The road to Hell

Forget good intentions...this road was paved with

snow.!

I have made some intelligent decisions in my life but cycling north in Norway in April isn't one of them!

It has been bitterly cold and I have rarely felt my extremities...I have tried every possible way to try and keep my hands warm and for the past week haven't felt my toes except for a few hours in the sleeping bag.

On the up-side...my tent went through its first snow storm and performed admirably. Once the snow piled up around the base and sealed it...it was snug and moderately warm. Not bad for a 3-season tent!

It is strange though...I haven't seen any other cycle tourers on the road. Perhaps there is a reason for this!

bloodshed in Nimes

Despite my better judgement, I decided to go to a bullfight.

Hemingway can glorify it all he wants but all that pomp and ceremony is nothing more than the torture and death of a noble animal.

With tears running down my face I watched the bull run to the edge of exhaustion before being tormented and stabbed until it collapsed and died, then ignominiously dragged out of the stadium to the waiting butchers van.

Amsterdam to Provence

After Francesco left, I headed south to Provence, which unfortunately meant I had to cross the Massif Central again. Headed a bit further west and paralleled my route from last year.

After Norway the hills didn't seem so bad but I did make the mistake of climbing Super Besse. After seeing it on the Tour de France I thought....how bad can it be! One of my more stupid decisions.....

A friend in the flat land

I forgot the tales of how flat the Netherlands really are, nor how windy. The national symbol of a windmill should have given me some clue. But at least I wasn't going to be alone!

This was to be my friend Francesco's introduction to cycle touring....with a compromise of B&B's.

Starting in Amsterdam we headed NE, which unfortunately is not the direction of the prevailing winds! With flat, open land the wind comes bowling in, often accompanied by the smell of the dairies.

I found the long, continuous grind to keep moving forwards tiring and mind numbing.

Not my ideal type of touring but we explored around some interesting cities.

A field guide to bikes of the Netherlands

Just a sampler

Why the Vikings chose boats

Too Many Hills!
Aaaahh.....Norway. A truly amazing country.


It was love at first sight.

From Kristiansand north to Lom, with a few zig-zags.

Stunning cycling, friendly people....and lots of hills.

A tough country to cycle in but more than worth the effort

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!