We set our alarms for 8ish, and cooked breakfast and broke camp by 9.30h. We pulled out on the highway and rolled along past rich agricultural lands, broken by deeply incised river valleys (oh yay 10% grade!). We stopped at a cafe to fill our water bottles and eat some eggs and mashed potatoes with gravy (necessary calories!). Getting on the bikes again, we rode about 10km until I hit the 1000km mark, which required a few quick photos. Riding on again, we got into a pretty good groove of about 22km/h with each of us varying in the lead rider position. I had forgotten how much fun/efficient it is to be able to draft off of someone!
Stopped a couple of times for ice cream and some light groceries, during which time I phoned Elena, my hospitality host in Voronezh to let her know that I would be there in few hours.Eventually made it into Voronezh, a really nice city perched between the Don river and a dam-controlled lake. Headed into the center and had a bit of fast food (Russian style - where a hamburger really means a ham burger!) Received a message from Elena telling me where I could meet her, so bade fare-the-well to the other cyclists after promising to meet up somewhere later down the road (literally). Met up with Elena, who graciously offered me her shower to clean the 3 days of camping/cycling funk off my person. We had a quick dinner at Elena (and brother Sergey's) flat, chatting all the while. Headed to be a little bit early, but glad to have a firm floor to crash on!
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