Bike touring the Greater Caucasus – A drastic change

We just entered Georgia, the beautiful and wild country, where we cycle up a rugged mountain pass and through the clouds. The drivers are bad, but the local cuisine is just what we need after hard days of cycling!

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So, now we’ll go to Georgia. Georgia! Woohoo! Hello, hello! This time we cycle through Georgia, the country in the Southern Caucasus, a huge mountain range where Eastern Europe and Western Asia bump into each other. To get there, we have been on our bicycles for over 5 months, crossing Germany, France,

Italy, a bit of Greece and the whole length of Turkey. As with every new country, we are excited, and this one comes with an exceptionally sharp cultural shift. Georgians have their unique language and alphabet, live in this fairly mountainous region for many millennia,

Are known for making and presumably also drinking loads of wine since 6000 BC, adopted Christianity in the early 4th century, and have also been cut off from neighbouring Turkey by the Iron Curtain for decades. So, come with us, as we cycle breathtaking mountain passes, freeze our butts off,

Curse about road and weather conditions, and as a result eat our way through piles of delicious Georgian food. There we are in Akhalkalaki. I’m so happy. Akal Kalaki… I’m gonna meet one of my best friends here. Yes, we’re gonna meet Misak.

Actually we went to his wedding a couple of years ago. And he’ll come here from Tbilisi to meet us. So we need to get a sim card asap. So let’s find that shop and find Misak in Akhalkalaki. Akhalkalaki. I think I’m pretty good. Akhalkalaki. Akal Kalaki? Akal achal? But how?

There is an A and a K. Akhalkalaki. Akhalkalaki. I’m really good at Georgian. It is wonderful to see some familiar faces. We spent a lovely afternoon and evening with our dear friends. However, during the past month we had missed the lightheartedness that should also be part of such a journey.

Like the kind of easy joy one can feel while dancing to loud music. So, a few weeks ago, we bought tickets to an electronic music festival in the Racha region in the north of Georgia. Time is of the essence as we’ve got only one more week to get there,

But there is one little issue and no way to put this more politely: in our experience most Georgians are lovely people as long as they are not behind a steering wheel,… Therefore, we want to avoid busy roads as much as possible! Hello! Hello! Poor you! Isn’t it too hot?

Sorry, dear? Ah, yes…it’s hot! Where are you from that you speak Armenian? From Armenia! I’m Armenian. You as well? German! He is German! Germany… My brother is in Germany. We started our journey in Germany… Who is he to you? My husband. Ahaaa… Where are you headed?

We are going t o that lake… Yes, Tabatskuri… And then to Bakurian, Shovi and then to Armenia… Oh, poor you…it’s so hot. Yeah, it was cool in the morning so I put warm clothes on. Do you at least have food with you? Yes, yes! We have everything! Have a nice day!

Safe travels! Stay well! Good bye! Good bye! Out of Akhalkalaki there is a country road to a remote mountain lake from where we can reach a mountain pass leading to Bakuriani. That is more or less on our way, so here we go! Most hospitable lake. That’s something very cool.

Apparently we’re on the Tabatskuri eco tourism trail. Oh, there is a recommended campsite, are you kidding me? What? Where is this? One brilliant thing about Georgia regarding bike touring is that you will find many stunning places like Tabatskuri lake, situated in the Samsari range at 1991 metres above sea level.

We thoroughly enjoy wild camping in beautiful nature off the beaten track, of which Georgia still has plenty. If we had more time we would certainly have stayed another night to enjoy the peace and quietness. A little bit bumpy here.

It is a 30 km gravel road to Bakuriani from here, and a 500 metre climb. So that will probably take us most of the day. We met the park ranger and he gave us his phone number.

He said, if we can’t get up the mountain pass we shall call him and he’ll try to help us. Okay, I’m already out of breath, so stop the talking and look where you’re going. It is kind of funny. At the start of our trip we did everything to avoid hills and bumpy roads.

Over the last months this has changed drastically. While I am still by no means good at pushing my bicycle up steep inclines, having lost roughly 10 kgs of weight certainly helps in that regard.

I still struggle a lot, but I always look forward to the view and the sense of achievement at the top, as well as the pretty much effortless descent that follows. That’s very steep. We’ve decided to take a road that’s not even on the map.

I think it will mean a lot of pushing. We’re having fun. This is brutal, oh my god! We’re having fun! Yeah, you know, I like that we still can appreciate the beauty of this place. We’re having fun. If you think that this doesn’t even look too steep from this angle,

We invite you to try it yourself. We certainly need to take a little rest to catch our breath, before we continue our way. I can’t believe this. We finally made it to the main road. On other days we would not be very happy about this road,

But it’s definitely 100 % better than what we had. But it is stunning. Look at this landscape. Guess we’ll be in the clouds today. Hello! I come in peace! It’s ok! Hello! *in Georgian We’ve pushed a lot. We’re very exhausted, but that’s the top of it, and look at this view!

