A 21-year-old Muscovite has set off on a bike ride across Russia, starting in the northwestern city of Murmansk with the aim of covering 1,600 kilometers a month to reach Vladivostok in November.
Oleg Zavodov, a self-proclaimed "professional bonehead," embarked on his "awesome quest" on Monday, carrying 130 pounds of supplies aboard a souped-up bike equipped with a pedal-powered electric generator, the Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper reported.
Zavodov, who plans to pedal 130 kilometers a day to reach St. Petersburg by May 1, said he got the inspiration for the journey four years ago while he was hitchhiking around the country.
He also plans to visit Yekaterinburg, Samara and Lake Baikal, staying with acquaintances or camping out in the wilderness, before reaching the Far East ahead of the winter freeze.
Perhaps most surprising, though, is he doesn't seem to be collecting money for charity. The trip, which he says is to promote a healthy lifestyle, might actually be to impress a girl.
He said a lovely lady he met in Vladivostok a few years ago is waiting for him there.