From a clanking wheel to a snapped gear cable, oh no!

Good morning Geirangerfjord!

Ride day 18: 
108 miles, 1,737m ascent
The clanking begins

View from the tent as I awoke

Up early to catch the first ferry across the stunning Geirangerfjord, I was blown away by its sheer size, lushness, & magic of its waterfalls. An hour later I arrived at Hellesylt, & headed up a gradual climb for 10 miles.

Hellesylt

Once on the flat, or a short downhill, metallic clanking noises would come from my front wheel. Oh God!
Stopping after only 10 miles, I inspected & tightened the spokes, oiled their attachments & checked the rim. I found nothing amiss. That must mean an issue from within the hub, the centre bit which the wheel rotates around.
Without the correct tools or know how, there's nothing I can do. & I wasn't sure of the most severe consequences of it. I should probably get to a bike shop ASAP, though, I thought.

Nooo that's my route! A local explained that it just meant a delay, not closure. Phew.

I spent time in the town at mile 32, googling bike shops at my final destination  (which seemed like a moderately sized town). Multiple phonecalls either lead nowhere or reached a Norwegian message then cut off. Sigh, I guess I'll have to wait until I'm there & try in the morning.

One of the many cruiseships around this area

Later in the ride, I was to find that there was a bike shop in Stryn...ha ha typical. Sorry, but I am not going back on myself! I will make it to Førde today, & as a larger place it must have one.

Nordfjord

The only other climb of the day was pretty nice. A tightly choreographed set of switchbacks up the hillside, taking in the hazy purple views of Nordfjord & its mountains. I'd happily continue climbing to get more views like this, I thought!

At the 650m high summit, there was a service block with toilets & taps (free water for me!), thank you Norway!! I've found that, mainly when 'in season' and particularly in the south, the infrastructure here is impressively designed for touring. That said, they definitely capitalise on this by throwing a toll on practically every road going - so beware before you head here in your campervans!

Now for almost the best bit of climbing, apart from the views, the incredibly-deserved descent! It did not disappoint. I went from the cool blue fjord & mountain haze, to a new land of thick green richness! Unbelievable: like a scene from The Hobbit. This valley 'Våtedalen' heads into the Jølster area or 'Kommun', & showcases multiple moss & forrested hills of varying sizes & shapes, surrounding a quiescent lake.

Cycling through Våtedalen, between the towns of Byrkjelo & Klakegg, I was lost in this almost medieval fantasy world of wet (it was raining, of course), evergreen scenery, with my hearing occupied by the constant roaring of waterfalls & rivers.

I hit the coast of a new giant lake at Skei around 7pm, only 27 miles left! I contacted my mother to inform her of my likely late arrival (her & my best friend Sonia are my 'check in' contacts - they have kindly accepted the honour of being the first to know if I disappear).
Thankfully a smooth, flat & fast ride around here to my final destination. However, upon passing a tourist 'fossen' sign (waterfall), I obviously deviated, & briefly enjoyed the sight of the very powerful chute pouring down from a clifftop. What makes it even more magical, is that there is no one else around. These falls are so common here, they can be quite understated & feel very wild.

Into Førde town & campsite, where looking for the service block I got chatting to lovely Alan from Huddersfield! He & Sue are travelling around with their caravan. He had been recently reading a book about a guy who cycled 4000 miles from Nordkapp averaging 100 miles per day - hey, I'm trying to do a similar thing! They very kindly invited me for a cuppa in the morning. After 45 minutes I needed to finally set up camp, eat, shower & prepare for the next day! Thankfully it will be shorter, so I can get enough sleep. Phew!

Nearly at Førde. Oooh that scene, so moody.

As I unpacked my bike, my pannier bag was hanging off its bracket. Brilliant. This had happened a week ago, so I had put a screw into it myself, however the screw had fallen out. Another job whilst I search for a bike shop tomorrow, I thought.

THIS CAMPSITE IS MY FAVOURITE. I'm not sure if you will quite understand my excitement, however after paying sometimes the equivalent of 1 pound 50 for a shower that cuts off after 3-5 minutes, a place that offers a free hot shower that you can indulge in for HOWEVER long your heart desires, is amazing. Also they had stereos in their well equipped & warm kitchen - my hang out before bed that night!



Ride day 19 - cut short, bus required!
44miles, 900m ascent
Disaster strikes.

Nygårdsparken, Bergen. I think I could do with a hug too!

I awoke slightly later to ensure I'd had enough sleep, especially after the previous day's 100+ miles. Then I had the mental weight of knowing that, with a late start, I also had a pannier to fix (simple, I thought), perhaps a bike shop to find & wait for a potential repair job, oh & then hopefully cross two mountains through a total rainstorm (only 60 miles though..)!

Nope, didn't hold.

I re-did my initial screw fix into the plastic bracket that holds the pannier bag to the bike rack, then once I fully packed all my items, it just ripped out. Damn. I will need to get an actual bolt with a nut that will fix it better.

Sue & Alan kindly minded my luggage whilst I headed to a giant auto parts store that sold bikes. "we only repair our own bikes, sorry", they said. I see, thanks for that. They did spend a nice 10 minutes advising me from their catalogue what size bolt I may need, in their giant packets of 25-50 & which aisle they're in. Without trying them out, I would not know for sure. So, screw this (ha), I set about trying out different sizes of bolts/nuts/washers, & found a nice combination I think!

Nope, no appropriate photo. So this is just to hold your attention. La la laa

Do I now head into town to a sports shop that 'may' be able to help? It was 11;30ish, I was tempted to just crack on, impatient with all these delays & a big afternoon ahead. I'm only 200 miles from Bergen I thought! I knew, however, that good old Sod's law would definitely rule events if I bypassed this chance, sigh.