Climbing up to Tskhratskaro pass at 2454 metres under the glaring sun we could see these almost stationary and thick clouds at the distance all day. They are fueled by the humid air from the Black Sea, while in our back we have the rather

Dry air masses coming from the east of Turkey. Shit! So here is the checkpoint. Guess the video surveillance is not very effective but I should put the camera away now. After sweating for months cycling through Turkey, we did not realise how drastic this change of riding conditions would be

And therefore did not put on our long rain pants, waterproof trekking shoes and winter gloves. What a silly mistake! We just passed the checkpoint. This mountain pass is of strategic importance, that’s why they checked our passports thoroughly. They said we might be in the clouds all the way down to Bakuriani.

We now have an 800 metre descent. The road’s not very good and visibility is 15 to 20 metres in the clouds. But you know what’s good? I’m a little bit afraid of heights. Right to the left of this road it goes down very, very steeply, but it’s no problem,

Because I can not see it. Yeah, it’s pretty steep. It’s really cold. Now we’re used to brutal heat. Up to 40 degrees in the shadow. And now? Nothing! Nothing! This descent is an absolute nightmare. The hands are hurting from braking, from the bumping, the fingers are freezing.

The knees are stiff from the cold. Woohoo! We made it! Oh, oh my god. It’s so cold. But we’re on a road, finally. Okay, okay. We are in Bakuriani? Okay! Okay! Very good!

After warming up and resting for two nights and a rainy day in a local homestay we have to hit the road again. Mathias is trying to put some oil on our chains. Our bicycles need a serious overhaul. I think he feels that we’re leaving… Look at him! That’s good huh?

We’re just entering Borjomi, which is famous for its thermal mineral water. But today we’ll just pass the town, since we’ve been here a couple of years ago. From Bakuriani we have to descend another 1000 metres out of the Lesser Caucasus towards the geographical centre of Georgia.

There’s a lot of traffic going up and down this road. And also unfortunately Georgians have the tendency to take out the catalytic converter, the thing that sort of cleans the air of the exhaust of a car a little bit. They take it out, because it contains valuable minerals, metals.

Therefore the air quality on the road is really bad. I think we’re actively breathing toxins all the time when we’re on the road. You can even smell it. Not the most ideal place to cycle. So far Georgia is the exact opposite of Turkey. It’s not super hot, it’s actually pretty cold.

It’s not very dry, it’s actually super humid. The roads are very narrow, there is no shoulder, the drivers are not very patient. No, they will just go, it doesn’t matter if there’s no space, and even if there is enough space, they will still not go to the other lane.

The food is actually really great, with lots of variety. They eat pork as well. But also, I mean, just from the vegetarian dishes in the restaurants, everything, soups, stews …that’s amazing. In Khashuri we meet the main traffic artery of Georgia

That connects the capital Tbilisi in the east with the Black Sea coast in the west. Fortunately we’re heading south to north and can soon leave the chaotic traffic behind us. We’re hungry, we need something… We want soup. Madness. Let’s go to the city centre and ask someone.

*in German Come on! One or the other way! F********* As in most post-soviet countries many drivers got their licences for a bribe instead of passing a test. As a result few people understand or follow traffic rules,

And instead try to sneak into the tiniest openings counting on the other drivers to stop. Also, they are certainly not used to hungry cyclists on a bicycle. Khatschughi? Tschachughi? Khashuri… Khashuri … that’s what I said?! What did we get? Ostri.

Beef stew-ish, with a lot of onions and herbs, some bread goes with it and 10 khinkali. Oh, I love cilantro. We got the khinkali as well. Georgian meat dumplings. You have to put black pepper on them. I mean you’re supposed to hold them with your hand, but they’re very hot now,

So I will not do it! My strategy is …. No, no no no no! I put a hole inside, nooooo! That’s why you eat it with your hands. Okay, I made a very big mistake. You’re not supposed to stick something into the dumpling, because then you will lose all the juice.

You’re supposed to hold it on this bit, then bite a hole at the top and suck the juices out of the dumpling. And I clearly messed that up. After this meaty meal Mathias comes up with a brilliant plan to avoid further traffic. Oh no!

In Georgia there are either very busy main roads , And then there are sideroads, which are not busy, but often of terrible quality. Was this really necessary, Mathias?! Well this way is 6 kms shorter. It could be worse. Big stones, dirt, mud, cowshit,… Look at this. It’s terrible. Well then.

Will we make it in time to the long awaited festival in the Greater Caucasus? Join us next time, in cycling Georgia the country part two. We will have to scale further mountain passes, eat literal mountains of food, navigate endless

Streams of Chacha and will even move into an abandoned building of the soviet times. Next time I’m choosing the road! That could never go wrong. Hey, we Arev and Mathias, a couple of independent amateur filmmakers on an unsupported journey around our planet.

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