With visa arranged in time, the only thing left...be on time on the airport and gate. Pasport control and checks take up a lot of preciuos time so be on time these days.

Oeps...the patches send from Canada after the hammering NY trip still need to be on my vest. So drop of at the turkish tailor. Can you do it in one day? Of course....only when I forget to pick up my vest thursdays, and I have to go through customs friday morning latest 9:15, boarding time, with turkish tailor opening at nine ON Friday I needed a plan and some help. Of course Miss K provided help. Miss K picked up the vest as soon as the next door tailor opened and rushes by taxi to the airport...it's 8:50 and the vest is going to be on time.  While I'm already waiting in the line at customs I saw kitty rushing into the departure hall with my vest knowing all was going to be fine and I would be on time at the gate. It's 9:10 when I'm past the controls and checks...I run into Paul Valdez and he accomponies me to the gate.



First part...Amsterdam-Zurich, Zurich airport is nice and quickly I find my way to the transfer area for the 3 hours flight that will take me to Moscow. With an hour left on board I see we are crossing into Russia leaving western europe behind me.

Mockba airport, and there is Petrov and his brother Alex. Alex races us into town...and traffic jams. Did you think the ring around the DAM or LA is filled with cars during rush hour wait till you see Moscow. But 120 km seems possible the way Alex drives the Lexus into the traffic so an hour later we have tea and a smoke at the Rastabike shop and meet up with some others.

Shure arrives and we move to the Rastabike Club garage...a clubhouse at a squated area. With some interesting futures.....one sticker grabbed my eye. "Olympia's ronde van Nederland 1976"...pretty sure I was at the Amstel brewery that year. The Amstel Brewery was the podium in those years for priceceremony...the sticker is on a cabinet the club found at the "Moscow roadrace club" some years ago. Have to take a picture and show my father who organised this tour in those years. In the mean time the truck is loaded for tomorrows event by members of the rastabike club. End of the day...not really, first some food and a beer before crashing at Casa XeShu.

After a good night sleep Xenia escorts me to the KGB meeting held on an old industrial complex that's been transformed/renovated as cultural centre. Shure is already some hours busy with build up of festival. On the way there we stop at the red square for first "hey, I'm a tourist too; picture time". It's round eleven when we arrive a few blocks from the red square for the KGB party and already a crowd is there.The group of specators will grow during the day as other events are held at the complex at the same time, perfect.
Reminds me of FBI with fashion week mix we experienced two-three years ago. The KGB party, a bicycle circus organised by the Rastabike club with all kind of "circus" bikes for visitors to try out, best bike competition and dragrace. And a tombola with prices by sponsors as Dakine and Adidas.

The atmosphere is incredable, open and although the conversation is sometimes a bit hard as my Russian is bit rusty we talk and talk. I'm so happy I went and meet up with friends from the Rastabike club and Bicycle trust, that the news of that car with Ukraine's Pride kustom broke down didn't spoil the day. Having a Russian cognac in plastic cups as you're not aloud to drink from bottle,
but the security ain't the worst dudes and let us do our thing.

Cognac, yes, there are more things that make me look at Moscow with a feeling this could also be Paris. The river through town,
the wide boulevards and parcs. The art "shops" with paintings along the river near Gorki parc. But Moscow is with it's golden roofs on cathedrals and palaces overwelming. This is the capitol of an old empire and is stuffed with culture. The statues of Stalin and KGB chefs are no longer part of daily life. Not completly put away, the statues can be seen in a parc along the river keeping also this era open to the discussion.

When at the end of the day the winners are known and prices are given it's time for evening cruise. Moscow by night with +/- 60 riders, an increadable experience. Part of the group ends up at Shure and Xenia where another worldrecord is set when 12-15 people are having a party in the 5m2 kitchen.

Sunday has after a booze filled night a slow start. But after eggs and juice it's time to cruise Moscow and see some of it's beauty I already mentioned. Along the river, the Spartac Moscow sport facilties and the biggest public skateboard park I have ever seen.

To make sure I was in time on the airport monday morning 5 am the group planned a night out in town, more culture, food and drinks. As I was on my way to the airport accomponied by "the translator" I overlooked a great weekend with millions of thanks to my brother Shure and Xenia for  being my wonderfull hosts and showing me a A+ time.

With Kustom love from the DAM to Mockba.