BIKE Magazine - April 2020

eBike Review – Cycling Advice – British Cycling – European Cycling

UK’S LEISURE CYCLING AND TRAVEL MAGAZINE

APRIL 2020

CYCLING ADVICE

Staying Positive and on Track NEW

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THE HEART OF THE TOUR OF FLANDERS APRIL 2020

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2 BIKE MAGAZINE APRIL 2020

STEREO HYBRID 160

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APRIL 2020 BIKE MAGAZINE 3

CONTENTS

INSIDE APRIL 2020

16

06

The heart of the Tour of Flanders

CYCLING ADVICE

Brussels was my original destination but following the recent catastrophic events in the capital it was decided to change the plans, so Oudenaarde and Ghent would have the pleasure of my company.

Staying Positive and on Track

24 The Bicycle Diaries Part 3 My final stop in France is Chamonix. Rather than the oasis of peace I am hoping for, however, it turns out to be a throbbing Disneyland of designer tourists and overpriced tat.

30 Electric power in the Elan Valley How do you fancy spending a couple of days in Mid Wales testing out electric mountain bikes? This is what I found in my inbox late one November evening. Obviously curious and most definitely interested, I responded positively, who wouldn’t? I had read that E-Bikes were going to be BIG, but I was yet to be convinced.

EBIKE

42 Specialized

Turbo Creo SL Expert

12

Destination: Denmark The first tour around central Jutland went really well so we moved on up to North Jutland and did a second mini tour from Aalborg to Skagen.

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CYCLE TOURING FROM A NEW PERSPECTIVE The Atlas Mountains, Atlantic Coast, Sahara Desert …

Morocco is the ideal place to have an amazing cycling adventure this spring. Hire a bike or bring your own to enjoy the great weather and fantastic landscape of this exotic country on Europe’s doorstep.

visitmorocco.com

muchmorocco

APRIL 2020 BIKE MAGAZINE 5

WELCOME

Welcome

to the April issue

We live in unprecedented times. The government has advised that we all avoid unessential travel and social contact. This is very challenging for most cyclists out there.

Government advises people to exercise and keep a safe distance from others. Exercising is essential to keep your mental health, therefore people are allowed to go out and cycle once per day and bike shops are allowed to stay open for repairs.

Anthony from Cycling Advice has focused on the importance of mental health and how to stay positive in unpredictable times like this. (p.06) Specialized released their fastest and extremely lightweight new electric road bike that goes up to 28 miler per hour - see it on page 12.

Rebecca Lowe’s travel to Tehran continues on page 24. She writes about her time spent in South France and Northern Italy.

Cycling from Helsinki to Singapore could be a huge challenge without the right bike so Aurelie and Marco are telling us how they got theirs. (p.38) Get inspired by Christine’s adventure through towns and villages in the Danish country side (p42).

Hope you have a lovely read and we from BIKE Magazine wish you, your family and your community well.

> Nick Branxton - Editor

Enjoy the amazing journey to the Belgium town of Oudenaarde (p.16), and electric mountain biking in the Welsh Elan Valley - both written by Scot Whitlock

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CYCLING ADVICE

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6 BIKE MAGAZINE APRIL 2020

CYCLING ADVICE

CYCLING ADVICE

Staying Positive and on Track

APRIL 2020 BIKE MAGAZINE 7

CYCLING ADVICE

I started planning and writing an article a few weeks ago, but then the world decided to unfortunately turn on its head with the outbreak of COVID-19. No one could have forecast or understood the global impact this has had so far.

Ironically the article I started writing was about indoor training, how to get started, a range of turbo trainers and training tools to help improve your performance when out on the road. I’ll save that for another time as we have more pressing matters right now.

Speaking to a friend of mine who is an excellent mechanic in a cycle shop, they have sold a significant amount of turbo trainers, far exceeding normal sales levels, with many cyclists ensuring they had some form of training before the lockdown commenced.

While indoor training is important (certainly to cyclists at all levels), training requires motivation, and if we are not in a mentally good place then there is a strong chance it isn’t going to happen.

To my generation and a few generations before me, this global challenge is unprecedented, only those who lived through or have been involved in a war and are still alive to tell the tales today understand the hardships of such chaos, although as tragic as this global epidemic is, it’s nowhere near the scale of previous world wars.

That said this doesn’t take away the struggles we are facing, going from such freedom and now to the very necessary lockdown, which is undoubtedly having an impact on our mental health or potentially will

do as the weeks carry on with travel restrictions in place.

Cycling can be a real fantastic mix, from some who choose solo rides, to others who look forward to their weekly fix of meeting with their fellow club riders at the weekend with their intake of coffee and cake at the halfway point, to the hardcore racers, or the amazing selection of British cycling events and other Sportives that happen throughout the year.

This has and justifiably, all been placed on hold, ensuring we abide by the government rules, social distancing and preventing the spread of the virus, most importantly taking the burden off our many front-line heroes such as the NHS. Due to this, it has significantly changed our weekly routines.

With this change at the forefront of our minds, I wanted to focus on mental health and how do we maintain this.

Did you know that approximately 1 in 4 people in the UK will experience a mental health problem, and in England alone 1 in 6 people report experiencing a common mental health problem (such as anxiety or depression)?

How do we combat this, and despite all the issues, how do we as cyclists maintain some form of exercise

Anthony Walstow  @CyclingCentre : Admin on Cycling Advice Author: “A passionate cyclist, obsessed about anything aero or tech with an addiction to buying bikes”

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CYCLING ADVICE

and/or the motivation behind it all?

Humans are all very individual and it’s a case of different strokes for different folks, but one key commonality as human beings (in my view) which unites us, is we like routine.

While our normal everyday lives have been completely flipped, salvaging a level of normality and routine has never become so important.

When Boris Johnson made his announcement on the lockdown, but still stating people should go out for a walk or cycle to maintain fitness and mental health I almost leapt from the sofa. I punched the air with my fist shouting YES! While the wife just looked at me like I was an idiot (she’s partly right, but then knows I am completely obsessed with cycling and the abundance of bikes for different seasons).

The normal routine had been changed with not being able to cycle with friends, hitting the cycling cafés, racing at the weekends or attending this year’s local cycling club Time Trial event, but I can still get out, once a day and put some miles in. I was relieved!

We take a lot of things for granted, worrying about problems which in the grand scheme of things can be trivial and aren’t really problems, certainly in the current climate, or in this case just going out when we want to.

Lockdown can be hard, but it’s never been so critical to get out now, solo of course.

While indoor turbo training was continuing, the importance of riding outside had suddenly been elevated.

charged, bike prepped and out I went.

A perfect although unusually warm sunny March afternoon, away from work and social media doom and gloom, I have never appreciated the outside so much, just me, the bike (quiet roads) and enjoying the views.

I came across the odd cyclist on my route, giving the usual nod or wave of my hand as I always do, as we passed each other almost telepathically agreeing that this both felt great to be outside.

Amidst my excitement of getting back home, making sure my ride uploaded to Strava of course, that sense of normality and routine instantly flowed, immediately lifting the stresses of being so heavily confined.

Having such a good ride I shared this on a Facebook cycling group, only to realise so many others had got out also, sharing the same level of enthusiasm, excitement and a sense of normality had been achieved.

Routine had been maintained and I felt mentally recharged.

These are challenging times, and there is no doubt we will get through this together, but look out for your family, friends and fellow riders.

If you don’t do so already, start to engage in cycling groups on social media, chat with your cycling friends on WhatsApp, even setup up virtual racing on Zwift or other training tools, it can be a great source to have a laugh. Whatever it takes to make things feel normal, be social, as human contact even virtually is proven to create positivity and wellbeing.

Our routines have changed but salvaging something and staying partly on track can give a huge boost to our mental wellbeing.

After being in the house, working at home, I realised I hadn’t been outside my door for 4 days. During this time I was still adjusting and trying to digest so much information that was being presented on the news and various social media sources. Many others such as friends, family and fellow riders were also experiencing the same.

Routine needed to happen, with that in mind my Garmin and lights were

If you do need more help a great place to start is the Samaritans. More info can be found here www.samaritans.org Keep talking and stay safe.

APRIL 2020 BIKE MAGAZINE 9

CYCLING ADVICE

10 BIKE MAGAZINE APRIL 2020

STEREO HYBRID 140 HPA SL 500

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STEREO HYBRID 120 HPA SL 500

APRIL 2020 BIKE MAGAZINE 11

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12 BIKE MAGAZINE APRIL 2020

EBIKE

Specialized

Turbo Creo SL Expert

APRIL 2020 BIKE MAGAZINE 13

EBIKE

A super-lightweight - about 13kg full carbon electric road eBike, Class 3 speed-pedelec performance offers 28mph (45km/h) assisted speeds, proprietary Future Shock 2.0 steer tube suspension adds comfort while minimising weight and maximising rolling efficiency. Available in six frame sizes, sold through a vast network of dealers with professional fitting systems, solid two-year comprehensive warranty. The frame offers provisions for two bottle cages, fenders, and a rear rack.

Boost hub spacing provides sturdier spoke bracing angle, 12mm thru-axles provide stiffness and control at speed, both

wheels offer quick release systems for easy transport and ride maintenance. Powerful fast-cooling hydraulic disc brakes utilise 160mm Shimano ICE-Tech rotors that dissipate heat from stainless steel rotors through air-directing aluminium alloy cores and mount arm.

The lightest and fastest electric road bike I’ve tested to date, the motor is surprisingly zippy and actually supports 28mph speeds without cutting prematurely, it fades out naturally and does not introduce pedal drag. The internal battery offers modest capacity but weighs under 2 kilo and provides impressive range. Additional Range Extender bottle-shaped batteries are easy to use, quiet, and beautiful.

