About 1,000 cyclists hit the streets in the sixth Moscow Bike Night on Saturday, cruising around the capital while listening to a broadcast lecture on the War of 1812 and Moscow architecture.
The route covered 27 kilometers to end with a picnic at Vorobyovy Gory, or Sparrow Hills, overlooking the city, Ridus.ru reported.
Participants used FM-radios and headphones to listen to a lecture by an associate professor of cultural history from the People's Friendship University. The talk covered urbanism, landscapes and architecture of western Moscow, as well as the War of 1812, whose most famous Russian general, Mikhail Kutuzov, gave his name to the street from where the event started.
One person said on an online forum that the lecture didn't always correspond with stops along the way, and the tempo of the ride made it impossible to keep up, Ridus said. Others said poor weather ruined the ride for them.
But many enjoyed the event.
"Personally, I liked it all, from start to finish. After I left the house, the thought that I was the only crazy one didn't go away until I passed four girls on the way to Kutuzovsky Prospekt pedaling at full speed in the same direction," one participant said.
The crowd of bicyclists was accompanied by a police escort to ensure safety, and no major incidents were reported.
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