Nordkapp → Oslo

The tandem-bike is now aquired after a long search, the store is named Bull Ski & Kajak and located in Sandvika. Todays date is 20/6/14, about time, since were starting in only 10 days. The tires we replaced with slicks, fenders are a must, and other than that we changed the seats. The tandem is travelling by mail from oslo to honningsvåg, a small town with an airport around 35km from the North Cape. we will follow with a plane in due time, but first we need to aquire a trailer to be able to have all our clothes and equipment …

Tomorrow we start our 2000km tandem-voyage. Equipment has been aquired, including a trailer (a Mule from All Terrain) and other small things. We are going with a trailer so the tandem won´t be made even heavier with all the equipment, the 150kg of man-weight and 18kg heavy bike should be enough.

Our trailer is cautiously packed, stored in a box that we are going to bring with us in the plane. The tandem has been on the road for 3 days and is supposed to arrive at the same time as us.

We were supposed to fly from Oslo to Alta and then on to Honningsvåg, 30km south of North Cape. The first flight(Oslo-Alta) went well, and swapping planes too, and the second Plane stopped in Vadsø, then Båtsfjord and then with another pitstop on to Honningsvåg, at least that was the Plan. Sadly, the crew discovered in Båtsfjord that there was a problem with the brakes, so we had to fly to Tromsø, since the plane was unable to land on a short landing track (such as was the case on Honningsvåg) due to the faulty breaks. But, we did see north cape… if only out of the window.

So now we are sitting at Tromsø airport and are eating pizza we got as a replacement for our plane trip that didnt work out. In 2 hours we are flying to Lakselv, and from there we have to enjoy 2 h with the bus, luckily, the sun will be out all night…. midnight-sun!

After our stay in Tromsø we finally flew to Lakselv (22.15), only a short distance away from Alta, where we already were 10 hours ago, on the bright side, from the plane we had an amazing view on the Norwegian fjords and nature.

In Lakselv there is a taxi waiting, which is supposed us the 2.5 hours to Honningsvåg. A long trip, but we are paid for it by seeing our first midnightsun, and we can also get a look at the route that we are biking in a few days time. we arrive in Honningsvåg shortly after 2am, and check in at the hotel (luckily we already told them we were late), happy that we chose the more expensive way of staying in hotels, we can go to sleep imediately instead of having to look for somewhere to set up our tent. The Taxi ride cost 4866.-, around 700 $, luckily the travel-company covered the fees.

We wake up to the sun – still – shining, and are unsure what is better, the view out of the window, or the view of the breakfast buffet.

We wake up to the sun – still – shining, and are unsure what is better, the view out of the window, or the view of the breakfast buffet. Sadly our tandem neither arrived yesterday(as was planned) nor today, and there is no way to rent bikes in Honningsvåg, so our only option is to go visit the North Cape by Bus, not wanting to get delayed by another day.

We reach the northermost point of the European mainland at 19.45 – its foggy, with lots of wind. The whole plateau is empty and it takes us a few minutes to find someone to do the obligatory “been there, done that” pictures. Inside the building we are suprised to find not only a souvenir shop, but also a resaturant, cinema, “light-cave”, and even a chapell. we watch the 30-minute film, and when we want to go outside for another look at the north cape, not only does the sun peek out from behind a cloud, but the whole cape is full of what seems like all 3000 tourists from the cruiseship that arrived Honningsvåg 2h ago, I have to admit, fog and no humans were better.

Good news in the morning, a look at the shipment tells us thet the tandem was shipped at 2.00 in Alta and should arrive before 16.00 today. And so it does, just after we finished a big breakfast and packed our things the tandem arrives at 11.00. we unravel it from the depths of its package, and are dissapointed to find that not only does our trailer not fit, but also that the front fork has been bent slightly, making it impossible to fasten the front wheel. Luckily we find an appropriate in the hotel garage and are able to bend it straight, and I(Niko) also find a solution for the Trailer, which we dont fasten to the ******* but straight to the bike frame. Finally, at 14.00, we start on todays journey. Our destination: Oldefjord, excactly 100km down the road.

The 100km pass pretty fast and without any incidents, only challenge was the north cape tunnel, with a 10% slope for 3km, pretty hard, but luckily its only day one and we are still fit.

Sadly we dont get to watch the quarterfinal Germany vs France, but arrive just after the match ended in a 1-0 victory for Germany. We order and eat a delicious burger in the restaurant….. and good night!