Range Extender 160wh battery pack costs extra.

Y-splitter cable to charge the main battery and Range Extender simultaneously also costs extra. These eBikes are fairly expensive in general. Since the primary battery is not easily removable, you may need to store the bike inside, away from extreme heat or cold, and near a charging port. No charging ports for aftermarket lights or the Mission Control smartphone app, only available in one colour.

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EBIKE

MOTOR BRAND: Specialized SL 1.1 (MAHLE GmbH German Manufacturer) MOTOR TYPE: Mid-Mounted Geared Motor, Learn more about Ebike motors MOTOR OUTPUT: 240 watts BATTERY BRAND: Panasonic, LG, or Samsung, 5,000 mAh 2,170 Cells BATTERY VOLTAGE: 48 volts BATT. AMP HOURS: 6.9 ah BATT. WATT HOURS: 331.2 wh BATTERY TYPE: Lithium-ion CHARGE TIME: 2.5 hours (7 Hours with Optional Travel Charger) EST. MIN RANGE: 35 miles (56 km) EST. MAX RANGE: 75 miles (121 km) DISPLAY TYPE: Turbo Connect Unit (TCU), Rubberized LED Console on Top Tube (Blue and Green LEDs), Buttons: Power, S Button (Hold S for No Assist) READOUTS: Battery Charge Level (10 Bars Total, 5 Bars for Range Extender Battery), Assist Level (0-3) DISPLAY: Shimano Di1 Charging Port on Right Side Bar End, Mission Control App (Bluetooth, iOS and Android, Can Turn Off LEDs), ANT+ Wireless (For Heart Rate Monitors) DRIVE MODE: Advanced Pedal Assist (Measures Rear Wheel Speed, Pedal Cadence, and Pedal Torque over 1,000 Times per Second, Offers 180% Peak Multiplication Force of Rider Input) TOP SPEED: 28 mph (45 kph)

APRIL 2020 BIKE MAGAZINE 15

EBIKE

16 BIKE MAGAZINE APRIL 2020

BELGIUM

Oudenaarde The heart of the Tour of Flanders

APRIL 2020 BIKE MAGAZINE 17

BELGIUM

Brussels was my original destination but following the recent catastrophic events in the capital it was decided to change the plans, so Oudenaarde and Ghent would have the pleasure of my company.

I always find the ‘Eurostar’ experience a complete seamless joy, less frenetic than flying, more amiable and comforting. My weekend base was the modern confines of the Hotel Leopold. I was in good company as Team Astana where residing in my cycle themed boutique hotel. I met my guide Dries in the lobby, this suave looking chap was obviously a keen climber judging by his skinny appearance. He works for Visit Flanders predominately on their cycling initiatives and his focus is to promote the joys of cycling in the area, of which there are many (possibly the easiest and most rewarding job I know!).

First thing was to assuage my hunger, a delicious pile of ‘Spaghetti Boononaise’ in the CRVV brasserie awaited, I chuckled, even the food points to an obsessive cycling culture. The CRVV (Centrum Ronde Van Vlaanderen) is home to the Tour of Flanders Centre, it’s full of history about the legendary race.

Dramatic displays detailing the highs and lows of the epic pedal, you can simply smell the history, feel the cobblestones, and re-live the pain and elation. An intense interactive showcase. It’s a great place to treat yourself to an original cycling gadget or vintage jersey in the gift shop. Interestingly you can register for a time chip and measure your own climb speed and compare your performance with the likes of Stijn Devollder, Jens Voight etc. The

literature asks, ‘Have you got what it takes?’, easy answer ‘No!’.

Bergs and Cobbles is the essential bike guide for the routes in the Flemish Ardennes. As Dries handed me my very own copy, a wave of apprehension and simple fear, engulfed me. The thought of hills mixed with cobbles and then throw in some wet stuff and I was having heart palpitations. I tried not to show it as Dries proudly detailed the 4 routes created by several tourist organisations and Visit Flanders. Spartacus, Bidon, Explorer and Bahamontes, all vary in length and difficulty. The longest route is conveniently named ‘Spartacus

Scot Whitlock Twitter: cadencemag Website: cadencemag.co.uk Author, ‘Simple Words from the Saddle, Simply More Words from the Saddle & The Way of St James’ Twitter: @saddlescot

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BELGIUM

Route, chasing Cancellara’, in honour to the Swiss rider who has won the Ronde 3 times. The route follows a loop with 8 cobbles, 18 slopes and 2029 metres of climbing, and worryingly the murderous Koppenberg (that’s how the guide explains it), so can you know understand my restlessness?

Over dinner we discussed the next day’s riding, Dries was salivating at the prospect of the Koppenberg (locally known as the ‘Bump of Melden’) my enthusiasm was a lot less muted (I had injured my ribs before travelling, well that was my hopefully convincing excuse). Finally, we settled (or so I thought) on a sedate and leisurely ride through the Ardennes countryside and we agreed to meet late morning. As we departed, I could tell we were both hoping for a rain free day. In my room I had a quick flick through the comprehensive Bergs and Cobbles guide, the subsequent nightmares would be nothing in comparison to the actual Koppenberg, among others

The next morning, I woke with my face stuck to the map detailing the Spartacus Route, was this an ominous omen? I had time to explore so I made the short walk to the centre, in and around Oudenaarde is a stunning backdrop to the Tour of Flanders (Ronde van Vlaanderen). The town is a complete cycling nirvana, the greatest concentration of lyrca clad, and carbon exponents anywhere in the world I have experienced. There are plenty of bars, restaurants and shops, most dressed in cycling paraphernalia A steel framed bike had been organised for me, the stunning lines of the Jaegher were beautiful, and I was immediately in love.

Even though the brand is actually new, the firm has been producing frames for four generations with its riders including Eddy Merckx, Freddy Maertens and many

more. They had a very popular reputation following WWII and started producing bespoke racing bikes and are now world renowned for their steel frames.

Thankfully any chance of rain was slim, and we set off in good spirits from the Hotel Carpark, co-incidentally so did Team Astana, maybe we could form a small peloton, actually maybe not, would have been their obvious rebuke! We headed south out of the Oudenaarde, the Jaegher was a delight, its light construction and delicate feel were more than I was expecting or usually exposed to. The countryside is a beautiful a mix of farmer’s fields with a sporadic well-presented house. I had read that approximately 60% of households in Flanders own two or more bikes and ride a collective 8,500,000 kilometres daily. This was immediately evident, as we passed a succession of riders, as well as a procession of speed merchants abusing their pedals as they breezed past us in a blur. My philosophy is simple, cycling has to be enjoyable with exploration and discovery key, an unexpected view or a hidden gem are so satisfying and unquestionably beats the need for speed and distance.

After several kilometres of gentle pedalling, Dries suggested flaunting me the start of the Koppenberg, suddenly my latenight reading and the descriptive words ‘Murderous’ occupied my mind. I reassured myself that I did not have to succumb to any form of cycling peer pressure.

However, the sight of the start was rather innocuous and deceptive, so foolishly (and rather naively) I agreed to give it a go, partly as I was intrigued and also, I didn’t want to disappoint Dries, who was clearly passionate and proud of this 0.62km of cobblestones. The only positive was it wasn’t raining, the climb started gradually, and my misplaced confidence increased.

This was brief as the cobbles pushed me from side to side, my speed negligible, I had completely forgot the advice Dries had rightly given me, to sit hard on the back of the saddle, and proceeded to stand to gain forward momentum.

This had the opposite effect, the cobblestones reverberated through my body, and every muscle shuddered in disbelief. The inside shoulder of the steepest section is at an incline of 25%, understandably any reserves of strength were fading. After a brief halt (I know!) I pushed on, with my now heavily massaged butt firmly fixed to my saddle. To compound my embarrassment, as I neared the top a 60+ years old gent sped past me

APRIL 2020 BIKE MAGAZINE 19

BELGIUM

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BELGIUM

with ease. I consoled myself with the fact that I looked more flattering in Lycra as he continued over the top and off into the distance.

Next up was a detour onto dirt tracks, our wheels groaned and salivated with the prospect of some off-road fun, we were in search of Oude Kwaremont.

We negotiated a messy selection of puddles and ruts before a cobblestone encore followed. The Kwaremont is the infamous location of Eddy Merckx 104km break away from the finish line at the 1975 Tour. Without hesitation I purposely pushed down on the pedals and the saddle (I had remembered) and took on the ascent with vigour, the experience was as expected, buttock numbing, but I had learnt and with the correct technique in place I managed to reach the top in reasonably good physical condition, was this Flandrien air having an effect?

Thankfully after the gruelling Koppenberg and Oude Kwaremont several speedy gratifying descents followed along a busy roadway, next stop on our supposed (sedate) pedal was the Ronde Van Vlaanderenstraat (Tour of Flanders Street) where we met Karel Van Wijendaele, well not the man himself but his memorial.

Karel was one of the founders of modern reporting on cycle races and

the Tour of Flanders. It was a poignant moment; this simple innocuous structure is accompanied by images of previous winners of the Ronde set sporadically into the cobblestones.

After tracking down the infamous Tommy Simpson and paying a pathetic homage, we continued along the roadway. This unassuming street hides a multitude of cycling goodies, the tarmac adorns the names of every victor, and a collection of images of riders displaying the commitment and determination required to successfully become immortalised in the Flandrien countryside. Just several revolutions later and we arrived at the d’ Oude Hoeve restaurant, it was a rather appropriate spot to rest and have some refreshments, to be honest the whitewashed exterior was a welcome overdue oasis. The interior was unexpectedly cycling dominated, especially the beer infused chocolates packaged with two wheeled insignias.

