Category: Uncategorised

Barken Lodge, Smedjebacken – 2,199km completed

The breakfast “kibble” tasted better than it looked, thankfully. Covered in yoghurt and some honey that I found whilst getting coffee from the self-serve station it had more flavour than the drab, grey-brown pellets suggested. I sat in a low chair at a small round table next to the balcony where my bike had spent the night. This far corner of the main reception also appeared to be where they stored the grand piano – although I presumed it was wheeled out for performances. Thinking back, I wasn’t sure any of the other places I’d stayed had any kind of large orchestral instruments, even the castle. So that was a first.

Continue reading “NC4K – Day 12”

Askersund – 1,982km completed

The great thing about an apartment is how simple it is to start early – no messing around, just empty the fridge into your stomach, pack the bike, tidy up and go. I had made one slight error the night before though – what I’d taken to be a pot of muesli and yoghurt turned out to be some kind of soft cheese and muesli. It was not a combination of flavours which worked for me, and I made a mental note of the labelling as the empty container went into the trash so I could avoid it again. The cold coffee and donuts combo was an instant hit though – that was definitely going on my staples list for future visits. In fact much of what I had bought the evening before became the standard fare I’d look for on future trips. Variety might normally be great, but consistency is quicker and easier for a rapid supermarket raid. Time wasn’t exactly against me – in fact at this point I was bang on plan – but it can easily slip away if you don’t keep on top of it.

Continue reading “NC4K – Day 11”

Skillingaryd – 1,784km completed

Aware that blog entries for this ride are going to be pretty extensive, it’s tempting to shortcut this day – since it’s not hard to summarize:

Chilly, wind, more wind, huge lake, busy road, heat, more busy road, more lake, more wind, more busy road, ice cream, fatigue, less busty road, end of huge lake, pretty town, eat, sleep

But, although being less varied or exciting, and more of a “functional getting from A to B” kind of day, it deserves a little more description than this. So read on if you want more of the details.

Continue reading “NC4K – Day 10”

Helsingor – 1,571km completed

Ugh! Not much past 4am – it was the earliest start of the ride so far. But I really wanted to be on an early ferry to get some of the lost time back. The chap on reception was true to his word. I’d already got coffee in my room, and he hustled quickly back from the kitchen with two bananas to start my day off. He may have offered coffee too – but I figured the short ferry crossing would probably provide that I must have ignored his promise of safety, because I remember unlock the bike as I ate one of these, loaded up the gear, and stashed the other in my back pocket. Worringly, in the process of tightening everything up a small piece of plastic flew of one of the ratchet locks on my saddle bag. On closer inspection though, it was just the small cam locker and the rest of the buckle was intact. I felt reasonably sure it wouldn’t loosen even without the added security of the locker – but made a mental note to email Revelate later and see if they had any shops in Sweden where I might get a replacement.

Continue reading “NC4K – Day 9”

Vordinborg – 1,420km completed

I’d spotted a few other NC4K riders checking into the hotel the night before, including the English chap from the ferry who had been contemplating an early finish to the ride. So it wasn’t surprising that a few were also at breakfast, although none of those I’d spoken to the night before. In fact two of them were the guys I’d with sat at the restaurant in Lindow the day before on my way to Schloss Klink. They also had stories of puncture afflicted riders – I forget now if they’d been hit themselves, but our tally was more than 12 riders (including myself) by the time I’d eaten and downed a couple of cups of coffee and juice. Unlike me, they had no need of the bike shop so we parted company at the restaurant – my direction was the now unlocked bike cupboard and then off to far end of the main street of town. I was half an hour early, hoping they’d perhaps open before their official time knowing so many riders would be coming through needing supplies.