The sun is up when our alarm wakes us at 0.30, and during breakfast we meet to women who are biking the same way as us, but only to Tromsø. They give us a tip as to where to spend the night around 100km south of alta, which is where we planned to bike tomorrow. Lucky for us, as this area doesnt offer many options as far as hotels go. The first 25km go over a small “mountain” to …., the last “town”(and place to shop) for the next 70km. As we are aware of this, we stop to get something to eat, and spot a food-station across the road. We go over to talk to them, and find out that we are going the same way as the participants of the bike-race Onroad Finnmark, in which the participants bike an astonishing 440km with both start and finish being in Alta. There are only 70 participants, but at least there is proof that there are fit bikers, even as far up north as Finnmark. One of the women on the station thinks the gift of a North Cape -> Oslo biking trip is the best gift she has ever heard of!

At least the gift is not for lazy ones, since the next 70km are hard, not so much due to the sloping, but more due to the wind, which here in the tundra(no trees above 250 m.o. Sea) hits us full force in the face. even when going downhill we have to pedal to reach 20km/h, and when its flat we are only going as fast as 12-15 km/h, very tiring. Also, we are slowly running out of water, and are pretty happy when we find yet another pit-stop for the bike race Onroad Finnmark, where we are not just able to ressuply on water, but also take a nice photograph of us and our gear.

The last km are longer than we had thought, and we are happy when we reach the city, and – after going up one last hill – reach the hotel. The hot shower and pizza at Pepes (right next to the hotel) are awesome. Good Night!

The night at the hotel was hot, we had the choice between open window(colder, but mosquitos) or closed window(hot but no insects). we chose the second solution. When we are ready to go, suddenly a guy is standing beside us, he is from Munich, and went from there through Polan, an Sweden to the north cape in just 4 weeks. Respect!

Another sunny day, but sadly Nikos knee is hurting, did we overload it? After 35km we reach a small village, but the gas station we wanted to go to turned out to be an automat. and the bus we were hoping to take(due to Nikos knee pain) left 20 minutes ago and only goes once a day: only option, Ignore the pain and keep going.

The day would be awesome if it werent for Nikos knee, sun is shining, and the road is mostly flat with some occasional hills. After 75km we stopp at a camping place, to buy some supplies since the last stop turned out to be a dead end. We meet a group of people hanging in front of the reception in the sun. We talk a little and it turns out that 2 of them are journalists, which are interested in the fact that the trip was really a gift for Niko, and they ask us if they may interview us, and after that we do a photoshoot on our tandem.

We are relieved when one of them offers to drive us and our tandem a few km along the road, they leave us at the top of a mountain 20 km along the road, and we are able to end todays trip with 5km downhill instead of an exhausting 25 km including a mountain, which Nikos knee probably wouldnt like. We arive at Ravelsnes Gård, a small but nice guest house with 5 rooms. We are the only guests and the host, Gudmund, showing us around in the former stable, that he transformed in a wonderful hotel building. He serves delicious food incl. a dessert and after blogging we go to bed … too late.

Gudmund, the nice owner of the Ravelsnes Gård, is coincidentaly going to Storslett, wich is 60 km along todays route. He offers to take our bags there, meaning we don’t have to take it ourselves, quite fortunate, as today offers us many km of cycling uphill. We start cycling at around 10 a.m., and after 20 km we reach the first mountain, 6.5 km with an average slope of 7%. Niko’s knee is better and he is biking like a viking. In any case we are happy that we aren’t dragged down by the bags and gear that we left with Gudmund, and as we finally reach the top, we are awaited by not only an amazing view, but also 2 pieces of kake… well deserved. The way down from the mountain is awesome and the next 20 km really only feel like 5. We reach Storslett where Gudmund is waiting with our bags, we take them, thank him and bike on to Olderdalen, where the ferry to Lyngseidet is lying in dock. Lyngseidet isn’t the biggest village around, but there is a motel, where they serve what they call Pizza (but I’m not sure the dish deserves that name) and…. an opportunity to finally wash some of our clothes… about time! Tomorrow’s goal is Tromsø, the “Paris” of the north.