The welcome and conversation was typically Flemish, a roaring fire and a mass of smiling faces making a weary Lycra clad idiot (me) feel at ease and part of the ubiquitous fixtures and fittings.

After our brief halt, we reluctantly departed and stumbled on the U23 Ronde as it negotiated a junction in eyes shot of the restaurant. In a blur of

metallic vehicles and coloured jerseys, the peloton had breezed effortlessly past and into the depths of the countryside.

Dries’s last task was to decide on a route back, Ponstraat, a disused tarmacked railway line was more than adequate. It gloriously hugs the contours of the Scheldt River and was deserted, with only the occasional interaction with other riders, more importantly it was flat! It allowed us to converse about the joys of the Ardennes and the endless highlights for cyclists. In no time we fluently entered the outskirts of Oudenaarde.

We had beat Team Astana back, however I think their day was to be considerably longer and more of a test of stamina and skill than my dismal attempts at two of the World’s iconic climbs.

Next on the itinerary was Ghent, unfortunately my exposure to the cobbles had exacerbated my side pain (on my return my doctor confirmed I had cracked 2 RIBS, ouch!) so my introduction to this beautiful city would have to wait as I resigned myself to the confines of the train station and a mass of strong painkillers.

APRIL 2020 BIKE MAGAZINE 21

BELGIUM

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2

Cycling World August 2015

APRIL 2020 BIKE MAGAZINE 23

August 2015 Cycling World

1

24 BIKE MAGAZINE APRIL 2020

THE BICYCLE DIARIES

TOURING

The Bicycle Diaries

APRIL 2020 BIKE MAGAZINE 25

THE BICYCLE DIARIES

One woman’s solo cycle from London to Tehran: Stage 3

My final stop in France is Chamonix.

Rather than the oasis of peace I am hoping for, however, it turns out to be a throbbing Disneyland of designer tourists and overpriced tat.

It is also bucketing with rain, so I swiftly escape to a nearby campsite to spend a soggy night under canvas.

The next morning, it’s with no small relief that I’m forced to jump on a train to Milan: my only escape route to Italy, as the Mont Blanc tunnel is closed to cyclists.

In Milan, I realise I am feeling strong for the first time. After a short break filled with good food, deep sleep and a newly configured bike that shifts my weight from hands to rump, I have the sensation of a corner being turned. I am no longer a complete bike touring amateur, I think exultantly. I’m no longer a Ramsbottom United or Ossett Albion.

I’m a Bromley or Kidderminster Harriers – at least. Maybe even a Grimsby Town.

I don’t stay in the city for long, however. I find I am developing an aversion to crowds, which now ooze and blister about me with cloying regularity. So instead I journey east, through Vaprio D’Adda, Lake Iseo and Desenzano del Garda. The Italian countryside is not as pretty or relentless as France, but the roads are (mainly) flat, and laden with friendly cyclists. Particularly prevalent are swarms of spandexclad old goats, their nuts and buns hoisted with wishful elasticity. When

does that moment come when such attire seems appropriate, I wonder?

Is it a gradual constriction over time or do these men wake up on their 70th birthdays and find their shorts suddenly shrunken to half their former size?

Accompanying me are all the ingredients of a glutton’s paradise: Prosecco, pizza and pasta, plus a dangerous array of excellent cheap local wine. Lugana, made from the Turbiana grape, is ever-suppable, while the Soave Classico Superiore is pure silk. Such ‘superior’ wines, I am told, have to pass a multitude of stringent tests, covering grape ripeness, barrel maturation and production standards, so the moniker is hard-earned.

Understanding how much Prosecco and pizza I can consume while still remaining upright in the saddle is an important lesson I learn early on.

In fact, every day is a learning curve.

I have learnt, for example, never to put loose cartons of milk in my panniers. Or loose bananas in my bar bag. Or wear my clip-on security alarm to the loo, where it is at risk of falling into the toilet and going off for ten minutes, attracting the frenzied attentions of half a dozen restaurant staff and an off-duty policemen.

Most importantly, I have learnt that you can never have too many wetwipes. And if I don’t take anything else away from this trip, that alone will be enough.

Rebecca Lowe Rebecca Lowe, a human rights journalist, started a 10,000km, 20-country ‘bummel’ through Europe and the Middle East in July.

Her aims are threefold: cultivate a pair of toned, shapely calves that will be the envy of all she meets; survive; and shed light on a region long misunderstood in the West.

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THE BICYCLE DIARIES

After two days on the road, I arrive at the beautifully serene Lake Garda, and I’m delighted to find a camping spot right on the water’s edge. Here I meet my first solo female cyclist, a charming 50-something Belgian who is on her way to Rome by electric bicycle.

The hardest part was telling her mother, she says, who begged her not to go and forced her to write a blog. It all sounds oddly familiar.

If anything is universal in this world, maternal angst is surely it.

Having met no lone women bummelers until now, two then come along at once. I meet the second en route to Verona: a 20-something cardiovascular surgeon from Munich, who has spent the past week biking in the Alps.

‘It can be tough,’ she says. ‘There’s not a lot of women doing this kind of thing.’ No, I say – though I happen to have just met two of them. Perhaps there are more lurking in the shadows, waiting to be smoked into the open?

My next stop is Verona. It’s clearly a beautiful city, but in August its charms are choked at source by crowds of selfie-snapping feeders.

Many are British, and reflected in them I see myself, swarming and pestilent, like some kind of grotesque fairground hall of mirrors.

So I stay only one night before moving on, bypassing Padua for the countryside.

Following a little stream, I cycle until the buildings fall away and sun starts to set, and settle in the centre of a soft, spongy wheat field. It turns out to be the best night’s sleep I’ve had – as well as one of the loveliest mornings, as I awake to a glistening meadow of sun-kissed dew.

The road to Venice is perfectly flat and punctuated by a series of featureless villages.

There seem to be a lot of them about in Italy, as if they’ve poured all their beauty into their chief attractions, with none left over for the parts in-between. The entrance to the city is particularly gruesome. A huge, convoluted intersection leads onto a vast 2.5-mile bridge, where the walkway ends suddenly at a gnarly knot of roadworks, spitting you into the path of speeding cars.

The worst thing about this experience was that it turns out to have been completely unnecessary. Unable to lift my bike without assistance, I am as useless as a Dalek when it comes to staircases, and when I arrive, staircases surround me on all sides.

I am stuck fast, and begin to wonder if I’m destined to remain rotting here forever like that randy, choleric old pederast from Death in Venice (this being my only cultural reference point for the city, other than Don’t Look Now, the 1970s Gothic horror film with graphic sex and a psychopathic dwarf — both

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THE BICYCLE DIARIES

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THE BICYCLE DIARIES

of which would considerably liven up my trip).

In the end, I decide instead to brave the bridge again and return to a campsite on the mainland.

Later, I return by bus to explore.

I am excited to be in one of the world’s most beautiful cities, but the crowds again prove oppressive. And I am not the only one to think so. ‘Everything is tourist, tourist, tourist,’ a cafe owner tells me. ‘Prices are crazy.

My brother earns more than €100,000 as a gondolier, but even he can’t afford it.’

Much like the cholera-ridden water of Death in Venice (to labour a theme), tourists are clearly both the lifeblood and death knell of the city. They provide the income, but also suffocate local industry. Even vaporettos (water taxis) are now reportedly imported from Greece. As a consequence, the place is emptying fast, its permanent population dipping below 60,000 in 2009. Without serious intervention, this former great trading hub is clearly at risk of becoming a faded fresco; a lifeless shell of commoditised beauty and romance plucked from the shelf. It’s a sad state of affairs, and I console myself with a delicious pizza and glass of Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore – the finest of the sparkling wines, made exclusively in the Treviso province of Veneto.

My final stop in Italy is Trieste. It’s a fairly easy cycle, and when I’m three miles away I text my hosts to say I’ll be on time. And I would have been – had it not been for the small matter of the Scala Santa.

The Scala Santa, in a nutshell, is 1.5 miles of hell. Its average gradient is reportedly 16%, but frequently surpasses 25%. Small cars avoid it. Motorcyclists think twice. Rock climbers perish.

Unfortunately, at the start I know none of this, and start up it with mindless, naive optimism.

This lasts about four minutes – perhaps a little less. And then I start pushing. And pushing. And pushing. And sweating. And

swearing. And despairing.

Every ten steps I stop, gasping for breath, my full weight needed to keep the bike at a standstill.

At times, I feel amazed I remain attached to the slope, rather than tumbling to the bottom by sheer force of gravity. At one such moment, I meet a wiry old walnut of a man zipping down on his bike and we stop for a chat. ‘Yes, it’s a hard climb,’ he says helpfully.

‘It’s probably not the best way to come on a bike.’

An hour later, nearing death, I finally heave my clammy carcass to the top – and run straight into Neil, my host, who has come on his motorbike to find me. ‘I’m so sorry!’ he says, distraught. ‘I’ve been meaning to tell people about that hill.’

Neil, his American wife and two daughters are the perfect hosts. I learn about the wild boar, plentiful and aggressive, and Aperol Spritz, the Italian cocktail made from oranges, rhubarb, gentian root and fizz. I learn about the local Osmizza, when people sell their own food and drink tax free for eight days of the year, and the local dialect, Triestine, which is markedly different from Italian and often spoken to nonTriestines to emphasise their outsider status.

I also learn the expat view of Italians. They are style-obsessed, I am told, and highly conformist.

Wardrobes transform between summer and winter, and few deviate from the code: light shoes in summer, dark in winter; a thin piumino in summer, a thick one in summer. Summer ends on September 15th, no matter what.