Continue reading “NC4K – Day 8”

Schloss Klink – 1,241km completed

The last day of my first week on NC4K – and with luck, I’d be leaving Germany and starting the journey into Scandinavia. Although the part in Denmark would be less than 2 days. Never having visited before, I was looking forward to it. Which was a good thing, to counter the earlier alarm that had jolted me back from the depths of a dream (which seem to get more lurid as the days roll on). I was still bleary eyed trudging back to reception with rucksack slung on my back, saddle bag under my arm, and helmet stuffed with loose gear in the other hand. To be fair, the night manager did not look that much more awake. He had been fully briefed on my breakfast though. Which, with yet more telepathic magic, was exactly what I needed without me mentioning a word. Meats, cheeses, rolls and pastries, and no eggs. The tray was topped off by a couple of bananas, some other fruit too I think, and large jugs of fruit juice and coffee. I demolished the lot (apart from one of the bananas which went into my pocket for later). Although as I sat on the velvety two seater couch I did worry that maybe I should have asked for a towel to separate my stinky ass from the fine vintage furnishings. It was too late now though, so I drained the coffee by way of showing my appreciation instead. The final act at my castle stopover was getting the chap to unlock the bike shed (clean and new, did I already mention that?) and load up in the grey light of the overcast morning.

Continue reading “NC4K – Day 7”

Luckenwalde – 1,015km completed

My morning routine was becoming automatic – the coffee jug was washed, and I was outside rigging the bike and wheeling out through the gate with zero drama. The room keys were wherever they’d asked me to leave them (posted through the letterbox or in the door come to mind now). The onward route was a dead straight line up from the first significant street I crossed – but close as this was, strict rule observance required me to take the extra kilometer or two to rejoin the point where I had left it. No one would have spotted or cared about the shortcut except me. But that was enough. Although I was surprised to find how well I managed to reverse the succession of turns from the evening before using just memory and the map on the Garmin. The extra distance took no time at all and I was soon on the official route again without even the smallest segment having been skipped. And better still, the odometer reading on the Garmin showed I had ticked off the first block of 1,000km. Just three more to go!

Continue reading “NC4K – Day 6”

Kirchberg – 795km completed

As the coffee bubbled through the filter I glanced through the kitchen window. It confirmed the forecast on my phone – the rain had cleared overnight, but outside lay a grey, damp morning that suggested more rain was likely. Most of the washing from last night was reasonably dry but the socks and chamois of the shorts were still damp. I stuck them in a bag to dry more the next evening, and donned fresh kit despite the likelihood of further soaking. The outlook for later in the day and beyond was mostly dry and warm, so the chance of getting my laundry properly dry seemed good. For now, my lovely fresh smelling socks even got their own highlight photo. Whilst pottering with this I downed the hot & wonderfully strong black coffee. For proper starter fuel, I ate a bar and the banana which had ridden in my pocket most of the day before. I forget now if it was from the first deli stop, or the breakfast bar at the previous hotel. I have a vague memory it was the deli stop. The garage was unlocked as promised, and I did my best to rig up and roll out with the minimum of noise.

Continue reading “NC4K – Day 5”

Schnaittenbach – 609km completed

Whichever way I studied it the outlook on Epic Ride Weather didn’t change: building heat, rain showers with heavy rain later, and a hill profile that resembled a shark’s jawline. At least there wasn’t much wind, and what little there was would probably be lost in the dips and hollows. It could have been worse – the coffee was good and the breakfast buffet plentiful. And, as hoped, the tables had been set earlier than the official opening time. So by the time I’d finished my bike checks (tyres, chain lube etc) the feast was laid out waiting. Around half of the bikes had dispersed already by the time I made it out to the back courtyard and kitted up. As I rolled back through the main street and out of town the early morning was bright and cool and the roads were empty. It was a lovely time to be on a bike, at least for now. 

Continue reading “NC4K – Day 4”

Garching – 404km completed

My second attempt at a morning routine was marginally more efficient: shower, tea, muesli bars, stuff everything into the saddle pack until it resembled a tightly packed sausage, and lash it all onto the bike. Although for some reason, I couldn’t seem to eliminate a slight mid-bag sag. It didn’t waggle around, and wasn’t in danger of rubbing down onto the mudguard, but something in the centre of the packing wasn’t holding tight once mounted. I guess on such a Frankenstein rig aesthetics shouldn’t matter but it bugged me more than it should. Finally, before leaving the room I took a photo of where the bike stood in case the hotel guy was worried. He wasn’t – clearly tired from a night shift, the only thing on his mind was getting done and getting home. He had less than hour before he was out of there, but despite being obviously tired and running low on patience he still fired up one of the push button self-serve espresso machines and guided me through the controls, resulting in a decently strong, delicious cup of steaming coffee. The first of my morning wishes was granted, and the night manager’s rave review was in the bag.

Continue reading “NC4K – Day 3”