Just Keep Pedalling

How do you get home now?

It was a fair question which friend and colleague Martin sent me over instant messenger. So here’s one final instalment of the NorthCape4000 journey covering just that. Plus some impressions and thoughts which have come to me over the weeks since finishing

Olderfjord – 4,079km completed

I guess being on the road by 4:50am is pretty good considering the past 24 hours, but I must have lost time somewhere. I do vaguely recall hitting snooze for an hour, which would make sense since 50 minutes would be about right to eat, clear up, kit up, drop the trash at the bins and the key in the box on the side of the shop. Mounting up to ride out I was still feeling pretty weak, but so much better than yesterday. And even short of energy, it was impossible not to be joyful at both another ridiculously scenic morning, and the prospect that today would see me finally reach my goal of actually completing a 4,000km ultra. This leg was the last entry on the last of those little cue cards, which had become so indispensable: 127km, with about 1,400m of climbing. Just a shade over a Cape Town Cycle Tour. A glimmer of confidence returned – if I took it steady, I had this.

Skoganvarre – 3,989km completed

There are sadly no photos for this entry – the header is just a Google streetview clip of where I ended up.

The last trip to the bathroom was just for an actual shower, and to clean my teeth. Even if I’d wanted to use the loo there was nothing left inside to get rid of. Eating slowly, I managed the smallest part of the packed breakfast from my fridge – juice, yoghurt, fruit, and half a slice of bread and cheese. The rest was too much. I left an apologetic message on the booking site to the owner for not managing more, and not fully being able to clean all my plates. I did bag and drop the few items of trash though at the recycle bins as requested on my slow trudge back to the road.

Saariselkä – 3,752km completed

At least I didn’t have to do the long trudge back to reception on foot – with bike loaded up, I could pedal around to drop off the key and grab my packed breakfast. It was another clear blue morning, still a hint of chill in the air but nowhere near as cold as yesterday. I was planning to grab a coffee if possible and eat some of the food, so it would hopefully be warmer still in the 30 minutes it took to do that.

It was early, so the guy at reception was night staff. But he showed no reluctance at my request for coffee and after handing me my parcel, he immediately set about firing up the filter machine. He even brought my cup over to where I sat on one of couches by the window, scoffing down most of the contents of the bag. It was a lot though so, as had become routine, what I didn’t have the capacity to eat there and then got crammed into pockets and bags for later on. Each of my daily routines were on auto pilot by now – how does the saying go, it takes 20 days to form a new habit. I think these had become habitual a week or more back, so maybe that timeline gets compressed when the routine is absolute – all of every day follows the same pattern.

Laenlampi Ranch, Tiainen – 3,552km completed

The day ahead didn’t look especially challenging – reasonably flat, and wind likely to be from behind. It was all on the same E75 though, which had been grotty the afternoon before. Sat there, eating my breakfast supplies, I was troubled by the idea of another 200km of fast traffic and close passes. There was at least a fresh brew, courtesy of a cafetiere and pack of ground coffee supplied by the owners. It was worth the effort of preparing and cleaning up afterwards. Although the latter did highlight a more immediate challenge of the day. Stood in flip flops and cycle shorts at the outside sink I was shivering. Even in the tent I’d noticed that the night had become more than chilly, and as I powered up the Garmin it confirmed the temperature as a baltic 1 celsius. It didn’t just feel freezing – it nearly was. Given the conditions, the hut was surprisingly warm. So I hustled back inside to gear up more warmly before wheeling the rig back up the path, visiting the composting loo on my way past, and topping up my water bottle at the designated tap as I crossed the lawn.

Övertorneå- 3,382km completed

Unlike dinner the evening before, I wasn’t alone for breakfast. Another rider (#29 – whose name is sadly lost to me now) had beaten me downstairs and fired up the coffee machine, meaning there was a fresh brew waiting for me. We chatted at length whilst I raided the cereal supplies, glugged down the coffee, and polished off the pastries I’d bought the night before. I’d guess he was a few years older than me, but not by much – and also a fan of bright clothing, his lumi green shirt almost identical to mine apart from the brand. I learnt that he had been to the North Cape the year before, but as a solo ride – completing a series of annual tours to ride the entire coastline of Norway over (I think he said) 21 years. So I guess it was no surprise that he was still fit and riding strong by this stage of this event. Finishing my food somewhat before him, I cleared up, loaded my crocks into the dishwasher and wheeled out.

Älvsbyn – 3,177km completed

I already knew a few things about the day ahead before venturing outside the hotel – foremost of these being that it would be my last full day of cycling in Sweden. What had seemed an impossibly long stretch riding off the ferry from Denmark was almost done. Definitely lower on my excitement ladder was the prospect of what lay beyond Boden: an ugly, unrideable (by all accounts) stretch of roadworks. For days now, I’d travelled with that dark shadow wondering what option I’d take. A few had followed a slippery gravel and forest trail diversion, but some had suffered nasty crashes on slippery surfaces that way. In fact as I sat in the room eating my usual breakfast of iced coffee, yoghurt and doughnuts I got a message from Christopher that Benjamin had suffered more than one bad fall and was carrying some painful bruises and had to find a bike shop to help fix the damage to his rig. That short chat exchange was enough to convince me – I’d stick to the route, and walk the bits that weren’t rideable. Even if it was a full 10km (which seemed the consensus) then it would not delay me long, and would mitigate any chance of bike damage or injury. At least I’d pass through Boden first for some proper food before the slog.

Lycksele – 2,950km completed

The promised packed breakfast was waiting for me in the lobby which, initially, seemed deserted. I’d barely parked myself at one of the tables before a chap appeared from a door behind the breakfast bar and offered me coffee. Even though I’d already had an iced coffee whilst getting kitted up in my room I did not pass up the opportunity. By the time I got up to leave, I’d managed to eat or stash most of the breakfast bag – my tummy and pockets were bulging now with the extra calories. Given the day ahead, it was a good start.

Överhörnäs – 2,757km completed

There was no way around the long empty stretch, or what seemed near certain rain for most of the day. But at least my riding plan, thanks to the shorter effort yesterday, gave me a straight shot to the town of Lycksele at a conservative distance of 190km for the day. Albeit, the profile rose gradually uphill for all of the first 150km – peaking at around 465m above sea level before descending for nearly all of the remaining 40km. Lycksele was a decent size town too with a range of shops and accommodation. The smart looking Hotel Lappland caught my eye, as it had done when I noted it down as an option on the cue cards. So that was my target.