And draughts are to be avoided, for health reasons.

I could stay in Trieste much longer, but know I must push on.

So as August draws to a close, I head off towards Slovenia: my first stop in what transpires to be a fascinating tour of the Balkans.

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WALES

Electric power in

The Elan Valley

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WALES

How do you fancy spending a couple of days in Mid Wales testing out electric mountain bikes? This is what I found in my inbox late one November evening. Obviously curious and most definitely interested, I responded positively, who wouldn’t? I had read that E-Bikes were going to be BIG, but I was yet to be convinced.

Unfortunately, electric powered bikes have rightly or wrongly received some negative press at my hands in the past, in my defence the majority of my pedalling takes place on quiet rolling country lanes or car infested urban carriageways and the sight of an E-Bike filled me with complete confusion. The chance to banish my pre-conceptions was overwhelming, the door was wide-open, and I was tentatively venturing in, the world of electric powered pedalling awaited. In my simple opinion the whole purpose of cycling is the requirement to selfpropel, the means of getting from A to B through good old grit, determination and uncomplicated effort.

The achievement you experience by manually pedalling a gargantuan incline or covering a sizeable distance, dripping in sweat, is the whole principle of cycling isn’t it?

So, my viewpoint, if slightly biased, is an E-bike prevents the rider from appreciating this very energetic ethos and missing out on the overall joys, and sometimes pains that attract most to two wheeled transportation.

To those of us challenged by pedalling up and down modest hills, the prospect of attempting more heady climbs might seem rather intimidating but I accept the experience can be or may be simplified with a little assistance. The hardest, most painful, least enjoyable part of my rides are usually the bits I remember fondly (actually fondly might not be the most appropriate word).

My concern is that these feelings may become lost or blurred when reverting

to electric power, resulting in the need for any effort being diluted or even diminished. I understand that there are pros and cons of the e-revolution but, will it really bring people into the cycling arena as predicted or hoped, and if so, will those people then bemoan the occasions when some simple manual pedalling is inevitable.

Harshly I appear to have no faith in the human race and its powers of resolve or fortitude.

I concede that a major attraction of battery power is the fact it enables most to cover greater distances with the minimal of effort, encouraging the less able to accompany their fitter, more experienced playmates, without the expected huffing and puffing. Let’s be honest, most MTB riders would concede they crave the exhilarating, adrenalin pumping descents but aren’t too keen on the arduous trek beforehand, and any mechanical assistance would provide an obvious allure. Less effort means more downhill fun, and this is where E-bikes might actually come into their own. It was now spring 2014 and I was in Hay-on-Wye to discover for myself.

Would my narrow-minded blinkered approach be re-educated? Only time would tell.

The towns location is beautiful, pressing tight against the Black Mountains, nestled snugly on the banks of the River Wye. The trip had been instigated by Drover Holidays, a walking and cycling tour company owned and run by Luke Skinner and Anna Heywood and based in the town. The closest train stations

Scot Whitlock Twitter: cadencemag Website: cadencemag.co.uk Author, ‘Simple Words from the Saddle, Simply More Words from the Saddle & The Way of St James’ Twitter: @saddlescot

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are either Hereford or Abergavenny, both around 45 -1 hour away by car.

Their ethos is wonderfully simple, they love cycling and believe that the world is best experienced at a slow pace, preferably on two feet or two wheels and this inspired them to start the business. The trips they offer are tailor-made to the individual needs, and at the heart is their philosophy of social and environmental sustainability.

They had put several ideas before me and the one that appealed the most was the ‘Mid Wales Marches’.

Thankfully I was in no hurry, I’d been set two days to cover the mediocre 70km trail between Hay-on-Wye and the Elan Valley with a bonus ride arranged between the Elan Valley and Ffair Rhos.. My main focus was to enjoy the sights and scenery of the Welsh Borders, as well as putting an electrically powered MTB through its paces along a mix of non-technical ‘On and Off’ road terrain. The bike was a German import (Haibike) and offers a ‘pedal assist’ motor, in practical terms this can be described quite eloquently as ‘kicking in when the cranks are turning’. However, stop pedalling and the power is instantly shut off. I was still unconvinced, but now slightly intrigued, and with my appetite wetted, I was ready to be immersed in all things electrical. It didn’t take me long to feel at home, the conversation friendly and not completely bike related. However, Anna’s passion for cycling was obvious and has got her involved in organising the Hay Bike Fest (www. haycycling.org) which is in its second year and is being staged 25th – 27th April. It’s an annual celebration of cycling with a whole weekend of guided rides, skills sessions and demos and so much more.

DAY ONE I set off from Drovers base, a wellstocked shop on the outskirts of Hay, the weather was fair, warm but thankfully slightly overcast. I unfurled my map, the route mapped out in detail, every contour lovingly depicted, every incline worryingly graphic. My route took me north west briefly on the B4351 breezing through Clyro and following the signs for Painscastle.

The ride was relatively benign early on. In the air was a March chill but the sun was already generating a welcome warmth. A lengthy steep

climb followed and I found the bike a complete marvel especially with the 5 settings (Turbo, Sport, Tour, Eco and off), I only needed to go as high as tour, maybe that was my subconscious kicking in, I wanted to feel I was adding to the majority of the propulsion.

However I did have to apologise to a lyrca clad rather rotund roadie struggling slightly with the incline as I sped past with the minimal of effort (the experience is weird it’s like having a constant gentle shove in your back like when your dad used to help you along as a child, but the predicted whine of the motor did highlight the fact I was using some electric assistance).

After stopping briefly in Painscastle I emerged on an unfenced road with stunning far-reaching views of the surrounding hillside. I then hit an offroad section which took me to Cradle Rocks before joining tarmac and once I had pedalled through Llandeilo Graban, the B4594 took me to a lovely coffee stop, Erwood Station Craft centre. Galvanised, I then crossed the River Wye before climbing steeply for 8km eventually reverting to a rutted grass track at the crest of a hill. I skirted the tranquil Pant y Llyn lake, the complete scene of isolation was amazing, the surface was ok, the tyres groaned against the dirt and debris.

I love this time of year, the landscape turning from browns and the desolation of winter to the beginning of greens and vibrant colours of spring. Since that initial email back in November, I had used my time wisely and was now fully conversant in my rocky drop offs, full size pump tracks and remote fork lockouts. In reality, it was just a matter of time before my lack of MTB knowledge or skills would be horribly exposed, and the subsequent comedy of errors was expected. I then negotiated several streams with ease and followed a well-defined track which contoured into the hill, the views were breathtaking, a backdrop embroidered in green hues with a smattering of stone dwellings. The going was smooth and relatively fast, mostly in part due to battery assistance. What followed was a thrilling descent on a rather bumpy, muddy track and with some heavy braking I arrived at the B4520. Builth Wells was only a short

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pedal ride away and my base for the night. On reflection I should have covered 35km but in reality, I managed 55km, I was simply having so much fun

DAY TWO The weather once again was favourable. I followed the River Wye out of the town on NCN 8 which is helpfully signed. The roads were quiet, and I managed to pedal assist free up past Cwmchwefru. Then the fun began, just as I passed a lovely stone cottage, I encountered open moorland. Although it was well defined there were plenty of rocks and roots breaking through the damp surface, which gave me a myriad of things to ponder.

The further I went the boggier the landscape became but with some confident braking I managed to negotiate myself to a point where the track improved markedly and a lengthy descent followed to Llanwrthwl.

I was so looking forward to some mucky mayhem and that’s what I had been exposed to over the past 25 minutes, it was great, both terrifying and exhilarating, in equal measure.

I was now approaching the Elan Valley which stretches a glorious 72 square miles through the heart of Wales. Its greatest attraction is the compelling dams and reservoirs with which it is synonymous. Its home to a series of 6 dams (only 4 are visible) each possessing their own character and dynamics. There are plenty of signs pinpointing the Elan Valley Trail which follows a disused railway between Rhayader and the visitors centre, where I chose to stop for coffee. As well as the café, there is a gift shop, toilets, picnic areas and children’s play area and Alan, one of the helpful Rangers. He told me rather animatedly about the Powys All Ability Cycling Project, a pilot scheme designed to open up the countryside to a wider range of visitors all through the power of bikes.

Folk who normally would not dream of saddling up now have the opportunity to hire alternative bikes from the Elan Valley Visitor Centre or Drover. Catering for all abilities means providing a large range of bikes for hire, from normal MTB’s to tandems, e-bikes and even side by side behemoths. After a brief rest for a coffee, I took the Elan Valley Trail following the contours of the Garregddu reservoir. The trail is initially tarmac, the views were spectacular of the evocative landscape and water glistening in the now bright sunshine. Several slight inclines were conquered with ease before the surface reverted to gravel and grass, I pedalled through vibrant tree cover before finding tarmac once more.

After 1km the road turned sharply to the left

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and sat happily in the hillside was my accommodation for the night, Penbont B&B and Tearooms. What a location to stir the imagination. That evening I devoured my large cottage pie with gusto as I studied the nights sky, (the Elan Valley is classified a Dark Sky Zone, so my hope was for a dazzling light display, unfortunately it was not to be).

What a great end to a great day, its stark beauty is idyllic. I would especially like to mention Sandra for making me feel part of her family with her delicious food.

A great addition to a great location, Diolch!

DAY THREE My last day, and amazing would be an understatement, the complete seclusion was memorable. The route took me back towards Elan Village before tracking the Caban-coch Reservoir and the weather was behaving again.

