On the eve of a 5,000 kilometre bicycle journey from Kazan to Istanbul, Valery Smorchkov, Associate Professor of the Department of Service and Tourism at Volga University, Kazan-based bicycle traveller and travel blogger VeloValera, told the university's Zen about his idea to study the history of the Great Silk Road.
Together with Alexander Lokalov, an alumnus of Volga University - sports psychologist, they will visit key historical sites of the Great Silk Road. Their route will take them through the Republic of Tatarstan, further along the Volga corridor to the Lower Volga region, then through the North Caucasus, Georgia and Anatolia to the final point - Istanbul.
- Working with cycling communities, I benefit society by developing routes around Tatarstan based on my experience. I have been travelling by bike since 2018 and often choose long routes. The cycling route from Kazan to Istanbul is my author's development. On the way, I plan to enlist the support of relevant organisations, as well as the Turkish Consulate. I would like to explore as much as possible the northern corridor of the Great Silk Road, which runs from Tatarstan - Bilyarsk and Bulgar - to the lower Volga River. One of the main missions of my blogging activities is to activate and motivate young people by example.