and Germany leads 2:0 no sorry … 3:0 against Brasil 😉 … no 4:0 … no 5:0!! Wow

Only a day of biking is between us and Tromsø, which will mark that we have finished about 25% of our tour. A ferry we need to reach decides our departure time. Sadly we are a bit late and therefore have to bike a bit harder than we would like for the first 60 min. We reach the ferry (by a margine of about 6 min). The last 50 km to Tromsø go slowly, maybe the morning sprint was a bit too hard on us. A few km before Tromsø we stop by a nice beach with icy cold water, which makes us think twice about jumping in, instead, we just cool of our feet. We reach the hotel at 16.00, both feeling pretty tired. After checking in I buy some new biking shoes (the previous ones were to small… not good) two pairs of Bar Ends (for more comfort while biking) and to pump up the tires a bit. A good idea, the tires are supposed to hold 6 bars, but at around 4 bars the tube suddenly pops. So, back to the store to buy a new one…. it holds! After eating (a lot of) pasta we go with the Fjällheisen (cable railway) to the peak of Hausberg. The view from 420 m height in the evening sun (which doesn’t go down untill August – midnight sun) is absolutely stunning. On the way back we stop by for a closer look at the Ice Arctic Cathedral, one of the most famous sites in Tromsø, which saddly is closed for the day. We make it back to the hotell just in time for the semifinal Brasil – Germany (soccer of course). The game ends at a score of 1 – 7, another thing that we will not forget for quite some time!

After a total of 500 km in 5 days on our saddles we decide to do a pause day. We sleep in and enjoy an awesome breakfast, write for the blog, buy a lotion for Nikos knee (its already doing much better), 2 new inner tubes (one exploded yesterday during pumping it, and one punctured this morning) and go to the cinema. Yesterday, we decided to go by boat(16.15, arrive at 17.35) to Finnsnes. After arriving we enjoy chineese food before settling in to watch Holland-Argentinia. Tomorrow we are doing a long route to Vesterålen, and then continue on to Lofoten the days after.

Here in northwest Norway you very often depend on ferries for transport. Some run frequently, some only 1–2 times a day. Today we want to take the ferry from Gryllefjord on Senja to Andenes on the Vesterålen; the departure at 15:00 fits well, since after arriving at 16:40 we still want to cycle on. But first we have to bike the 65 km to Gryllefjord. A charming stretch that gets better and better over the last 20 km. Today it is extremely hot again and we drag ourselves from stream to stream (sadly there aren't that many). About 10 km before Gryllefjord my saddle suddenly breaks off. I suspect it is the late consequence of a fall this morning, when I didn't unclip in time at a stream and – as usual – simply tipped over. We make it to Gryllefjord, and luckily I meet a man there who has the tools needed to repair the saddle. But I think a new one is due as soon as possible, because the repair looks rather provisional. Before the ferry leaves we still have time to stock up on some food at the little corner shop. Then we stretch out on deck in comfortable loungers, but soon after departure the wind picks up so much that first Niko and soon I too prefer the calm below deck.

More tomorrow …

We leave Vesterålen at 9.50, traveling with the ferry towards Fiskebøl, Lofoten. The trip takes 30 minutes and in Lofoten we are greeted with clouds and a little rain. Luckily we reach a tunnel and are able to hide out in it untill the rain stops. We go onwards and reach our first “checkpoint” after 1h 30min, Svolvær, the “capital” of this group of islands. The centre of town is right next to the water and filled with people (due to the good weather) and before biking on we enjoy cake and ice cream. There is only really one route through Lofoten, the main road from north to south, which is sadly travelled by a lot of cars. Luckily we find a side road and are able to stay on it for about 40 km. The wind is slowing us down a bit, but when we reach a beautifull sandy beach near Risøya, we take a break. Finally we arrive at our goal, Leknes, after about 100 km of cycling. Sadly the hotell has lots of tourist, but the next option was 30km down the road, in other words, too far for one day. We fall asleep early, as we will have to start early tomorrow if we are to reach the ferry back to the mainland, which leaves Moskenes (60km away) at 14.00.

Yes – Deutschland gewinnt die Fußball-WM durch ein 1:0 über Argentinien. Glückwunsch!!