The experience of riding in the early morning never ceases to amaze me, the kaleidoscope of colours, sounds and atmosphere accentuated by the calming, softer light is always invariable wondrous and today was a fine example, the sunlight dancing merrily across the water. I made good progress into Cerrigcwplau with the dominating presence of the Claerwen dam as an imposing backdrop. What followed was one of my greatest cycling experiences ever. I pedalled up to the top of the dam, the views were magnificent, before continuing onto a track which for 10km exposed me to total tranquillity, a complete picture of rustic serenity.

The landscape perfect with rolling hills, rocks cloaked in thick lively moss and shimmering waters. The trail was in fairly good condition, there was the odd boulder to keep me concentrated, but definitely rideable and great fun. My only company were the local sheep and lambs, I did notice the odd remote house or bothy (a basic shelter, usually left unlocked and available for anyone to use free of charge) but otherwise it was just me, the bike and the wilderness, it’s definitely a tough hardy environment. At the head of the reservoir I crossed over the River Claerwen, the surface then became more unpredictable, rough with many ruts and small pools but again loads of fun, and the bike helped with the occasional steep incline (I chose to not employ the battery unless I had to, so on the flat or downhill sections I used basic manual propulsion, I didn’t feel I was cheating too much then). After 4km I finally found some tarmac and stopped to take in the views of Llyn Teifi in the valley below. Eventually my ride had to come to an end in Pontrhydfendigaid (please don’t ask me to pronounce it).

What an amazing 3 days of riding I had experienced.

In summary, the main question you need to ask yourself is, how many people would actually go skiing if they had to make their way to the top of the mountain under their own steam?

The answer is simple so discard any pre-conceptions and embrace the e-revolution because I’m definitely up for anything that makes my MTB experience in anyway easier and more

fun. I’ve had to confront a prejudice, I assumed the whole e-ethos was going to be monotonous, with no place in cycling but what I discovered was very different.

It was a revelation; the innovation and technical advances have created a new breed of e-bikes. Are they a viable option? I think so, yes! I was surprised by the amount of fun I experienced, it just felt right, and still does. Ok, I haven’t completely moved over to the dark side, I don’t feel like I am betraying the purity of cycling, I’m just prepared to acknowledge the many benefits of a battery.

Everywhere I went everybody was promoting sustainable tourism and cycling is a big part of this focus.

This was perfectly highlighted by a conversation I had with a friendly local at the sports centre in Pontrhydfendigaid, his positive enthusiasm for cycling and what it can bring to the community was so infectious, especially as there has been a decline in the area’s fortunes over the past couple of years. I hope through the commitment and desire of Drover Holidays, the Elan Valley Estate and the locals it will become a complete success because it definitely deserves it. Every one of my Welsh experiences has been an absolute joy and this was no different, the people, the welcome, the scenery and the all-round fun. Get your butts into gear and get yourself to the Cambrian Mountains and utilise the services of Drovers Holidays because they cater for your every need. A positive thumbs up to electric power, Drover Holidays and as always, Wales itself.

APRIL 2020 BIKE MAGAZINE 35

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36 BIKE MAGAZINE APRIL 2020

HELSINKI TO SINGAPORE

Travel

HELSINKI TO SINGAPORE

APRIL 2020 BIKE MAGAZINE 37

HELSINKI TO SINGAPORE

My wife and I are cycling from Helsinki to Singapore for charity and, honestly, since we started this amazing adventure we haven’t once wondered why or have had any regrets but every time someone asked the “why” the first answer has always been “why not?!”.

After weeks of eye scratching Internet research, we thought we had found THE bike that was going to take us all the way to Singapore. So we bought bus tickets and travelled 500 kms to a specialised retailer in France, took them for a test drive and realised that we actually hated them.

Luckily Guillaume, the friendliest man ever and a touring bike know-itall, had a couple of Genesis in stock…

And it was love at first sight! Why? Well, let’s see…

Although we are bike travellers, we are also humans, and the first thing that makes you fall in love is undoubtedly looks. Genesis Bikes knows this way too well and has been making beautiful pedalpowered machines which scream handsomeness for a few years now. This is of course also true of their touring bikes; the Tour de Fer Series (hereafter TdF). It does not only have impeccable geometry, but also comes in wicked colours. Again, cyclists, but also humans.

At first sight the TdF might look like a beefed up version of Genesis’ almost legendary Croix de Fer, but it’s in fact so much more than that.

Touring bicycles, such as the TdF, are made not just to be resistant and allow for many bag carriers (among other things) to be installed, but are also designed to be comfortable since we tend to spend much more time than the average cyclist on them. Some manufacturers sacrifice performance in order to offer a very

comfortable ride but Genesis seems to have found the perfect balance.

We have been on our TdF 20 for a year now and not once did we have posture related soreness in limbs, joints or muscles.

In a way that’s hard to describe, one way of knowing that this touring bike does exactly what it says on the tin is the fact that it actually feels better when fully loaded than when riding naked finding the latter a bit nervous around the corners and running out of gears a bit too quickly.

Ok. It rides well and it looks swell.

I suppose these are personal traits which we could argue over for hours so, let’s have a look at some specs; To start with, the frame is constructed using heat-treated Reynolds 725 steel tubing (about as good as it gets for bicycle touring) which it’s made to go around the world. Steel is easy soldered anywhere on this planet and it provides attributes such as durability and vibration absorption both ideal attributes when considering a new travel machine. Apart from these, and as far as steel frames go, the stronger structure of the material also allows for smaller tubes which mean lighter bikes.

Secondly, this bike also boasts some pretty good wheels; Sun Ringle Rhyno Lite 36 holes rims are, again, pretty much ideal for a touring bike giving some extra resistance when

Aurelie and Marco Instagram: @421adventure Web: 421adventure.wordpress.com

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fully loaded and better shock absorption. All TdFs come fitted with Schwalbe Marathon Mondial; definitely not an off-road tyre but an excellent road touring one which gave us our first puncture after over 6000 kms.

Eventually we had to change them and we decided to fit a slightly more off-road model, the GT365, and so far it has impressed us both on wet tarmac/mud and on very loose gravel/sand. Still on the wheels, these come fitted with Shimano Promax mechanical disc brakes; not the best on the market but are easily maintained wherever you are and whose pads are ready available in shops everywhere we’ve been so far. And before we move on, the TdF 20 and 30 come fitted with a top of the range SP PD-8 dynamo which, although it has caused us some problems while on the road, is still a pretty good choice for lighting those powerful B&M Lumotec IQ-X lights (the best dynamo-powered front light I’ve ever had the chance to use on a bicycle) or used with a dynamo charger to power up your devices as you ride.

Another great component is of course the drive train. We firmly believe that Shimano Deore is probably one of the best choices for any bike tourer who is planning to climb up at any point. We had thought about upgrading to a TdF 30 which comes with Shimano Tiagra but I must admit that we were worried about our knees suffering way too much on those steep hills. Deore is also durable and easy to maintain which, again, is something that should always be on your mind when considering travelling too far far away places.

The last reason why we seriously loved this bike from the very first few strokes is the handlebar. We define ourselves as mountain bikers hence we don’t have too much experience with drop bars, but if you check out any blogs on the subject you will immediately see that this is probably one of the biggest debates when it comes to bike touring. Our only advice on the matter is to go with whatever you find more comfortable and in our case it’s flat bars. The TdF 20 comes fitted with a 12 degrees back sweep handlebar which it’s not just comfortable, it also feels very natural while riding, there is plenty of space left-over for whatever gadgets or accessories you want to stick on there and they also come with some pretty sleek looking ergonomic grips which offer two hand positions and are made with a very resistant material which is still holding up fantastically after a year under the sun, rain and all kind of temperatures.

Apart from these “must haves”, the TdF 20 also comes with a pack of fun little extras, which are always nice, such as a very

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functional and practical spare spokes holder on the seat stay (life saver), a very nice set of pedals (although we love our SPDs so we immediately took them off), not one, not two, but three bottle holders, back and front Tubus carriers and last but not least the previously mentioned B&M lights which are just out of this world.

However nothing is perfect and we have noticed a couple of issues which might give the guys at Genesis something to lose some sleep over. To mention a trivial one; in size XS you’ll find challenging fitting any bottles beneath the down tube. After entering many shops, we finally found one small enough in Iran!

At the top of the “serious concerns section” there’s the wheel clearance;

Genesis has obviously put a lot of effort into making this bike an all-rounder but for some reason they decided to go with a pretty slim frame design which gives anyone who is into serious off-road travelling a dead good reason to look elsewhere. Using Schwalbe as a reference, the maximum size is 35C with mudguards and 38C without.

Frankly, although we haven’t had the need for wider tires yet, I do dread the day when this will be an issue and, even though we are happy with the current tires, we have run into some problems while on very muddy paths in Russia.

In fact, although TdFs come fitted with some great fenders, mud is mud and with the right conditions it builds up in the rear (close to the seat tube) and stops the wheel from turning.

To finish with, just a quick note about the saddle provided which has a nice, soft feel and looks good, but it’s only really suitable for commuting since it will definitely leave you cursing after only a couple of hours. Comically, in the specs they refer to this as the Genesis Comfort!

The Tour de Fer 20 is a great out-ofthe-box bike which has great perks like its geometry and the components which are built to last. Hopefully in the future the wheel clearance will be improved but meanwhile we love ours and we definitely feel that it’s still a very good buy whether to take a quick stroll halfway across the globe or cycle twenty miles down the road to work every day.

APRIL 2020 BIKE MAGAZINE 41

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42 BIKE MAGAZINE APRIL 2020

DESTINATION

DENMARK

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DENMARK

Fanø to Skagen Inspirational trip

The first tour around central Jutland went really well so we moved on up to North Jutland and did a second mini tour from Aalborg to Skagen.

