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**thecivvie** · #1 14 Feb 2014

I am travelling to Mongolia next year, via Moscow and the original plan was to return the same route but I am wondering what the road down to Sochi from UFA or would it be better to return to Moscow and then head down to Sochi. Aware that some roads may now be better in that area due to the Winter Games

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Travelbug · #2 14 Feb 2014

Quote:

Originally Posted by thecivvie

I am travelling to Mongolia next year, via Moscow and the original plan was to return the same route but I am wondering what the road down to Sochi from UFA or would it be better to return to Moscow and then head down to Sochi. Aware that some roads may now be better in that area due to the Winter Games.

It is hard to find any bad (main-) roads in Russia. This is not Africa or Mongolia. We rode most of your route and it was fine asphalt.

**danielsprague** · #3 14 Feb 2014

Russian roads are generally fine, certainly in most of Western Russia.

From Ufa (it is a name BTW, not an acronym), the M5 to Samara is very busy but generally good.

From Samara to Syzran was in very good shape when I drove it last.

From Syzran to Saratov I have not driven

From Saratov to Volgograd was quite lumpy in places, but still perfectly driveable.

From Volgograd to Sochi, there are a number of routes. The most direct is the M21 and then M3, neither of which I have driven. I drove the other way from Adler - Tuapse - Maykop - Yessentuki - Vladikavkaz - Grozny - Makhachkala - Elista - Astrakhan and all roads were fine.

It sounds like you have been listening to too many Russians bad-mouth their own roads. If you have survived riding on the MKAD (Moscow Orbital), and your bike has survived Mongolia, then neither will fall apart driving from Ufa to Sochi.

Good luck

Daniel

**thecivvie** · #4 15 Feb 2014

Thanks for that, to be honest I have heard good and bad reports about the roads, but then I live in west Ireland and the roads can be bad.

I have a mad notion to do the journey on a ST1100 Pan European which is more my concern about roads

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