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“Bright Midnight” or “Mother North”
Hi There!
I am Brazilian and I am 52 years old.
I don’t yet feel prepared enough to participate in the self-sufficient “Bright Midnight” or “Mother North” races.
Therefore, I plan to do a MTB self-sufficient bikepacking trip through Norway in June (from June 13th to June 28th, 2026), using the route of one of these two races as a base, to see how do I fare.
My options so far are:
1- Use the “Bright Midnight 2025” route, but take a shortcut from Lom to Vågåmo (reducing the total distance from 1100 km to about 800 km).
2- Use the “Mother North 2025” route, but take a shortcut from Svøo to Gol (reducing the total distance from 1000 km to about 700 km).
My question is: which of these routes is the best option? I should have about 12 days to ride.
I’ve done the “Caminho da Fé” in Brazil a few times (315 km and 9,980 meters of elevation gain, in 4 days, with support).
Thanks!
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2 Replies
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Hi Fabricio,
great idea to ride one of those popular tracks without the time pressure 👍
I have only ridden only parts of these routes but I’ll try my best to give you a qualified opinion:
“Bright Midnight 2025”: I won’t recommend the shortcut Lom – Vågåmo. You don’t want to miss Sognefjellet, Tusenmeteren and the view on Jotunheimen at Valdresflye 😊
Some ideas for shortcuts that would save some kilometers (see screenshots):
After Trollstigen, when you reach the fjord, take the ferry Linge – Eidsdal, get some fantastic views on Geirangerfjord, mabye even climb up to Dalsnibba. The original road goes trough long tunnels between Stranda and Hellesylt. On your way to Oppstrynsvatn, you would need to pass a long and steep hike-a-bike section. On the other hand, you’d miss the famous Strynefjellsvegen when you take my shortcut.
After Sognefjellet and Tusenmeteren, you could skip Slettefjellet (steep climb, but they say it has great views) and take the boat on lake Bygdin instead. Matthew made a video about both Tusenmeteren and the boat trip on lake Bygdin: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqHyZyvI0-I&t=231s
Another idea: Why don’t you just skip Tolga (start and finish) and turn left on Kvikneveien in Tynset? I have no idea about the traffic and the landscape, but it would save some kilometers.
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“Mother North 2025”: If you take the shortcut, you miss Aurlandsfjellet and Rallarvegen. The latter one is a seldom experience because it’s only for cyclists and hikers. Can be pretty busy in summer because it’s so popular but the views are amazing.
I’m not familiar with the “eastern” part of the route but it looks like lots of amazing gravel 😎
Maybe you don’t need a shortcut after all? Let’s say you take the train to Hjerkinn and start your ride there. You have the adventure of your lifetime, and after ~1000 km your reach Lillehammer, where you could either take the train or continue the ride to Dovre. This would give you some flexibility.
In sum, you should either come to Norway several times or take more time to experience “all” the highlights ☺ Have a great trip 🚲
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This reply was modified 3 days, 21 hours ago by Michel.
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This reply was modified 3 days, 21 hours ago by
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