Route 55

From Skjolden to Lom, Route 55 is the highest mountain road in Northern Europe, though at at 1443m the risk of altitude sickness is rather minimal. If you are going to cycle it...I recommend coming from the Lom side!

From the fjord at Skjolden the road climbs for 25 unending kilometers. Even in the lowest gear the leg muscles scream for something flat that never comes.

Passing through the alpine area of the Jotunheimen National Park you get it all; wild mountain views, raging rivers, clear mountain lakes, freezing cold rain and strong headwinds.

If you like pain....do this road!

Rallarvagen

Following the old construction road for the Oslo-Bergen railway, built over 100 years ago, the Rallarvagen track between Haustagol and Voss/Flam has to be one of the best cycle routes in the country.
Passing the Hardanger glacier, it is part of the largest alpine plateau in Europe. A wild, windswept landscape of snow and rivers and not much else. Must have been a fun place to work!

Unfortunately there was still a lot of snow in the higher parts which meant a lot of pushing and cold wet feet.

Danish rolls

A seemingly endless series of flat roads, farms and forest...not the most exciting of cycling destinations.

Though wherever you wanted to go you were almost always guaranteed of a bike path


and an interesting welcome.

Eating the kilometers

After being thrown off the plane to Iceland I decided on a a rather ambitious project to make it from Dusseldorf to Norway. Unfortunately, this means days of 100km minimums and lots of aches and pains.

I have blisters on my hands, sore legs and ....not even going to mention the ass and shoulders!

After 6 days....I reached Denmark.

My thanks to Hadrian for his hospitality and help in Dusseldorf

and to the ex-mayor of Wilster, Wolfang and his wife Hilke for a hot shower and soft bed

Iceland (desp)Air

Fate never really works out the way you want it to...at least not when planes, bicycles and myself are concerned! Let this be a warning!

When I rang the call centre after I bought the tickets I was told that a) I didn't need to pre-book the bike and b) I would be able to obtain (for a small fee) a plastic bike bag at the airport. Neither of these were correct and I was checked in but my bike was refused.
Surprisingly....my bike was not allowed to be put on a later flight. It had to fly with me..or not at all!
I was also told that I could ring the call centre and for a small fee change my departure to the next flight. Unfortunately the call centre was in Iceland and a 2 hour time difference! By the time we could call it was too late. I was registered as a no-show..despite having a boarding pass!

In the end the call center staff were rather unhelpful and decidedly uncompromising which is interesting considering the state of the national finances and in the end I was left with no alternative but to buy another ticket if I wanted to visit their country. Not relishing spending upwards of 600 euros for another flight I cancelled the return trip.

The country is bankrupt and I blame the airlines...not the bankers!

Change of plans instead....cycle like crazy to Norway and the Arctic Circle!