Old Kaluga Road
Description
The main race of the Gravelcyclist gravel season. The 183 km route crosses rough terrain in the basins of the Tarusa and Protva rivers in the north of Kaluga Region, with an inspiring elevation gain of about 2 km.
The surface keeps changing. The dirt roads of the Central Russian Upland run through beautiful countryside past old churches.
They alternate with short stretches of good asphalt where you can catch your breath, although anyone who wants to finish first had better go full gas.
A few easy fords will cool down overheated riders.
The main challenge is the hard-to-pass section of the Old Kaluga Road from Prudki through Nedelnoye to Filippovka. It is as unpredictable as the Zone in Stalker, and even a GAZ-66 truck can get stuck here. But this historic road, which once linked Moscow and Kaluga, is definitely worth riding!
Try to reach the last forest on the route, between Seliverstovo and Lyubovtsovo, before sunset. In daylight you will find plenty of mushrooms there, but in the dark this cross-country segment becomes one of the hardest, especially after rain. You may well meet wild animals here too.