Dniesterradweg / Dniester Bicycle Route

The other day, I was reading about the Danube Cycle Trail (to German speakers better known as Donauradweg), and I got this crazy urge to develop a similar bicycle route along the Dniester River (also spelled Dniestr, Dnister, Dnestr, Dnjestr, or Nistru) from the Carpathian Mountains through western and south-western Ukraine and Moldova all the way to the Black Sea (about 1,400 km / 870 miles).

Hurricane Irene messed up all the plans

My today's flight to Warsaw has been canceled. Now, the earliest I can get there is September 7.

Provided that

• my employer will let me change my vacation dates "on the fly", and
• the air carrier will agree to change my return flight at no or reasonable cost,

I may be able to start the ride on September 11. It means less daylight and lower temperatures (not something I am very excited about).

This is the second time I am forced to reschedule the ride (the first was from early August to early September because of a work-related schedule conflict). I am very disappointed, to say the least.

Motivation... kind of...

In this scene (in Russian - see the English translation below) Baroness Jacobine von Münchhausen with her lawyer and lover, Heinrich Ramkopf, are trying to make the case that her husband, Baron von Münchhausen, is insane:

Got the bike

At last, a steel 29er hardtail mountain bike is sitting in my basement. It is a Jamis, not a megabrand, but still a fairly known one whose line of steel hardtails seems to have small, but somewhat cult-like, following. You can check the factory specs here: 2011 Jamis Dragon 29 Sport.

Right away, I had the stock Avid Juicy 3 hydraulic disk brakes replaced with Avid BB7 mechanical disk brakes and the stock SRAM PG-950 11-34t cassette - with a Shimano SLX CS-HG-61 12-36t cassette (the largest 9-speed cassette there is).

Choosing the right bike

Considering a full-suspension mountain bike

Choosing the right bicycle for a long-distance ride that includes a variety of terrains and riding surfaces is hard. Being on a tight budget makes it even harder. And, since I generally tend to "agonize" about such major decisions, the fact that three months before the start I am still not sure what I am riding should not come as a surprise.

Survivor Man

The other day, I was flipping channels and ended up watching an old episode of The Office (US version).

Google Earth and Google Maps are great, but not perfect

I have absolutely no desire to bash Google Maps and Google Earth. I believe that these products have totally revolutionized the way we plan trips, and I like them a lot. Still, there are some things you need to be aware of, especially if dealing with hilly or mountainous terrain.