Whiteout
"In February 2020, I spent a month cycling accross frozen lake Baikal. The cold, the ice and the snow drew me there. I can’t explain precisely why I enjoy being in these landscapes so much but I feel comfortable in these wintery places – despite the cold, the harshness and the solitude. I love the silence, the muffled sounds, the light, the seeming steadiness that I find very soothing.
Lake Baikal is the largest freshwater lake in the world. It’s about 650 kilometres long and 70 kilometres wide and is located in Siberia (Russia), North of Mongolia. It also is the deepest lake worldwide and hosts an incredible biodiversity. During three weeks, I cycled from the North end to Irkutsk, the largest city around it.
Cycling in a cold environment implies many adaptations but the essence of bike-touring/riding/packing stays the same: discovering places, cultures, people. While I was alone most of the time, I also met some wonderful people who brought a lot of happy memories and warmth. How to depict these very emotional encounters when I barely have a photo of them ? How to transcribe the intensity of a smile after being on your own for several days ? We’re social beings and spending some time alone is, to me, a great reminder of how precious these interactions are." (Gaëlle Bojko)
“But why?” I was asked countless times when I told my friends and family I was planning to cycle over a frozen lake in Russia. They tried to talk me out of it, presenting arguments about the dangers, the remoteness, the language barrier, and trying to remind me about the struggles I had the last time I rode through a cold place.
But I learned from my previous experience, and despite the trouble I went through with an unsuited bike, I loved the snow-covered landscapes, the muffled sounds, the reflection of the light, and the calming tranquillity of these seemingly still environments. I don’t mind suffering when I find myself in such extraordinary surroundings, so I prepared a bit better and headed towards Russia with a new and whimsical aspiration: to ride atop frozen Lake Baikal." (Gaëlle Bojko)