February 21, 2023

Riding through Russia


Riding through Russia
Ziganshina at a stop on her route. RIA Novosti, Tatyana Ziganshina

Tatyana Ziganshina, a Russian female motorcyclist, set a world record for riding from Magadan to Mirny across permafrost in 2022. The nearly 2,000-mile journey gifted her the ride of a lifetime in just ten days.

Her first trip was around 124 miles, from Nakhodka to Ussuriysk. In an interview with RIA Novosti, Ziganshina saw her motorcycle as an extension of herself, believing that she and her bike are one together. "The air seems to pass through me. The floral aroma intoxicates me..."

She claims that no man-made architecture can beat what nature has to offer. From the Caucasus Mountains to Lake Baikal, she was endlessly fascinated by the Russian landscape. "In Moscow, I realized that because of modern technology, one can deteriorate. Now, everything is done for us: cleaning, washing, one doesn't even have to visit the store, there are delivery options. But when I travel, I go back to the basics. I maintain my equipment, I cook for myself."

Upon returning from her solo journey, Ziganshina says she was a different person. She became more in tune with her body riding independently across the country, even noticing that her priorities and tastes evolved. Although she had a support system of friends who were always in touch with her, she was forced to overcome obstacles single-handedly: sluggishly riding through sand, experiencing technical difficulties, and encountering bears on three separate occasions.

You Might Also Like

Trekking Baikal
  • January 01, 2011

Trekking Baikal

Winter offers unique travel opportunities to Russia, particularly when it comes to Siberia. For instance, how about a trek across the world’s largest freshwater lake? Or ice skating atop crystal clear waters, then enjoying a searing banya...?
Of Rivers, Mines, and a Lake
  • September 11, 2017

Of Rivers, Mines, and a Lake

Two days in Irkutsk and one on Baikal, where we meet a soft-spoken mechanic and visit two very different tourist destinations.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Fearful Majesty

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.
The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.  
Driving Down Russia's Spine

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 
Marooned in Moscow

Marooned in Moscow

This gripping autobiography plays out against the backdrop of Russia's bloody Civil War, and was one of the first Western eyewitness accounts of life in post-revolutionary Russia. Marooned in Moscow provides a fascinating account of one woman's entry into war-torn Russia in early 1920, first-person impressions of many in the top Soviet leadership, and accounts of the author's increasingly dangerous work as a journalist and spy, to say nothing of her work on behalf of prisoners, her two arrests, and her eventual ten-month-long imprisonment, including in the infamous Lubyanka prison. It is a veritable encyclopedia of life in Russia in the early 1920s.
Okudzhava Bilingual

Okudzhava Bilingual

Poems, songs and autobiographical sketches by Bulat Okudzhava, the king of the Russian bards. 
Survival Russian

Survival Russian

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.
Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

A book that dares to explore the humanity of priests and pilgrims, saints and sinners, Faith & Humor has been both a runaway bestseller in Russia and the focus of heated controversy – as often happens when a thoughtful writer takes on sacred cows. The stories, aphorisms, anecdotes, dialogues and adventures in this volume comprise an encyclopedia of modern Russian Orthodoxy, and thereby of Russian life.
The Moscow Eccentric

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.
Murder at the Dacha

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.
The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955