Which one to choose when going to Nordkapp– EV7 or EV11?

BikeTouringMike · 2022-07-12T20:12:24+00:00

Like COYS61 mentioned I just finished a trip to Nordkapp. I stared in Lofoten and went through northern Norway though. But I took the bus back home along the same road as the the Eurovelo 11 follows. It seemed rather flat, and probably not as much traffic as the road that EV7 goes along. That road is very crowded with mining and lumber trucks, plus a lot of Norwegian trucks also take that road since it's a lot faster than the windy Norwegian roads.

If you don't like climbs I don't want to scare you, but the last day to Nordkapp is really tough. 2-3 major climbs and a tunnel that goes 212 m under the sea level. Just be prepared for that. But the days before that should be flatter and easier. And you can always take a bus and fast forward the tough parts.

But I can recommend going there. Not that there is that much too see up there. But you certainly get a feeling of accomplishment when you reach the end of the world. It's hard to explain, but I guess you can compare it to climbing a mountain top.

BikeTouringMike · 2022-07-10T13:03:22+00:00

Thank you!

BikeTouringMike · 2022-07-10T13:02:45+00:00

I think it was around 8-9 PM. There were crowds the whole time I was there (from 5PM-1AM) especially around midnight it was insane. But I was lucky enough to find some people that kind of held of people trying to make it to the platform so that I was able to take that photo.

BikeTouringMike · 2022-07-10T08:27:59+00:00

I didn't realize it was you. Congrats for making it there yourself. 170 in the last day, through the tunnel and up those last climbs. You're insane! Loved your company during the last couple of days and I will with great interest follow the rest of your journey. Safe travels!

BikeTouringMike · 2022-07-10T08:18:20+00:00

Thera are definitely bugs but maybe not as bad as in Sweden/Finland since the breeze from the sea scares some of them away. It really varied a lot from island to island. Senja for instance was almost unbearable with their swarms of horse flies. While Nordkapp on the other hand didn't have any since there's no vegetation up there. Bugs need leaf trees to be able to exist.

BikeTouringMike · 2022-07-09T23:01:51+00:00

Yes I did! 17 hours on the bus followed by 2 hours by train, followed by 30 km on the bike and the finally 6 hours by bus again to get home.

BikeTouringMike · 2022-07-09T21:47:44+00:00

My bad, they're actually called Sport-Roller Plus. Search and ye shall find!

BikeTouringMike · 2022-07-09T21:30:56+00:00

Thanks! I've got about 20 hours of footage that I need to edit down to about 10 15 minute episodes.

BikeTouringMike · 2022-07-09T21:25:11+00:00

Those are Front Roller Pluses.

BikeTouringMike · 2022-07-09T19:58:43+00:00

After 1100+ km I made it up the last couple of climbs to the mythical Nordkapp, the northernmost point in Europe. I started 10 days earlier in Lofoten. Such a great trip! I met so many wonderful bike tourers and bikepackers along the way and everyone was so nice and had plenty of good stories and experiences to share.

Thus trip can actually be divided into to distinct parts . Lofoten-Tromsø & Tromsø-Nordkapp. The first is a very easy going trip which almost anyone can manage, and the roads (especially those in Lofoten) are literally jammed packed with bike tourists. I think I must have met about a hundred per day in Lofoten. You'd think with all the steep mountain and deep fjords that this would be a very hilly bike tour. But on the contrary it is very flat. The roads just seem to follow the coastline, which makes it a very comfortable experience.

As I left Tromsø it was like the number of bike tourists almost vanished. Left were only the hard core ones that had set their minds to climb the mountain passes and conquer the mighty winds that the barren Norwegian wilderness had to offer. Those that decided to continue to beat the final boss of this bike tour formed a tight bond and we'll remember fighting those long steep climbs and of course the dreaded 7 km long Nordkapptunnelen for a long time to come. This was certainly a trip of a lifetime!

BikeTouringMike · 2022-05-11T08:23:26+00:00

I would go to Norway if I had three weeks during the summer. All of the three options seems to hot for me to do a tour during the summer.

My dream bike tour would be to start on the Lofoten Islands and make my way to the most northern point of Europe, Nordkapp. It is just over 1000 km, so you could probably do it in 2 weeks, but if you count in weather conditions and ferry crossings, three weeks gives you plenty of time.

