Ukraine: Bike Trip 2008

Quoted message said:

I am looking for friends and riding partners for a possible bicycle
trip in Ukraine in spring/summer 2008. Ukraine is a fantastic up and
coming country with great scenery and great people.

I would be interested in seeing how your plans come out. I was tentatively
planning on doing something similar, but ran into some obstacles...such as,
most people there speak only Russian, there aren't hotels in those small
towns, clean water may be a problem (finding it), poorly maintained back
roads which are likely to be narrow and shoulder-less, wild car/truck
drivers. These aren't my prejudices---these are things I was advised by
people who either had been to Ukraine or lived there. Curiously enough, one
of the women who sells eyeglasses at the store next to my Optometrist is a
Ukraine native. She showed me a coffee table book with photos and when I
remarked that most of the photos were of the cities, she said, "Of course.
The rural areas are so primitive."

I am not saying it can't be done or don't do it, just that you need to
gather a great deal of info and do in depth planning prior to going. It
intrigues me, too.

Pat in TX

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I am looking for friends and riding partners for a possible bicycle
trip in Ukraine in spring/summer 2008. Ukraine is a fantastic up and
coming country with great scenery and great people.

I would be interested in seeing how your plans come out. I was tentatively
planning on doing something similar, but ran into some obstacles...such as,
most people there speak only Russian, there aren't hotels in those small
towns, clean water may be a problem (finding it), poorly maintained back
roads which are likely to be narrow and shoulder-less, wild car/truck
drivers. These aren't my prejudices---these are things I was advised by
people who either had been to Ukraine or lived there. Curiously enough, one
of the women who sells eyeglasses at the store next to my Optometrist is a
Ukraine native. She showed me a coffee table book with photos and when I
remarked that most of the photos were of the cities, she said, "Of course.
The rural areas are so primitive."

I cycled through Ukraine and part of southern Russia in 2006. Here
was my journal if it helps
with any of Pat's questions above: http://www.bikerussia.com/2006

Now to address them more directly:

Quoted message said:

Most people there speak only Russian

or depending on where you are Ukrainian. In more touristy areas or
with younger
people you will find more English.

Quoted message said:

There aren't hotels in those small towns

On our trip of 2600km we slept inside every night. Here is where some
Russian
might help...but above a certain size there will be a hotel.

Quoted message said:

clean water may be a problem (finding it)

We bought water or found water. Not a big issue for us.

Quoted message said:

poorly maintained back roads which are likely to be narrow and shoulder-less

Road quality was variable. We had some good roads and some fairly
poor ones.

Quoted message said:

wild car/truck drivers

In my experience, better than drivers in Louisiana or Mississippi :-).
Anyways, not a huge issue - though getting into Kiev was a bit
chaotic.

Quoted message said:

these are things I was advised by people who either had been to Ukraine or lived there

Are they cyclists and did they bicycle there? If not, I would
discount
some of the "road condition" and "crazy driver" comments. I would
also discount a "dangerous" comment if you got any of those from
non-cyclists.

Quoted message said:

The rural areas are so primitive

There does seem to be a pretty big difference between four different
sizes
of towns:
1. "World Cities" such as Kiev with efficient subways, many shops,
etc.
2. "oblast cities" such as Lviv, Sumy with many shops, some hotels
3. "Regional towns" such as Skivira. They might or might not have
a hotel. Will have shops.
4. "Villages" that might have a store or might not
Depending on which of those four you live in, your life will be fairly
different.

--mev, Mike Vermeulen

Great! Thanks for your input. I don't know about the OP, but I would be
interested in the countryside more than the big cities. I guess I have seen
enough churches and cathedrals to last me for a long time!

The problem about drivers and road that she told me about was the lack of
shoulders for ease in vehicles passing each other. And, yes, the people who
told me about the car/truck drivers were not cyclists. People in cities tend
to be more---or let me say they "think" they're more sophisticated and
therefore don't ride bicycles in the country.

The water I was talking about would be out in the hinterlands. I guess
"wild" camping wouldn't be a problem there but water access might be.

Ukraine is definitely on my list to places I'd like to go, along with
Croatia.

Pat in TX