On Tuesday, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin took part in a somewhat different pastime – he visited a biker's club called the Night Wolves.
The club's leader, known as the Surgeon, gave Putin a tour around the place, and briefed him about the club’s history.
The Surgeon told the premier of their plans to join thousands of other motorbike lovers at an international bike show in Sevastapol in Ukraine.
The show is to celebrate the hero-city's Black Sea fleet and mark 65 years of liberty since World War II.Their trip will be a kind of pilgrimage, and they even have a blessing from Patriarch of all Russia Kirill.
Putin listened to them attentively and then presented them with a huge Russian flag, expressing his hope that the flag would “protect” them on their way.
Then the “wolves” showed Putin their “iron friends”. The Surgeon explained that they had tried to make a 100% purely Russian bike, but an unrideable museum piece was all they managed to get their hands on.
Putin, in his turn, told he had recently tried to ride a bike, but ended up pulling a wheelie and crashed into another car. The Surgeon then advised Putin not to “hang his head” and never give up.