We start around the planned time, but go pretty slowly, because of the cloudy sky, or because we are tired, we don’t know. After around 10km we reach the Nappstraumtunnel, which goes under the sea. It is not the first of these tunnels we have encountered, that first go downwards pretty steeply, and then turn upwards with the same steepness (this time, it was “luckily” only 60m below sea level). However we do get something out of it as the rest of todays distance is spectacular, especially the sandy beach at Ramberg impresses us. Now we are also cycling faster and the weather gets better. As we go around a cliff, we encounter a builder who is in charge of managing the traffic at a building place, nothing spesial really, but this time we aren’t allowed to bike through, but need to wait for a car to pick us up (luckily the wait is short). We are sad to find out that the driver won’t take us all the way to Moskenes, but only past the building site, with is approx. 1 km long. Shortly thereafter we reach Reine, the most photographed location in Lofoten, and understand why this is the case. We manage to squeeze in a short stop in this dreamlike city in the middle of impressive and beautifull mountains, as we still have 50 (after the stop 40) minutes to cycle the last 5 km to the port. A little sad we leave the Lofoten behind in favor of Bodø and the way towards Oslo. Cycling here was spectacular, the massive mountains that go almost straight up to 1000 m from the sea, the curvy roads, beaches that look like they were taken from a television ad to some island down in the Mediterranean sea, at least untill you feel the temperature. The ferry takes 3 h to reach Bodø, time enough to update the blog and to prepare us for the coccer world championship final Germany vs. Argentina, which is played tonight. We will luckily have reached land by then!

We used the day to sleep in (this is relative, since we, as most others, were awake pretty long watching the World Cup), and then mostly on planning the route for the next days. This proves to be hard as we need suitable route lengths (around 100km), hotels or somewhere to sleep (few and far in between) and ferry routes (since we are in an area consisting of numerous islands, making us take the ferry up to 4 times a day).

We also wash our clothes (absolutely necessary) in the Servicebygg of the seaport, a great tip for other travels (you get both a washing machine, washing powder and the option to dry your clothes afterwards). Sadly, the latter didn’t happen even though we made a deal with the girl operating the machines, and 30 minutes before departure I retrieve our clothes completetely wet, and no sign of the girl. Luckily it is quite hot (as it has been for the last days), around 30° celcius, which makes us able to dry the clothes in the sun (while riding the ferry).

The ferry bring us to Ørnes, a small town which is known to have the most spectacular harbour entrance of the entire Hurtigruten. Tomorrow it is back on our bikes. The next big city to reach is Trondheim, and we are aiming to do so in 4-5 days.

Read an article about us in the newpaper Finnmarkdagbladet …

We get up very early, around 7.00, the upcoming ferries again deciding our wake up time. Between the ferries we either have very much or very little time, since their departures are scheduled after how long it takes to cross the island … by car, of course. The numerous ferries (4 today) offer us the advantage that pretty much everyone travelling this area is gathered in the same place, and so we meet to girls which we met first on our first biking day, and then 3 days later again at Storslett. They are biking from the North Cape to Lindesnes, the most popular alternative when travelling from north to south in Norway. All in all there are pretty many bikers on the road. The ones going in opposite directions to us are greeted with a wave and “Hei”, but with the ones going the same way, we mostly get to talk a little more.

We experience a wonderfull day, and today we completed another milestone, the arctic circle. It is located at 66° 33´ 44´´, the north cape is located at 71°, and after crossing it there will be no more midnight sun. Yay, we get to sleep better.

We reach our Hotell at Sandnessjøen shortly after 22.00, in other words, pretty late. The hotell is very modern, but sadly our room hasn*t been cleaned up since the last guests, so they have something to improve on! We go to sleep way to late, but luckily we can sleep a little longer than usual, and only have to get up around 9.00 tomorrow. Sadly the weather forecast tells us that – for the first time on our tour – it is going to rain…. a LOT!

Sadly the weather forecast wasn't wrong. When we wake up we don't even need to draw the curtains to be sure – the raindrops knock far too hard against the hotel room window. We enjoy breakfast anyway, and after checking out we first have to empty the water from our trailer that collected overnight. While we're busy with that, suddenly a photographer appears beside us again and takes an interest in our tandem. Seems to be an unusual vehicle around here, because once more there's an interview followed by a photo shoot – for the local newspaper.

Of the day on the bike there isn't much to tell, except that

Once again we leave our nice overnight place too late and have to sprint for the ferry. The result is an average of 28 km/h. Even though it's only 13 km, quite sweat-inducing – but it should have been our last ferry sprint; today we leave the Kystriksveien (the coastal road), which the guidebook describes as follows:

The Kystriksveien along the Helgeland coast is probably the most beautiful coastal road in the world. Over 12,000 islands and skerries with snow-white sandy beaches await adventurous tourists who travel road 17 from Sømna in the south to the land at the polar circle and Rødøy in the north. The island realm invites countless holiday experiences and impressions.

