Idiot Cycles into Moldova in Winter | Solo Cycle Touring from Ukraine to Northern Moldova

Cycle touring from Northern Norway to Azerbaijan – Arctic to Asia 11 (Day 171-186):

I was exactly where I’d tried not to be; Ukraine in the depths of winter. Snow covered the roads, the temperature plummeted, and I prepared for a long wait until it was safe to cycle again. I caught up with some friends in Lviv, and even spent a day with Darren Alff (the Bicycle Touring Pro) while I resigned myself to the fact that I’d be stuck here for a while.

But, luckily for me, the kindness of locals stuck again. Taras and Kate, my hosts who lived in the next city (Ivano-Frankivsk), insisted on borrowing a van to pick me up; without them, I’d have had to cycle on the edge of one of Ukraine’s busiest main roads in a snowstorm! So, I was finally able to cross the border into Moldova near Briceni…

The first moments of my trip across Moldova left me freezing but fascinated with my new surroundings on my way from Briceni, through Edinet, and on to Bălți; the noisy complaints from my bicycle were joined by the clip-clopping of horses and carts carrying farming supplies, audible long before they were visible, which seemed to materialise from thin air, and countless intricately decorated wells, known as “fîntînă”, lined the streets of villages.

Most people I’d asked about the country had more questions than answers about it, and many people back at home would probably struggle to point out Moldova on a map. Even the Ukrainians I spoke to just next door later asked me “what’s Moldova like”, and “is Moldova safe”? All I knew about it before I arrived was that it is the poorest country in Europe, was once united with Romania, and used to be part of the USSR.

On a cycle tour in Moldova in Winter, I felt isolated; most locals I spoke with had never met an Englishman. The few who do visit the country mostly go to the capital, Chișinău, and the only foreigners I encountered were the American Peace Core volunteers who were kind enough to host me in Bălți . There was a sense of mystery, of true exploration that I hadn’t felt before, and one that would remain for the next 4 weeks as I made my way South.

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BACKGROUND:
For the last 1.5 years, I’ve been on a cycle tour from Tromsø in Northern Norway to Baku, Azerbaijan, while interviewing locals along the way for my blog. Cycle touring for beginners like me can be intimidating; I’d ridden a bike 4 times in the previous 10 years before this journey, but I decided to jump in at the deep end and learn about bikepacking and touring while I was on the road. After watching a few videos on “how to cycle tour”, I set off, and covered 11 countries by bike (and took detours to another 2).

Long distance cycle touring alone was always a challenge, but one that I got used to after about a month, and eventually started to truly appreciate. I didn’t have much cycling gear or expertise, and I resorted to using an old Trek mountain bike that I got for free, which was frustrating at times, but I found motivation in the locals I met along the way, and the far-flung places I reached off the beaten track.

The adventure by bike introduced me to a new side of travel. Never before had I interacted so much with local people and my surroundings, when I’d been abroad or been so exposed to the kindness of strangers. Travelling so slowly as I pedalled made me feel immersed in the countries and cultures I cycled through, and it forced me to stop in some of the more obscure places the world has to offer. All in all, cycling the world shows you a side of some countries that most travellers never get to appreciate.

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Returning to Ukraine: 00:00
Cycling into Moldove: 03:33

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