Tsardines in a Can

We’re a team of two brothers from Perth, Western Australia, who feel that heading off to Siberia to ride motorbikes for two weeks – in winter – is really the only logical thing to do with February. And really, what else is there to do? We plan to ride vintage Ural motorcycles from Irbit, Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russia – where the bikes are made – to Salekhard, 1500km further north and on the edge of the Arctic Circle. As part of this trip we’re also raising money for Operation Smile, a charity that provides free reconstructive surgery to children in the developing world born with cleft lips and palates. More info over on our donate page.

Perth is a long way from Siberia and (unfortunately!) entirely snow-free. In Irbit the average temperature in February is about -11 Celsius. 1500km north in Salekhard the average temperatures get down as low as -28 Celsius. It sounds pretty nippy, so we have packed a selection of extra-warm woollen scarves to ensure we’re toasty warm at all times.

We’ll be posting regular updates covering our preparation and a blow-by-blow account of our trip as it happens. If this sounds like a whole lot of fun, you can support us by either donating to Operation Smile on our behalf or sponsoring us directly: any and all contributions are very much appreciated.