Fanø to Nysø We packed up our tent and loaded the bikes with our panniers. Katrin the woman who owned the camp site on Fanø had very kindly agreed to let us leave the car there until we got back. It great to be back on the bikes again and especially on Fanø as it just felt that we were back 20 years ago. When we got to the port we had just missed the ferry, the next one wasn’t until 1:10pm so as we had an hour to spare so we decided to go and have a pancake at the Panakoken Hause which as normal was absolutely yummy. We caught the 10 past 1 o’clock ferry which left on time and it soon had us at the ferry terminal at Esbjerg. We had decided to take bike route 2 to Varde. The first part of the route was through the port and the industrial part of Esbjerg it was full of supply and construction boats for offshore wind farms. We then past the the ‘Blue Water’ shipping company which I seem to remember from the last time we were in Esbjerb. As always there was a good bike route with traffic lights for the bikes and as we got to the main roads underpasses to take you under them. In the distance we could see the big white statues of the ‘Men of the Sea’ which we remembered seeing from the ferry back in 1999, we just had to see them close up. They are clearly quite a tourist attraction now with a large car park and hot drinks stall and it was impossible to get a photo without anyone in it, but at least it gave them some scale. Our route from there took us on a gentle climb up through Fovrfeld a residential area on the outskirts of Esbjerg into the countryside of central Jutland. Our

first village was Guldager with its typical white church and on through quiet countryside to Alslev where we stopped at the Dagli Brugsen to pick up some juice and a few snacks.

Soon after leaving the village we came across a small holding with all the animals outside, including a large flock of chickens which is kind of unusual in Denmark as they generally keep their livestock in sheds.

Christine Grimm

We soon reached the outskirts of Varde on a good bike route, we had thought of missing out the center but the route looked busy with traffic and it had no bike route so we stuck to route 2 which took us into the center past a set of military barracks for the Danish Sargent’s school. When we were in the center of Varde I must have missed the route 2 sign as we carried on along a good bike route that was separated from the road.

It wasn’t until it ran out at a busy junction did I check the SatNav and realised my mistake. We had planned on staying at a shelterplad only a few miles away but there was another marked on our map so we headed up the road that we were on. The traffic was a little heavy as it was clearly rush hour at Varde and the road had no bike route. Thankfully we weren’t on it for very long as we couldn’t find the shelter pod marked on our map so we took a track through the plants that would take us across to

“first village was Guldager with its typical white church and on through quiet countryside”

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the road that we should have been on. Just as we got into the woods John spotted a sign for a shelterplad so we turned up the track and found it.

Unfortunately it didn’t have a water supply and there was a woman there with 5 screaming kids who were clearly going to stay the evening. We decided to go and find the one we had planned at staying at, I wonder why? We continued back up the track and just as we got to the road John spotted a forest information board and it showed that there was a second shelterplad marked near a lake a little further on, we decided to have a look for that one. A short distance along the road there was a forest center and I said to John let’s get some water as there might not be any at the shelterplad as there wasn’t any at the last one. There was a car parked outside and I rang the bell several times but there was no answer and just as I was leaving I spotted an outside tap on a barn. I said to myself I am sure no one will mind if I fill up our water container. With the water container full and strapped to my bike we headed off to find the shelterplad.

A track through the woods brought us out to a large lake with several picnic benches and a large grill under a wooden shelter. It was a beautiful spot and the lake was clearly the result of sand and gravel workings and there were several people on the beach some of whom were swimming, we didn’t blame them as it was a lovely summer’s evening.

We didn’t know whether he could camp there so we decided to cook our evening

“Our route from Næsbjerb took us through some quiet little lanes to Øse where we joined bike route 7” meal using the table in the grill hut. Whilst we were cooking I went to have a look for the shelterplad it was in fact only 50m away in small clearing just a short distance from the grill hut. There were three shelters and someone was cooking dampers on the fire in the middle. I said ‘hello’ and ‘it looks quite busy here’, the guy who was cooking dampers said that there was one shelter free but I said that there is no problem as we have

a tent and we will put it up near the grill hut.

After we had eaten our evening meal we put up the tent on a nice grassy spot. The family who were cooking dampers came past to use the loo. They were Danish and had come to the lake to stay the evening in the shelterplad and to go mountain biking around the trails in the forest. It was so lovely to see a family enjoying the outdoors. it was a super warm summer evening and we were treated to a lovely sunset, John just couldn’t stop taking photographs. Soon after we had gone to bed I heard footsteps on the gravel, there seem to be someone in the grill hut where we had parked our bikes. As it was dark I grabbed a torch and went over to see who it was. I think he was more surprised to see me, he introduced himself as Sebastian he had intended to sleep in the Shelterplad but on seeing it busy and being late he didn’t want to disturb those there so had decided to kip down in the grill house, he hadn’t noticed our tent in the dark. I wished him a good evening and I settled back into our tent.

Nysø to Vorbasse We woke to a lovely sunny morning and it didn’t take us long to have some breakfast and pack the tent up. As there were a few caches in the forest we did a little bit of a circular route around the lake to take in a few of the caches that were close to the tracks before leaving the forest. It was a shame that we couldn’t have spend more time in the forest as there were some good caches but as it was nearly 11.30am we thought that we had better get going as we still had a long way to go if we were to get to Vorbasse. Our route from the forest was on easy gentle quiet roads and after an hour or so we got to Næsbjerb. As we entered the village we came across their recycling center, it was so nicely laid out and clean, there was even a brush and shovel there for keeping it clean. Why can’t we have things like this in the UK? In the village center we stopped at the Brugsen to buy some lunch and opposite and next to the church was a picnic bench. It looked very new and the planting around it was also new.

As we were brewing up a couple of elderly gentleman came past and said something to us in Danish, we explained that we were English and didn’t understand Danish. They clearly didn’t speak English but we got the gist that they were pleased that we were using their new picnic bench.

After our lunch we had a look around the church, it was good to find one open as most of the churches in Denmark are usually closed. We really like the Danish churches they look so lovely with their white painted render and the graveyards are always so immaculate. As we looked around there was

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a boy clipping the hedges and we felt a bit guilty in walking on the pea shingle which had been racked with lovely lines. Our route from Næsbjerb took us through some quiet little lanes to Øse where we joined bike route 7 which then took us through Nordenskov and on to Tofterup.

Along the road we came across a field that had been planted alongside with a flower bed. It looked lovely and such a great idea as it attracts bees and other insects which help with the pollination of crops. If only every farmer in the UK did something similar it would be great. At Wester Starup we stopped to have a look at the church and pick up the cache there. From Starup we could have continued on the bike route 7 to Vorbasse however it went a slightly longer route around by Hovburg. I could tell that John was getting tired so we decided to take the more direct route which saved us about 4km. The road was quiet and traffic free and after going through some heath land it was a reasonably flat road through

several plantations. On getting to the outskirts of Vorbasse I asked a boy who was building a wall as to where the campsite and a supermarket were and he pointed us in the right direction. It is always a worry when you get to somewhere as to whether the campsite will be there as our map was 20 years old! I think for our next tour we must buy and up-to-date map.

Vorbasse We said we would have a rest day here as it was John’s first ride and it was a good thing we did as it rained overevening and most of the morning. But by lunchtime it had stopped so we went and had a swim in the Fritidscenter leisure pool which was free as it was included in the campsite fee. After that we did a few geocaches around the village which was fun as they took us firstly to the Æ gaaedhus which was an interesting half timbered house in the center of the village complete with

some unusual sculptured stones.

We then went on to do a multi-cache at the ‘Vorbasse Krigshavn’ which is the small lake in the village. There is a theory that the name originated from the war in 1864 between the Danes and Germans. Legend has it that as it was announced that a hostile column of German soldiers on horseback was moving towards Vorbasse, the Danish dragoons gathered at the lake’s edge. From there they galloped out to face the enemy, fighting a mighty battle and sending the German hussars back home with their tails between their legs. Since then, the lake has been known as Vorbasse War Port. The lake has a small plastic warship floating in it which is ceremonially placed there each spring. It apparently did have the turret from a submarine in it at one point but this was moved to the campsite. Our last multi-cache took us to the site of the old railway line that used to run through Vorbasse.

Vorbasse to Lindknud We left the campsite and headed for the final stage of a multi-cache that we had worked the coordinates out for yesterday. It was in a small forest only 550m away from the campsite. When we got to GZ the cache was quickly found and while I was signing the log John had found several fungi to photograph.

Our route took us back towards the center back passed the campsite before turning south down a tree lined tarmacadam road which had a ‘Dead End’ sign with a little road coming out of the red bar. We hoped that you could get through with bikes. After a couple of miles the road became gravel alongside fields of golden barley and wheat. It was nice riding in the sunshine, we stopped at a small car park area where there was a picnic bench just for a drink. There was a sign showing details of a coast to coast walking route that

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ran through the footpaths. From there the gravel road became narrow and certainly not easily passable by a car.

We rode it OK until it became too sandy and it was difficult to ride so we had to push the bikes for quite a distance.

In the meantime the lovely morning sunshine had disappeared and the clouds had rolled in and we had a few showers as we pushed the bikes.

We must have had to push the bikes for about one and a half a mile which John found a bit hard on her back. It wasn’t until we got to a farm that we were back to a good gravel road. From there we cycled to a junction at Vittrup where there was a viewing point as it was was one of the highest points in Ribe county.

During the war the Nazi’s had set up a radio listening point there. Having climbed the tower for the view which wasn’t bad although the tower could have been a bit higher as the trees had grown up blocking the view to the north.

