When I was resetting my bike’s speedometer yesterday I saw it still had the max speed from the Flekkerøy tunnel saved. See the attached pic. That’s the highst speed I ever had on my bike (at least so far).

Tags: Flekkerøy, speed

Hanstholm - Kristiansand - Søgne (Åros)

Weather: hot, sunny, ~30°

Kilometers on bike: 38 km

7:00 - Out of the sleeping bag, you lazy git! Having a wash and getting freshly baked rundstykker from the campsite’s shop. But first I am packing because I have to be at the ferry check-in at 9:30. A few minutes to nine I got everything on my bike, pay at the reception with the beautiful lady and I am on my way down to the harbour. Interestingly, the way felt a lot longer yesterday.

A few minutes after 9:30 I am at the check-in. Well, I get waved through all the cars and enter the Fjordcat’s maw. Deep inside I get the honour to park my bike next to a horde of motorcycles - I am the only on on a normal bike. Somehow I think I must be crazy because I didn’t see any other bikers like me.

A bit disappointed that you obviously cannot enjoy the sun on the outer deck. Must be because this is a high speed ferry. 10:20 the ferry leaves the harbour. Somehow I get the suspicion Fjordline only employs models. I use the time to add notes to my travellogue and wonder when we will arrive. 11:40 and already half of the distance. Sadly, the Skaggarak is very smooth… blue sea, blue sky…

We arrive at 12:20 in Kristiansand. Still blue sky, the sun is shining and its hot! I am in Norway. Well, I though it could have been a little less hot up here. My first impression of Kristiansand: somewhat ugly town. I relax a bit and watch how the Norwegians behave in the traffic. I am looking for the tourist information, but it isn’t at the place my Lonely Planet indicates. I ask at a kiosk. First contact! She understand me and I understand her! She points me into the right direction and a few minutes later, I am at the tourist information. At least I get a map of Kristiansand and a brochure about the Nordsjøveien.

Ok, it’s now my turn to find the way out of Kristiansand. That’s not easy because the signs on the combined pedestrians- and cycle-paths is more than bad. A few times I am following the wrong direction. Somehow I get the impression the Norwegian build cycle-paths with “sense and reason”.

Time to get another source: I get my copy of “Norwegen per Rad” out of my bags. I should follow the E39 and later on the R456 and then the R457. Ok, hard time finding any road signs indicating if this really is the R456. I arrive at a pretty boat harbour and have a break. A few swans are swimming there. Are these valkyrjar?

A long while later I find a cycle sign showing me the way to Flekkerøya. Nice! I don’t know that place, but at least it’s a cycle path and a direction. Well, my inner alarm bells should have rang - øy = island. On the way I invade a supermarket and get some fresh drinks. I also get some cinnamon giflar. Short break. The sun is mercilessly burning down on me. Up and down. A very sporting looking Norwegian woman with very light clothing on a mountainbike passes by. Her helmet is hanging from the side of her bike. A few road bends later, I see her again, standing on the cyclepath. Well, that’s not all. I also see a big dark maw in a rock. Ouch, a tunnel. I didn’t expect a tunnel on my current route. I heard a lot of horror stories about Norwegian tunnels. And yes, they are true!

The woman puts on her helmet, turns on the lights and valiantly rides straight into the tunnel. I am standing a bit undecided before the entrance. The tunnel has a length of 2300 m, is dimly lit and obviously air-conditioned. Last view of my surroundings, no other way to go around the tunnel? Obviously not. I put on my helmet, turn on the light and utterly fearless I venture in the maw of the tunnel, sending prayers to all known and unknown gods. It’s getting down… My thoughts tumble in my mind… the speedometer shows 30… 40… 50… 60… 70 km per hour… 30 kilograms of baggage feel so light, but at 70 km/h the bike begins to get a bit shaky… I am flying… and somehow the tunnel feels threatening. Wait, the sign said a gradient of ten percent? Too late I realise I have to get up the same gradient on the other side. Norwegians build v-shaped tunnels! It’s getting up again. Now I am felling the weight of my baggage. I barely can get up that slope. I have to push the bike the last 1000m up to the tunnel. Not an easy task and somehow not very amusing with the car traffic. After a very long while, it felt like an eternity, I finally see daylight. Exhausted I am happy to breathe fresh air. And now I realise I am on an island. The whole strain for nothing.