After bouncing the front wheel up and down, then 5 minutes of apparently chatting to their mechanic in the back, the sports shop's response was "we can't find anything wrong with it". I was sure that without opening the hub, you would not know this, but fine. What a lovely wasted half day!

I packed my bike in torrential rain whilst enjoying a coffeee & cake from my sweet new Yorkshire friends, & finally left at 13:15 (not good..).

Th lovely Sue & Alan

Approaching national tourist road 13, which takes you through the Gaularfjellet valley, I was feeling weird: fatigued? Cold? It was so so wet that my waterproof everything was already soaking through (waterproof clothing can only take so much water). If in doubt, eat! Most often with endurance exercise, just topping up calories can make all the difference. I quickly scoffed some of the bulk of supplies I'd got from Førde.

Thick clouds clung to the surrounding hillsides, but added that mystical aura combined with the rain in this lush green valley. The road hugged a lakeside, until starting the first climb.

 The gradient was quite tough with my poor gears, so having to utilise full body movement to spin the pedals, my back started aching - keep going! Then I heard what sounded like a new noise coming from my wheel with every pedal stroke, oh geez.
Lovely switchbacks lead to the 550m summit, which presented a misty viewpoint over pretty Holsavatnet lake.

Swooping down in what felt like even heavier rain, I eventually spotted a small convenience store. I'd only done 20-25 miles but still felt rotten. Hmm, more food! I also use every opportunity to use a toilet, as other benefits include tap water top ups & a chance to cover my saddle sores in more cream! Welcome to my glamorous daily routine.

Ok, ready for the big one. 2 miles later I was starting a new ascent headed for Gaularfjellet mountain pass, when all of a sudden my gears wouldn't change. What!? Gear cable was hanging off: it had snapped. And no, I had no spare with me. To be honest, with my clanking wheel, & now this, & with me getting more & more cold in the soaking wet monstrosity of a day, I knew I just had to go to a bike shop. The nearest place for this seemed to be the city of Bergen, but I would need to ask someone about transport options.

Always time for more photos, eh

I headed back to the shop, downhill thankfully (when the cable snaps, it fixes your bike in the most difficult/hardest gear only).
The shop assistant muttered, "There are no buses around here". I just love how helpful everyone has been with me today! My only option was to try hitchhike to a town with a bus stop, to bus to Bergen. Maybe I should make a sign, that looks more professional, right?
Thankfully another shop worker advised that a village called Sande is 25km away, along a lake (so apparently flat), & there would be a bus to Bergen in 2 hours' time. Ahh!

I spun those pedals as hard & fast as I could, on the flat or downhill parts, hoping to gain enough momentum so that when there was an incline the bike would still manage to get up it. This worked for the first few miles, but come 10 miles there were actual hills. Despite even standing up, pushing on my recently injured knees (is catching this bus worth re-injuring myself? Probably not..), I sometimes could not ride at all. I fell off once, unable to turn the pedals, & clipped in, so I would then proceed to rushingly push uphill as fast as possible. Carrying a lot of weight makes thisquite difficult, & the bike's balance is also an issue.

Eventually...I made it to Sande! Even time to buy some rubbish packaged food to eat as my dinner on the 3 hour journey into the night. I was pretty relieved. I think the unknown of having a bike issue that could get worse, feeling uncomfortably cold & tired, & starting a day very late knowing you have a serious mountain in bad weather, all affects you psychologically. I was going to be on a warm, dry bus, heading to a place of safety.

Bryggen, in Bergen woo!

I thankfully fixed accommodation via Airbnb whilst on the bus, and revelled in the knowledge of there being at least 3 bike shops in Bergen!

My other thoughts were rested on what to do with my route, now that I would be arriving in Bergen 3 days earlier than planned. I had friends arriving on Monday, could I perhaps leave 3 days earlier to make up my miles? I have time to work this out, I thought. Just try to chill!


Rest days in Bergen

My time here was both interesting, & fun.

I stayed at two different Airbnb apartments, both coincidentally lived in by Syrian refugees. The extremely welcoming spirit of both sets of people was very apparent. Upon my gentle questionning, they briefly mentioned how difficult their journeys here had been, & how some of their friends had died. It's not as simple as "just get out of Syria". On top of that, I learned that Syrian men have an obligation to fight for the government, so some are in hiding ( including my temporary flatmate's brother). Norway seems to have done a lot for these refugees, for a country of only 5 million, the support for refugees amounts to 240 dollars per person, compared to 26 from the UK.

I pushed the boundaries of my own comfort zone on Saturday night, on the advice of a friend, I used a well known dating app to purely meet some people that evening (no strings attached!), & ended up with a sweet group of dutch people, whose friend lives here. I paid for my bike to get serviced & gear cable replaced, & spent around 5 hours route planning (pretty exhausting!).

Marte & Torgeir

On Monday I met with 2 locals I met whilst climbing in Spain, enjoying a coffee & catch up together. Then my awesome friends Emma & Amar arrived from England that evening, so we had great chats on a hike up to Mount Fløyen (one of Bergen's 7 surrounding hills), & over dinner.

They left Tuesday to do the 12 hour roundtrip hike to Trolltunga - an incredible rock feature above a fjord, which I had reconsidered once I sensibly realised how tough my cycling would be!

Emma running from Amar on Trolltunga!

TOTALS

1,670 miles
900m ascent

Thank you for your interest. Please help support aid in Syria if you can: www.alaina.org.uk
Thanks!