At the bottom there were some picnic benches so we stopped for a brew and some lunch. It was quite windy but we managed to have lunch without getting showered on. Just down the road from the viewing point was a cache in the woods so we decided to go and find it.

Well at least I did John got distracted by all the fungi in the wood and spent her time taking photographs of them while I found the cache. From there it was about 1 mile on the gravel road until we met the main road to Lindknud which thankfully was a tarmac road.

It was only a couple of miles to Lundkund and part way along the road at Langdyssen we stopped to have a look at ‘Store Jyndovn’ a Viking long barrow. It is a 117m long and 8m wide long barrow from the Neolithic period, which is one of the largest prehistoric monuments in South Jutland. The barrow dates to around 3500 BC and is clear evidence of the earliest farmers’ views about the dead and their treatment. We had seen similar sites in Denmark on our previous tours. From there it didn’t take us long to get to the outskirts of Lindknud. Just as we stopped to get our bearings l noticed that there was a cache a few hundred metres just down the track to our left so we thought we would take that in as our way into the village. It was just as we had got a couple of hundred yards down the track that we came across the shelter pod. It seemed quite new and well appointed with a fireplace and earth closet the only thing that it didn’t have

was any water. We contemplated using the shelters but unfortunately the wind was blowing directly into them, so as there was good grass we would pitch the tent behind a small copse of trees that would give us shelter from the strong wind. Having pitched the tent and whilst John was organising the gear inside I nipped into the village to get some water.

Lindknud to Torp We had a very comfortable evening at the shelter pod. As there had been good grass and it had been quite windy the shelters were a bit exposed so we had elected to use the tent instead. I had woken early and as we had run out of milk I nipped off to the Brugsen in the village to get some and a few rolls for our lunch. With the tent packed up we headed around the village to take in a couple of the local caches before heading off on the bike route towards Holsted.

It had been lovely and sunny earlier in the day but as we cycled on the cloud cover increased and it looked more likely that it might rain.

When we got to Brørup gammel Kirke there was a funeral taking place which is always very sad to see. The road from Brørup gammel Kirke once we had left the main road was a nice surfaced gravel road which took us through some farms towards Tirslund. We stopped for some lunch at the Tirslundstenen which is a 3.5m high glacial erratic granite stone, which is 16 metres in circumference and it is the largest stone in Jutland and the second

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largest in Denmark. It had been threatening to rain all morning but we managed to make a brew under the trees and escaped most of a small shower.

When we got to Tirslund we picked up bike route 6 which took us on to Holsted Stationsby which was another rather dreary Danish town. Denmark is rather funny in that its villages are usually very nice but their small towns can sometimes be a bit dull and dreary.

After seeing a train go through at the railway crossing in town and finding a shop for some supplies we headed off again on bike route 6 towards Hejrskov where the bike route passed under the railway line. At Sønder Lovrup we turned off the bike route 6 and took in a few caches on the road north of the river Holsted. As we were riding along the road near Varho we could see dark black clouds ahead of us which looked like heavy showers and we hoped that it would miss us. We stopped to put our waterproof tops on and debated as to whether to put on bottoms as well but we thought it would miss us.

Unfortunately it didn’t and our shorts got absolutely soaked. Fortunately for us the shower didn’t last long and we

cycled through it and then we were treated to a lovely full rainbow which made up for the soaking. After the heavy shower the sun came out and by the time we got to Gørding kirke we were nearly dry. We stopped at the church to pick up a cache and then headed for Torp where we hope to stop for the evening.

On getting to Torp we had the choice of camping at a organic farm or stay at a shelter pod. We decided to look for the shelter pod which we knew was near the scout place. There was a sign for the scout place that took us down a track to some cabins where judging by all the parked cars and the noise of people was the scout place but no sign of the shelter pod. We decided to go and camp at the organic farm back up the road. It was a lovely place with very friendly people who had dogs, cats and ducks. One of their cats took a liking to us. She was a gorgeous tortoiseshell cat and being the cat friendly couple we are we gave her loads of fuss and she stopped with us while we cooked and ate our evening meal. When we decided to put our heads down we gently put her outside, but she just climbed back in through the vent. We closed that and

popped her back out again. She had clearly decided that she was going to sleep with us come what may and then she cramponed her way up to the top of the tent and yowled. The damage to the tent had been done, so we just let her in and she spent the evening curled up between us under the duvet.

Torp to Fanø When we got up in the morning I checked the damage to our flysheet, there were 37 holes where the cat had cramponed up it. Oh well it was our fault we shouldn’t have encouraged her in. What with the holes that the sheep had put in it when we were in Norway two years ago, it will definitely have to go off to Scottish Mountain Gear for some repairs. We had some repair tape with us but we didn’t want to overstay our welcome so we decided to leave it until we got back to Fanø. We decided to pack up the tent and stop and have our breakfast somewhere further up the road. We said our goodbyes and paid the woman for our stay and headed off.

Luckily just about a mile up the road we found a shelter by the side of the

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through a park and then through some residential areas with modern flats although there was a bit of a head wind coming off the water. Fortunately the bike route took us inland to Voerbjerb past some allotments and summer houses to a small lake which was clearly used for water skiing. The route was lovely as apart from a very short section alongside the main road we had been on tracks and we hadn’t seen any cars.

road with a table and benches. The only thing was that it was guarded by an enormous Hornet on the wood work.

Fortunately it seemed docile and as soon as the sun warmed it up it flew off.

Suitably refreshed from our breakfast we headed off towards Esbjerg along bike route 6. It was easy cycling and the bike route was clearly marked. There were a few caches along the route which always makes the cycling a bit more fun. At Tjæreborg we stopped at a Brugesen for some lunch and very conveniently there was a picnic bench outside for us to eat and brew up on.

At Sønderby we joined route 1 and followed this all the way into Esbjerg. It is a long straight road but it has a cycle track running alongside it away from the road so it was pleasant to ride on.

We could see the large tower from the power station near the docks in Esbjerg so we knew we didn’t have that far to go. Fortunately some very kind cacher had put a whole lot of caches along the cycle-path so it helped to keep John going as I could tell that she was by now getting tired. We remembered this route as we had done this part of bike route into Esbjerg 20 years ago and to be honest it didn’t seem to have

changed that much. We were soon in Esbjerg and at the ferry terminal for the Fanø ferry. We were lucky with our timing as just as we bought our tickets the guy told us to hurry as the ferry was just about to leave. It was good to be back on Fanø and we decided to celebrate by stopping at the Pannekoken Haus for a well earned pancake before getting back to the campsite. All in all it was a good little tour which proved to John that she could still do it.

Aalborg to Skovgården Shelter pod We had arranged with the campsite owner that we could leave our car in a field adjacent the campsite. So having packed everything up on the bikes I left the car where the woman had indicated and we set off. Our plan was to head west from Aalborg on bike route 55 to get to the coast and then follow route 1 up the coast as far as Skagen. After all the heavy rain that we had had yesterday it was a bright sunny day as we followed the the bike route which took us past the port and then over a pedestrian and cycle bridge over the river to the northern side of Aalborg.

It was pleasant cycling on bike routes

Just before Torpet we continued on what must have been an old railway line which continued all the the way to Aabybro and a little way beyond.

The first bit was on fine gravel but at Biersted it became tarmac. It was so pleasant to ride along with fields of wheat and barley interspersed with a few woods. At Vadum there was a little diversion off the railway line via some small country lanes but after a couple of miles we were back on the old track bed. One kind cacher had placed lots of caches along the way which made for a bit of fun finding them. At Biersted we stopped for some lunch at the Shelter pod that was just off the bike route before continuing on along the old railway path till we got to Aabybro. Here we stopped to buy some supplies but as we left the town we picked up the bike route which again followed the old railway line which finally stopped at Ryå where we met a road which fortunately had a convienient bus shelter so we took advantage of its seat to stop and have a brew.

From Ryå we were now on proper roads but there wasn’t much traffic. We cycled on for a few more miles amidst woods and farmland until we got to Moseby where we started to look for the Shelter pod. We got to where it was marked on the Shelter app and there was a small wooden sign with faded writing on it and we could so easily have missed it.

We followed a track down through the woods which brought us out in a field and the Shelter pod was just down the field edge. There were two shelters and a camp fireplace. The shelters were in good repair and after I had popped along to one of the houses that were back on the road to get some water we settled in for the evening. The shelters were nicely situated as they caught the evening sunshine and later after we had eaten our evening meal we were treated to a lovely sunset.

Skovgården Shelter pod to Løkken

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We had a very peaceful evening and we had been quite comfortable in the shelter. After some breakfast we packed the bikes and headed off towards the coast. We were initially on quiet roads and at Mosetoget we stopped at a small grassed area where there was an old locomotive and a few wagons on a small length of track apparently it was a train that was used to move clay to a brickmakers nearby. There was a multi cache associated with the spot so we decided to solve the questions and find it. The final stage took us through the lovely woods that were close by. A little further on we picked up route 1 and the route then took us through into a small forest on good tracks which eventually brought us into Blukhaus.

Blukhaus is very much a seaside town which although it has a very modern with a central square surrounded by modern shops it had some lovely old thatched buildings most of which seem to be restaurants or bars. We stopped at the Tourist information office where I bought an up to date map. Although we have moved to using electronic maps on my phone and the bike routes in Denmark are well marked I still quite like following a paper map in the map case on my barbag I have decided .

As we were in a town we decided that as it was lunchtime we would find a restaurant and have some lunch.