I bit depressed I relax in front of the Bedehus among the shadows. I now think about my options and eat my last Danish chocolate oat biscuits. No way I am going through that tunnel again on bike. How about going back through the tunnel by bus? At the bus station, I meet an older Norwegian woman and ask her if it’s possible to take the bike with me on the bus. She says it’s possible and we begin to talk. On the way back, she will show me which road I have to take to get to the Nordsjøvei. The transport by bus goes smooth. Just push the bike into it and to my surprise I don’t have to pay for the bike.

The bus passes through the tunnel very quickly and we go back a lot of kilometers. The woman shows me the road, I thank her and I leave the bus near a gasstation. I am now going to Søgne, following the cycle-path along the road and the cycle signs. A long while later, I now have the option to follow the road without cyclepath or the cyclepath up a hill. I prefer the cyclepath and go up in a zigzag mountain road. I am in a place called Bråvann, looks like a suburb of Kristiansand. Nice houses! Well, no shadow on the way, so the sun burns. At the top, I feel this must be the wrong direction. I get my campass and it shows I am moving north. Well, I wanted to go southwest. A resident kindly tells me I have to go all the way back down to the road and follow the road to the right. It should be around 14km to the Åros campingsite.

Of course I am flying down the hill. Finally down again, I follow the road to the right. Well, traffic is ok; could be a lot worse. I am cycling up and down through a nice rocky countryside dotted with woods and of course a lot of hills. Some I would already classify as a mountain. Continously cycling up and down is taking its toll on my strength. And the sun is still burning, my knees and my arms are already hot red. At some time, I notice a quieking noise while cycling. It’s my saddle. Oh no, I hope it’s nothing bad. A quick inspection doesn’t tell me anything. Well, I have a close look later on.

It takes a while to get into a kind of hilly biking rhythm. Use and increase the downspeed to get up again with saving strength. Well, doesn’t work every time, so I sometimes have to use all my gears. I reach a parking lot at another Bedehus (obviously are more numerous than churches). A cycle-path is leading into the forest while the road goes on through the hills. A strange guy on a bike tells me to get to the campsite I have to follow the cyclepath. Sceptically I follow the path up and down, it leads me behind some houses sitting on steep rocks. Of course with some forks, so I have to trust my feeling. The path ends inside a residential area with no sign of a campsite. I ask a woman if this is the right way… it is! I just have to go on and in a short while I should see the caravans. Ah well, a few turns later, indeed! The campsite! I go down the hill with full speed… I am becoming a real speed junkie in Norway.

According to my travel guide, Åros camping is a four star camping site. I don’t know why, must be the high price (the highest I have encounter in Norway so far! Even campsites in Iceland are cheaper!). Ok, they got a beach, but nevertheless it looks a bit worn and the meadows aren’t good for pitching your tent. Nevertheless, I feel a bit dizzy in my head and I am sunroasted, I guess too much direct sun, so I decide to stay for two nights.

Building my camp again and then I take a very cold shower. I refill my water supplies, I guess I drank over six litres today and not much left for the toilet. My black icebreaker functionshirt is completely crusted with salt on the back.

Time to have a look at my saddle. I scrap off some colour on a brace and indeed, a clear fracture. The saddle is already six or seven years old, so it could be its age. I tape both braces and put the saddle back into the saddle support, in a way so the fracture is right in the middle of the support. A test drive later and it holds. No more quieking. I am a bit worried though that the different saddle position is ok in the long term. Well, we will see. I am thinking if I should buy a new saddle for a horrendous Norwegian price. I hope the saddle holds.

Some motorbikes arrive. Germans. Stefan, Thorsten and Katja from Potsdam. They drove 3000km through Sweden and Norway and are now on their way back via Denmark. Cool bikes! They don’t have that much problems with steep climbs.

And I got a young Norwegian family as neighbours: Jane, Trond and their two children. They are from Stavanger and are camping for the first time with their children. In the evening we are sitting together, talk and drink. We have much fun!

Tags: Åros camping, Bråvann, Fjordcat, Fjordline, Flekkerøy, Hanstholm, Kristiansand, norwegian tunnels