Just for the hell of it..
Riding Oslo – Copenhagen just for the hell of it. Lets watch the World Champs Roadbiking.
So I always felt weird just standing beside the road watching people race bikes, or it could be watching TdF or some bike race on TV. That’s why I always make it a point to go biking before the racing starts on TV and then sit down and enjoy the action. That was my idea for this ride: 3 hard days on the bike, then enjoy a mellow day riding the coast line of Denmark ending up watching the women’s Worlds race. Finishing of the whole trip with all day of craziness, watching the men’s race…
Thank God I got two of my experienced biking friends to join me. Both are really strong riders with good results in Norwegian races and all around great guys. No way I would ever been able to this by myself!
Now, I have only been biking for 3 years so I am a kinda rookie. Anyhow it’s definitely been a life changing sport for me. It took me out of a life filled with too much party and work and has made me a healthier person. Like a vise man said: “It never gets easier, you just go faster” – I have to say I agree.
First day we started in Oslo, Norway and rode to Strømstad, Sweden. Crossing the border was most definitely the highlight of this ride. On our first night we checked in to a pretty nice spa hotel on the coast. The day ended with a bottle of red wine wearing our compression tights. We did around 150 km on the first day and that was enough to make us fall asleep.
Tip of the day: wearing compression tights for dinner works.
One of my biggest worries on the second day was how I would react to the long day before. I was pretty relieved when my legs felt ok and we were all in good spirits. We fought headwind pretty much the whole day. Accompanied by 2 hailstorms, a couple of hours of rain and a GPS that was set to “recommended” and not “fastest”. We ended up riding through gravel roads, beautiful farmland and over a small mountain. (That road would be more suitable for a MTB race) Looking back I wouldn’t change a thing. I felt like we were in a fairytale/bikeytale, with our sore legs, broken backs, seeing places that we’ll probably newer see again. This day we arrived in Gothenburg right before dark and I barely made it down to dinner before the hotel restaurant closed. With a perfect meal of Swedish meatballs and two beers we just crashed into bed. The ride was about 170 km with lots of crazy terrain.
Tip of the day: I wouldn’t recommend, “recommended” on any GPS.
Day three I felt like a pro! Waking up early and getting ready for biking was my new routine. I don’t think my feelings were in full agreement with my sore legs though. The day turned out to be long and full of headwind, my soon to be pro dream was gone with the wind. Pedaling as hard as we could on a good downhill we never did more then 20 km an hour and I pushed 350 watts on my Power Tap. In other words the day was probably the hardest day I’ve ever had on my bike. Even after a break recharging at a pizza place that had the TT World’s on TV, I still felt exhausted. To be honest I made it to Helsingborg in a coma just after dark. We rode about 200 km.
Tip of the day: Don’t even think about feeling like pro, your not.
On our finale day we had to take the ferry from Helsingborg, Sweden to Helsingør, Denmark. With only 60 km to left to ride, Copenhagen seemed so close. We rode really mellow the whole way and did a fair amount if sightseeing. The sun was up and it was a great day just cruising on our bikes. We stopped right outside of Copenhagen and watched the women’s World’s race and awarded us a fancy lunch. Biking into Copenhagen felt really good. Just knowing that we made it without any big mistakes or accidents was more that I could hope for.
Tip of the day: Recreational wine is really good for you!
I know that a lot of people have ridden way longer and harder, but for me it was a proud moment – something that I’ll always remember.