BikeTouringMike · 2022-02-24T10:04:58+00:00

I did a tour from Marina di Massa, just north of Pisa down to Rome last September. I mainly followed the Via Francigena/Eurovelo 5 and made some detours to be able to go to Pisa and Florence. I had a lovely time there, the food and wine is superb and the Tuscan landscape is astonishing.

I filmed my whole tour. You can watch the whole thing here to get a better idea of what it's like: https://youtu.be/MRrDjQUnqv0

BikeTouringMike · 2021-10-04T13:28:27+00:00

Why even bother with a cardboard box? I use a CTC plastic bike bag when I'm flying with my touring bike. I just fold it and store it at the bottom of one of my panniers during the bike tour. I cycle to the airport I'm flying home from, unfold the CTC bag and put my bike inside it. It works like a charm!

BikeTouringMike · 2021-10-01T07:51:42+00:00

I have the Cloud Up 2 and I am super happy with it. It's compact and lightweight and the pitches in less than 5 minutes. I still haven't had a single drop of water get in after about 100 nights in it. The only drawback is that the door is on the head end instead of one of the sides, so you have to pretty much crawl in and out of the tent. The Mongar has side doors instead which is to prefer, but comes with a few hundred grams of extra weight.

BikeTouringMike · 2021-09-30T07:50:00+00:00

What I've done over the years is to bring along a foldable duffle bag and put 3 of my panniers inside it. The 4th I've taken on board as a carry on. The foldable duffle doesn't take up more much space than a water bottle is is neatly stored away at the bottom of a pannier during the cycling part of my trip. A big plastic bag would probably work as well.

Nowadays I only travel with 2 panniers. Again take one as a carry on, and strap the other one inside the triangle of the frame. It put all of my heavy dense things in that bag and make sure that it stays under 23kg/50 lbs.

BikeTouringMike · 2021-01-23T09:30:49+00:00

It is doable if your name is Iohan Gueorguiev. For us mere mortals I would have to say no. The road surface is probably covered with packed snow until late April. Around where I live (about 500 km south of Kiruna) the roads are typically bare in late march. But since it's usually below zero C during the night it can be very slippery in the mornings. I usually have studded tires on my bike to mid April. And Kiruna is both 500 km north of me and at about 500 m above sea level, so that makes a huge difference.

According to SMHI (Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute) last year Kiruna had snow on the ground until May 30th. And Kiruna is a lot lower than the border to Norway. The Ski slopes at Rikgränsen (Swedish/Norwegian border) are usually open until the middle part of June.

Then you will have to take into consideration that this is the only road between Norway and Sweden in the area, so there is a lot of heavy traffic that goes on this road. The road itself isn't that heavy trafficed, but the share of trucks vs cars is rather high. So If you were to go, make sure you are visible, since they probably won't expect a lone cyclist in the middle of nowhere.

BikeTouringMike · 2020-11-17T20:24:13+00:00

Thank you for the suggestion. After this series from Norway is finished I'm carrying on with my bike touring for beginners series. So any topic suggestions are welcome. I'll definitely do some videos on cooking during the coming "off-season".

BikeTouringMike · 2020-11-16T00:07:34+00:00

Glad you enjoyed watching it. I certainly did cycling there. Hopefully I'll get to go back next year and do a longer tour in the area.

BikeTouringMike · 2020-11-15T22:37:49+00:00

Thanks! I remember that week with great joy. It was great being able to hand out with Darren and Kevin. And the Czech Republic is a terrific touring destination as well.

BikeTouringMike · 2020-11-15T22:36:22+00:00

You're lucky to be able to cycle such a wonderful route. My original plan was also to do something similar, but the small window of open Norwegian-Swedish border only allowed me to do Senja. But hopefully I'm able to go back in 2021 and cycle from Lofoten all the way up to North Cape.

BikeTouringMike · 2020-11-15T13:55:48+00:00

Thanks! I found a tunnel the next day that had another system. They handed out free reflective vests that you could borrow and return on the other side. The Norwegians really have this bike touring thing figured out.

BikeTouringMike · 2020-11-15T12:32:52+00:00

I managed to make it to Norway in the short window it was open to us Swedes in September. I drove all the way up to the island of Senja, located 550 km north of the artic circle.

BikeTouringMike · 2020-10-21T08:19:06+00:00

Here in Sweden studded tires are a must. I have a designated winter bike equipped with studded tires so I don't have to switch every season. They work great. The only bad thing is that they require so much more power input. The rolling resistance is just too high. But then again, you get a nice workout every day!

BikeTouringMike

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