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In winter, my preferred place to be is the sofa. When it’s cold outside, I choose a warm drink inside, while my bike dreams of another bikepacking trip next summer. But now it’s time to leave the comfort zone and try something different: A bicycle trip in March!
With a lot of help from cyclenorway staff, I felt well prepared and equipped for a two weeks trip in cold conditions.
Peter Bergmark, Annika and 4 others21 Comments-
My first night in a shelter (in Larvik) was totally fine. Took the train to Oslo, then to Hamar, where the adventure began: More and more snow on the road until I finally gave up reaching another shelter and pitched my tent on the deep snow
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@michel You are a brave man have you got studs in you tyres? I live at 700 meters the the Jura France, try to cycle all year but never brave enough to ride on snow and ice. Bravo.
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@Juradude Thanks 😊
Yes,I use Schwalbe Marathon Winter tires. Grip on ice and packed snow is really good, so I feel save. 😁
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On the second day, it snowed a lot. I crossed the Norwegian-Swedish border three times on a mix of small gravel and broader paved roads. I really learned to love my spike tires on days like these; they have a decent grip on ice and packed snow.
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On the third day it was a wonderful but cold morning.
Little town Sörsjön along the road offered bear feeding and dancing around majstången 🤔
On my way to Fulufjället, I had to change plans due to an impassable road – another lesson learned: Always be flexible, have a plan B.
Arrived in Mörkret = “The Darkness”.
Thick Ice blocks had built up between inside the mudguard
😮And finally a warm welcome at Fulufjällsgården 😊
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On day 4, I visited (the most popular part of) Fulufjället national park: The world’s oldest tree and a frozen waterfall.
After that, I didn’t make much progress on poorly cleared forest roads. I decided to ride into the night to reach the next available shelter.
It was fun as long as the moon lit up the scene, but when clouds covered the moon, it was just dark and cold 🥶
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On day 5, I was riding eastwards again. Blue skies, perfect road conditions. A long day ended in a nice hidden shelter. It was bitterly cold that night. I didn’t even think about changing, and I managed to stay warm in my thick down sleeping bag 😊
Important: Wear a merino beanie and merino buff to cover your nose (the only part of your body that will be exposed to the cold)
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Day 6 started with a cold night and a cold morning.
The route traces a wide arc from Vemdalen to Ljungdalen, on quite roads with lots of snow, along a ski resort, big lakes and forests.
After two cold nights in shelters, I was more than happy to take a warm shower and eat some delicious food at “Pensionat Helags” in Ljungdalen. Unfortunately, I was already to exhausted to try their “bastu” (sauna) 🥵
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That looks like a great little tour so beautiful. So looking forward to our tour in Norway and Denmark starting in 7 weeks. Where are you going next after you warm up ?
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@Juradude I was a bit surprised myself, but I really enjoy winter cycling 😊 After the trip, I’ll need dome time to rest before I start planning the next (summer) trip 😁
Good luck with your trip. Hopefully, you’ll have a nice spring experience!
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Bad news during breakfast on day 7: Flatruetvägen (Sweden’s highest road, 975 m) was closed due to strong winds. I gave it a try and made it, even got a photo evidence from Trafikverkets surveillance camera 😁
I met frozen Anderssjöåfallet waterfall, wide roads and wide landscapes, got a windy welcome at the Norwegian border and bad news about my next leg on a road sign.Finally, I managed to pitch my tent in deep snow near Brekken.
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On the next day (no 8), mountain road Fv. 705 was still closed although the weather was great 😎
On the mountain plateau, snowdrift on the road everywhere. Luckily, I met the snow truck several times but otherwise no traffic at all🙃 The views up there are stunning.After a nice downhill ride to Stugudalen, the road follows river Nea, with spectacular views 🤩
Some snow flurries later, I placed my tent on a closed road.
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After wind and snow, on day 9 a new challange awaited me: Slush.
Cycling in Nea valley to Selbu was incredibly beautiful, but the slush on the road to Hommelvik gave a tough ride 🥵Trondheim offered some colors in compensation 😊
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Day 10 started with a ride on “the old road” along E6 southwards. In Støren, I turned left on road 30 to Røros.
The road was clear of ice but not Gaula river which it follows all the time 😁
All rest stops are closed in winter – as well as the alternative road for the first tunnel on this trip – but it was an easy one 😊
Pitched my tent in deep snow again; it was difficult to fix it against wind but I survived once again 😁1 -
Day 11 began with a final climb between snow covered mountains. Took a long break i old mining town Røros which is basically an open air museum.
South of Røros, I turned left on road 28 towards Femund lake.
When it already was getting dark and I was looking for a place for the night, suddenly two moose stood on a field 😊1 -
A lot of wood along the roads on day 12.
I was cycling along Femunden lake but didn’t see it, only a glimpse of Isteren lake.
After a fast downhill ride to Åkrestrømmen, I turned on a forest road that went all the way up again, but this time on ice 🙃
By sundown, I reached today’s goal: Krokhølbua! A free hut, equipped with everything you need (and more) 😊1 -
After a warm night in cozy Krokhølbua, blue skies and challenging road conditions awaited me on day 13: melted and frozen ice, mixed with muddy gravel 🥵
I cycled along big frozen Osen lake from North to South, and I revisited the place where I had to give up pushing my bike through knee-deep snow 12 days ago 🙃1 -
Day 14: Blue skies again 😎
On the way down to Elverum, landscapes changed from white to green.
Long stop at Norsk skogmuseum. Saw some animals I’m glad I didn’t meet alive on this trip 😁
Rode further South along Glomma river.
Found a nice hut by a lake 😊1 -
Day 15 felt like spring. But there is still some ice (art) left 😊
Road 210 to Kongsvinger was quite boring (compared to the rest of this trip): Straight road through recently ploughed farm land.
Visited Kongsvinger fortress and tried a cannon 🧐Last camp, last camp fire.That’s it. The next day, I entered trains to Oslo and Gothenburg to take the ferry to Germany in the evening.
I really enjoyed this winterly adventure 😊
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@michel Well done on your amazing winter cycling trip to Norway/Sweden! You cycled a long way and experienced challenging conditions but embraced every moment and saw a side of Scandinavia few people will ever experience. 🫡
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@Matthew Norway Thanks 😊
I love cycling in summer but I can only encourage everyone to give a winter trip a try. The landscapes look so different, maybe even more stunning than in other seasons.
Actually, it wasn’t as hard as I expected.
Add pogies and spike tyres to your bike, an extra layer of wool on your body and warm shows – then you’re ready to go 😁
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