Those who know the languages of the ancient tribes translate the name
of the Baikal Lake as the “nice place for biking”. This ages-old tradition has
recently been re-established at the Baikal’s most famous island Olkhon.
Today you can enjoy the beauty of this place never spending your pennies on
car rentals and never tying yourself to a tourist group. You can rent a Merida or Track
mountain bike in the Nikita Bencharov Estate Ecology Center, and also book a guiding
instructor. If you are interested you may consult the instructor Artur via e-mail ratna@mail.ru, he checks it once a week when he leaves the
island for the mainland – there is no Internet access in Olkhon.
Why do you need a bike in Olkhon?
1. It is a way to save money you would otherwise spend renting a car.
2. You do not need an excursion for a group of tourists to Olkhon.
3. You do not have time limitations that occur when you travel in Olkhon with a tourist
group.
4. You can stop when you want it.
5. You can visit interesting places unreachable by car but too far away for walking.
6. You are free to travel through the island wherever you want.
7. You like biking
8. If you want to get some real speed, you may try the race routes where you can drive at
65 km/hr.
We would
recommend you to get a rucksack and a bottle of water (not less than 0.5 liters) because
you sweat a lot while biking, and you do not necessarily go to the shore or to a water
spring. What is also very handy is an extra sweatshirt to pack, as the one you wear is wet
when you got where you wanted to. If you decide to undertake a journey without a guide,
learn what you need to repair tires, no-one is guaranteed from tire going flat!
Things to know about biking tours in Olkhon
are:
Think how much time you want to spend on your first-day tour. When you arrive in Olkhon, your reasonable speed is 11 to 13 km/hr, and when you are a keen Olkhoner already, you get to 18 to 21 km/hr. You also depend on the wild nature, the road quality and wind direction, so timing is something to think about. You would normally get 22 km/hr speed, but “normally” does not include your stops, going up the hills, etc so please think that it is lower than that. The map is not very helpful if you are planning a tour on your own: the roads are never as straight as they are on your map.