The forests grow denser; we are noticeably more into the south of the country. At a kiosk we take a break, whose owner – or rather whose customers – has put up a remarkable collection of lighters. There we eat yesterday's strawberries (bad idea!) with vanilla sauce. Lacking a bowl we quickly fashion one from the vanilla sauce packaging. Works too.

After some thinking about how to plan the remaining stretch to Oslo so that we arrive in Oslo on 25.07., it becomes clear that cycling it is only possible without rest days for the next 10 days. Not a good idea – experience says that after 5 days on the bike at the latest the legs are so heavy that a rest day is due. So we have to cover part of the way by bus, train or boat. Since the route Namsos – Steinkjer – Trondheim is heavily trafficked, we decide on the quieter route via Rørvik and from there with the Hurtigruten (coastal steamer) to Trondheim. That gives us a nice stretch and enough chance not to completely exhaust ourselves before the Dovre mountains. I book the passage right next to a cow pasture, and the curious cows look as if they have never seen a tandem (some people too, by the way – but the vast majority wave enthusiastically). Around 19:00 we are in Rørvik; enough time left for a pizza. The restaurant sits right by the quay where the Hurtigruten docks – perfect for us! On the boat it turns out that the internet is useless, so blogging had to be skipped and caught up the next day.

The Hurtigruten ship is already in Trondheim at 6:30, but we don't have to clear our cabin until 8:00. Breakfast today is at the Rica Hotel (very tasty and plentiful), and after posting a parcel at the post office with the last bits of kit we didn't want to carry over the mountains to Oslo, the library is our next stop. The reason: free internet there. The task for the next 2 hours is to find a suitable route over the mountains to Oslo. Not so easy, because the well-known route of the annual Trondheim – Oslo bike race (540 km in one day ??) is only partly open. Some sections are specially opened by the police for race day. Also the fact that the E6 motorway is very busy puts us off choosing that route. I'm still not sure which route we'll finally take, but the first two stages are set: today to Løkken Verk, and tomorrow on to Oppdal.

On the way to Løkken we stop by Anne Jagtøyen, Jørgen's sister, and get tasty waffles, Solo, and ice cream cake. Very nice!! Freshly fortified we set off again. From the originally planned variant via Hovin Anne advises us off and recommends instead the far less strenuous route via Orkanger. Not only less strenuous but also almost no traffic, and so we arrive at 18:51 at today's overnight place (Bergmannskro in Løkken Verk), 9 minutes before they close. Then the usual game: shower, blog, eat, sleep. Good night!

Shortly before our departure, with the bike and trailer already packed in front of our hotel Bergmannskro, three hikers with rucksacks eye it happily and take photos. We get talking, and they tell us they come from Italy and are walking the pilgrim route from Oslo to Trondheim. They want to cover the distance in 4 weeks; start was 26.06. and the day after tomorrow they want to arrive in Trondheim. Respect!

It is already afternoon when we leave Løkken. After about 15 km we already have our first stop: Kristin's uncle Rolf and aunt Johanne live not far from our route and we pay them a nice short visit. We get waffles, lefse, Solo and water before we set off again. The next 30 km run through a lovely valley. The legs are heavy and the sun burns on our heads. That doesn't get better when we hit the mountains. The gradient in the hairpins is up to 10% and we are very glad when we have the worst behind us. The landscape – we are at the foothills of Trollheimen – is wonderful. No wonder there are quite a few cabins along the way. In Nerskogen we pass a small shop that closed an hour ago. Since the owner is still counting the money we try our luck anyway and she does open for us. Not only that – she also gives us 3 yeast buns with the words "they'd end up in the bin anyway". Still very kind!

We can use the calories well for the last steep climb; it goes up to almost 1000 m at Skarvatnet. But from there we not only have a great view of the lake, but also a descent of over 10 km – more than earned. Today's destination, the well-known winter sports town Oppdal, we only reach around 21:20, but tomorrow after 5 days and 480 km on the bike we have a rest day planned again.

