long-distance, trans-Siberian highway is a line of asphalt is somewhat naive. It would be wiser to think of it as a challenging road that frequently deteriorates into a gravel track. (from "Against the Wind" - Poolbeg Press)
