The scenery today has been epic. The forest gave way to great expanses of pasture, completely unexpected and not what you’d associate with Russia. 30°C, sunshine and green fields for miles upon miles. Plenty of castle grazing, old fashioned hay stacks (no bailers here) and the odd tractor.

If you’d brought someone blindfolded here and removed the blindfold, they’d never pick the location in a million years. The road we’re on runs roughly parallel to the mighty trans Siberian railway. The two main routes rarely cross however, so sightings have been brief. So far I’ve only seen oily freight trains in the distance.

I’d imagined racing alongside the train, waving to the passengers having dinner in comfort. Maybe even reading a travel book in years to come that mentions the three bikes on the horizon, and wondering if one was me. There’s still a lot of Russia to go, so maybe that will happen later.