We set off on the 10 lane ringroad out of Moscow. After 10km we turn onto the highway towards the Black sea and traffic immediately get less. There is a wide shoulder and smooth tarmac, the best condition we had since Finland. We average 35 km/h until we reach a crossing at noon and turn towards Volgograd. The road is narrow with no shoulder and heavy trucks passing at full speed. We wanted to stay on this road for 900 km but after 20 km we decide that it is too dangerous and turn back to the Black Sea Highway. We will now follow that route to Rostov and then merge our old route again in Chechnya.
We continue along the highway in heavy rain until we find a roadside Motel at night.