Start: Suzdal, Russia
End: Ivanovo, Russia
Distance: 84.5km
Elevation Gain: 1273ft
Elevation Loss: 1239ft
Time: 5h31m
Reading Material:Leningrad: The Epic Siege of World War II, 1941-1944 – Anna Reid
Audio Material: Marketplace; On The Media; Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me; Nerdist (Tig Notaro interview)
Description
Left the picturesque golden domes of Suzdal for the gritty textile city of Ivanovo. The merciful dark clouds and resulting cooler temps (hovering around a pleasant 75F) made for easy (if not overly exciting) riding on the motorway.
At several locations, passed men on the side of the rood selling assortments of industrial-sized samovars, gramophones and fake landscapes. I presume geared to the Muscovites on family holiday through the Golden Ring looking for a slice of pastoral Russia?
Ivanovo was the center of Russia’s textile industry and its history is closely intertwined with early worker strikes, revolts and possibly the first example of a local soviet before the Bolshevik revolution. The city seems on hard times since the last textile factories closed in 2000, however it has multiple universities and is trying to rebrand itself as a “City of Youth” — even qualifying as a contestant for the title of European Capital of Youth 2015. From my vantage point, however, I just saw lots of cars and a city grid where nearly every sub road was unpaved and potholed.
Tomorrow, I get back to the pastoral and meet up with the Volga.