Sleeping in, eat a big breakfast, rest, update the blog, rest more, relax, then rest again, planning the next days, rest some more, talking to mum, chill, Niko: watch a series, rest more, eat a good dinner, rest even more, go for a short walk, did i mention rest? go to sleep…. good night

The rest day did us good – we want (or rather have) to cross the Dovre mountains today with over 1000 m above sea level as the highest point. After a pleasant start the climb begins around km 10 and lasts a good 40 km. But we are on the "motorway" E6, so the gradient at 6–7% is fairly moderate. Downside: quite a lot of cars, some unfortunately also very close past us. On the way to Kongsvold we meet another father-and-son pair who are travelling from Nordkapp to Lindesnes. When we take a waffle break in Kongsvold we meet them again. In Kongsvold we have the longest climbs behind us and we ride on for about 30 km on the high plateau. We are rewarded with lovely views, among other things of Snøhetta, the highest mountain in the area. In my student days I was once up there on skis (great), and in 1996 with Kristin in summer (very stony). The reward for the long climb comes from km 70 as 10 km downhill – nothing is nicer. Arrived in Dombås we call the overnight place chosen the day before, but sadly they are closed, so we end up in Toftemo. Not a bad alternative – the road on the other side of the valley has no traffic (what a pleasure after 70 km on the E6), the campsite sits beautifully, has good food and beds for us two. We don't need more today ??

Again we don't make it onto the bike before midday, but we are in no hurry. Today we have a supposedly easy stage ahead (meaning little climbing), but when I look at the computer now it shows again 838 metres of climbing and 108 km. The route starts on a path that runs parallel to the E6 motorway. Advantage: no cars. Disadvantage: rather hilly and not paved. Niko is rather annoyed, but when we stop at the next petrol station to stuff him with sausage and ice cream, the mood rises quickly. Soon we have no alternative route left; we have to join the E6. No fun watching the cars thunder past us, but luckily at the next exit we are free: in Nord-Sel. We know our way around there well, because in the little church Kristin and I got married in 1998. After the obligatory photo (the sun is still shining, by the way, just like on 05.09.1998) we take the parallel road again. Beautiful, no cars (hardly any – on 10 km maybe 5) and a wonderful view over the Lågen. This river, which in Sel was no more than a rushing mountain stream, grows ever wider. The valley too, just now narrow, grows increasingly wide. In Otta we take a break and enjoy strawberries, raspberries and vanilla sauce. Yummy! At the tourist info by the station I ask about overnight options, but the nice girl can't really help me much. At least I get a map with 2 phone numbers. Today is again a very hot day, nearly 30 degrees in the shade, and the cycling jersey has to endure several dips in mountain streams so it can then provide pleasant cooling for a while. Around 20:00 we reach Fåvang and our lodging for the night: a small cosy little house furnished in 1930s style, with countless objects from that time: a gramophone, fridge (did they have those already?), women's magazines (Gyldendals Alle Kvinners blad), armchairs, bathtub, beds, simply everything! We feel like we're in a museum. But luckily they have internet and Niko's evening is saved. I also use the chance to update the blog before we fall into bed … Good night!

The day is hot, hotter and hottest. Over 30 degrees in the shade – but there's hardly any shade anywhere. We make many stops to wet the shirt in mountain streams and to buy liquids. Already as we pass Lillehammer in the blazing heat it becomes clear that today won't be a long stage. We ride along Mjøsa, Norway's largest lake, as yesterday almost exclusively on barely trafficked side roads. In Biri we set up camp for the night, right by the E6, but that doesn't bother us. We just want shade.

Tomorrow another longer day stage with proper climbing awaits, and if all goes well the day after tomorrow we are at the goal in Oslo. Yippii!!

Today's ride – compared with everything we have already seen on our tour – goes through rather unspectacular country. After 20 km we reach Gjøvik, but luckily not on the main road E6, rather a bit higher up, and about half an hour later Raufoss. When we come outside again after a lunch break (in a shopping centre there is chicken salad and hamburgers), thick thunderclouds hang over us. After a short think we ride on anyway, because so far it only rumbles some distance away. Luckily that stays so until after one of our shortest day stages (only just under 70 km) we reach our last overnight place. But when we enjoy our dinner 2 hours later, thunder and lightning rage quite fiercely for a good hour.

That will surely bring the long overdue cooling. Cycling at over 30 degrees is already borderline, especially with luggage. Today – at the start of the day – we once again (for the fourth time on the tour) sent a parcel with surplus luggage (meaning weight) home. Our bag on the trailer is now almost empty and super light, just right for the last stage tomorrow. I only hope we won't need the rain gear tomorrow, because after sun was forecast those are also in the parcel on their way to Oslo …

On 25 July, 23 days after our start and

• almost 1770 km in
• 89 hours and 20 minutes on the bike with
• 16800 metres of climbing and an
• average speed of about 20 km/h with
• 19 stages on the bike plus
• 3 rest days and
• one day (the first) with a bus ride to Nordkapp

we stand on our balcony in Oslo.