I'm going to go for it. Mugello can wait until next year
Initial trip planning has shown me that I can't take the shortcut from Kiev to Rostov due to the border war, so I'll need to head further north, then work my way down the border.
Here's what I have so far:
Its a little optimistic for my 12 day window, so I'll have to bust out a few 500 mile days in the boring parts of Russia.
I'll visit the cable cars of Chiatura, Georgia:
http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20171009-the-rusty-soviet-flying-cabins-of-georgia
And, the high altitude town of Omalo, Georgia. Its a must-see for the ADV crowd.
Back to Sochi again, just so I can drive the Black sea coast on a bike. I really enjoy Sochi. I'll head up into the mountains if I can find a suitable route and have the time.
Visa application is off in the mail tomorrow.
Svidanya