Suitably refreshed we headed off along route 1 which took us through the town and on to the strand. It was very much like the strand on Fanø with hard packed sand

which was easy to ride on but unlike Fanø strand this went on for 15km to Løkken. Like Fanø strand cars and buses drive up and down it and there were cars and camper vans parked in various points along the beach with people bathing and children building sandcastles or flying kites. As I was cycling along an ice-cream van came alongside and I had a chat with the guy driving it. He was asking us how far we had come and how far we were going. I asked him how the ice cream sales were going and he wanted the weather to warm up a bit more as proportionally he sold more ice-cream as the temperature went up. We stopped part the way along the strand to try and take a photo of the both of us to put on our Facebook page.

We wanted to get both us and the bikes in the shot so a handheld selfie with my phone wasn’t going to work so I was trying to balance my phone on the top of a litter bin when a couple on bikes stopped and the young woman asked me if it would be easier if she could take the photo for us. They were a young couple from Copenhagen who were staying in one of the chalets that were dotted about in amongst the dunes. We thanked them and wished them well for the rest of of their holiday.

It was just while I was putting my phone away that I noticed a man running across the dunes towards us. He was stark naked and ran passed us dodging the cars that were passing and ran into the sea and began swimming. Clearly a common occurrence on Danish beaches as no one batted an eyelid! As we got towards Løkken the sand started to get a bit soft so we had to move on to the wave washed hard pack next to the sea. It was lovely cycling along with the waves crashing gently to our left. We soon got to Løkken and turned up the hard and into the town itself. Løkken is another big seaside resort, after visiting a supermarket we soon found the campsite. It was a nice campsite more geared up for caravans and it had a lot of cabins for hire.

I asked for a quiet location and the guy at the reception directed me to a nice grassy area between a row of cabins and not too far from there kitchen and lounge area. This must have been one of the best we have come across it was really

light and clean with superb cooking facilities. It gave us an opportunity to relax and charge up the phones and chat with some Danish couples who were watching a local football match on the TV in the lounge area..

Løkken to Lønstru It was quite overcast as we set off this morning and as we left Løkken there was a very unusual sky, the clouds all looked pockmarked. I have never seen such a cloud formation like it before. Our route this morning was generally on small roads as we cycle out of Løkken and at Nørre Lyngby we past a sign to the ‘Fishermans Rest’ an English Pub selling ‘Fish & Chips’.

If it hadn’t been so early in the day we might have been tempted! When we got to Sønder Rubjerg route one took us along a main road which in comparison to others was fairly busy with tourist traffic going to visit the Rubjerg Knude Fyr. We stopped at a museum just north of Nørre Rubjerg at the old coastal farm of Strandfogedgården it was very interesting as although it was in Danish it had some good exhibits explaining the geography and geology of the North Jutland coastline.

After stopping for some lunch at the museum we headed back up the road and a little further on from the museum we could see the huge sand dunes that make up Lønstrup Klint that dominates that part of the coast. Situated in amongst them is the Rubjerg Knude Fyr. It is a lighthouse that sits on the top of Lønstrup Klint which is a 60m cliff above sea level. The lighthouse was originally built in 1900 but eventually stopped functioning as a lighthouse in 1968. The sands shifted so quickly that the original buildings that were surrounding it that were once used as a museum and coffee shop were swallowed up by the shifting sands and were abandoned in 2002 and later demolished in 2008. The lighthouse tower remains but not for much longer as the erosion on that coast line is 1.5m a year and by 2023 the lighthouse will probably have fallen into the sea. It was a good walk across from the carpark to the lighthouse and back and there were a couple of caches to find along the way. We had a good view from the top of the lighthouse looking back in land at the lovely white painted Kirke at Gammel Venebjerg.

From the Rubjerg Knude Fyr it was only

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a short ride into Lønstrup and it was good timing as it was 5.30pm, time to find the supermarket and then the campsite. Our timing was also just right again as no sooner had we got the tent up at the campsite then it started to rain. Fortunately the campsite had a kitchen and a place to eat our evening meal. That evening as we got into our tent we found we had a visitor, a great big toad who had clearly come out with the rain to have an explore around for food.

Lønstrup to Hirtshals After last evening’s rain we woke to a bright sunny morning and after packing up the tent we sat outside the kitchen area to eat our breakfast and to soak up the morning sunshine. After our breakfast we headed back up route 1 which was mostly on small roads through a myriad of summerhouses through Harrerenden and then the seaside resort of Skallerup. Just after Skallerup we must have made a slight wrong turn somewhere as we ended up in the Klithusegaarden equestrian center which didn’t seem to matter as it was open to the public. We stopped for a while to look at the horse and ponies and watch a farrier shoeing a horse which we always find fascinating.

The route from there took us to the Skallerup Inlanddunes reserve. Just as we got to the little visitors center we meet a family of tourers who were cooking a meal on a Trangia stove on the picnic bench outside. They were a family from Sweden cooking up their lunch, I said that it smelt good but the young lad didn’t look too impressed.

They had been out touring for a few days and staying in the shelterpads en route. They reckoned that they now needed a campsite for a good shower.

We told them that the site at Lønstrup was good and had good showers.

The visitors center was interesting as it was clearly an converted old barn. What was interesting was the fact that the bike route was signposted right through it. Unfortunately the interpretive boards were all in Danish but we got the gist of what was on the reserve. Several Swallows had made their nests in the roof of the center and kept flitting in and out of the two entrances and there were several young Swallows sitting on the roof beams waiting to be feed.

Once we had left the reserve we were back going through to open farmland with some ripe Oat fields ready to be

harvested near Kæsgård.

From there the bike route took us through the Tornby Plantage.

We decided to stop for some lunch at a couple of picnic benches at a car park just into the woods.

There were a couple of other tourers sat at one of them and we said hello and got chatting to them.

They were Isabelle and Peter from Colorado who were doing the North Sea Bike route from Bergen to Hamburg. We talked about how we had toured parts of the NSCR ourselves and they were interested in doing the British section which we haven’t as yet done. We talked about that idiot Trump, they like us couldn’t believe that he got elected. They said that in the poor Afro-American areas they had to queue for up to 4 hours to vote as they had deliberately put in too few polling stations. We talked about the Shelter pod and I showed them the Shelter app.

After a long chat we finally said our goodbyes and wished them well for the rest of their tour.

The track through the plantage was undulating and at one point we came to a bend in the track and there was a proper road sign with ‘Løse Sten’ written on it. Sure enough there was a steep drop to a bend with loose stones which we took carefully. What bike route in a forest in the UK would have a proper road sign or even a warning sign of some sort? The plantage was clearly popular with horse riders as we came across several. When we got to the outskirts of Hirtshals we spotted the lighthouse and the sign to the bunker museum and we turned in to have a look at it. They opened up one of the Bunkers and there was an exhibition in it and a couple of the rooms laid out as they would have been during WWII. Outside there were an extensive network of bunkers and radar stations.

We explored a few of them and then had a look at the lighthouse climbing right to the top.

Hirtshals to Tversted Plantage We wanted to go on the Bunker tour which was at 2.00pm so we decide to go to the Nordsøen Oceanarium in the

morning. The Nordsøen Oceanarium is the biggest sea life center in Northern Europe and it was quite interesting place with numerous different tanks full of different types of fish which you could get right close to see the fish. It was a enormous building with several levels and you really need the plan they gave you to navigate around it.

We heard announcements for the Seal feeding and it took awhile to work out how to get there as it was outside but up a level. When we eventually found it was one of the best bits as the seals were so comical when feeding and it was quite fun to watch. After having some lunch at the restaurant in the Oceanarium we headed back over to the lighthouse and the Bunker museum only to find that I had misread the sign and that they only did the tours in July.

We decided anyway to go explore the area ourselves. One of the bunkers had been taken over by the local primary school and the children had turned it into a garden. It was quite nice to see a icon of war turned into something peaceful.

After exploring the various bunkers which were very similar to the ones we had explored on Fanø we thought we had better get going if we were to get to Skagen. On getting back to the bikes we bumped into 9 Norwegian guys who were touring on various odd bikes, there was 3 guys on a extended tandem pulling a huge Plastic Tuborg beer bottle on a trailer, two guys on cargo bikes one with a trailer with a sound system on it.

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And a couple of others on standard bikes with trailers. We got chatting to them they had just got off the ferry and were going to tour around Denmark. They had been doing this tour together for the last 12 years, we called it the ‘Jolly Boys Outing’ after the Only Fools and Horses TV show.

We said our goodbyes and wished them well for their tour. It didn’t take us too long to get back across Hirtshals and back on to route 1. We were soon back on easygoing gravel tracks through the woods of the Lillelien Klitplantage. John always likes cycling through woods as there are usually plenty of fungi to photograph and at one point she found this huge Wood Ant nest which must have been at least 3ft high. Unfortunately the good weather of the morning hadn’t lasted and it become overcast but it wasn’t cold. The route took us along more forest tracks through the Uggerby Plantage where we came across this amazing mobile wood chipper. The guy operating it was so adept with his use of the grab arm and he made short work of clearing a huge pile of fir tree tops and brashings.

As we approached Tversted the track passed through sand dunes and there was a lovely arched bridge over the Uggerby Å. When we got to Tversted village we ask a guy for directions to a supermarket and he directed us to one that was only a couple of hundred meters down the road. Suitably provisioned up we head back onto route 1 on a small road until we got the Tversted Plantage where we were again back on to forest tracks.

We soon found the Shelter pod which was just off the track near the Østerklit Stokmølle which was a lovely old mill.

One of the shelters was being used by a family so went and used the other one. I went over to the mill to get some water and we sat in the shelter having a brew.

The family in the other shelter packed up their bikes and headed off, we thought it was a little late to be setting off. But about 5 minutes after they left it absolutely threw it down with rain, 10 minutes later the family reappeared and got back in the shelter. It rained solidly for the rest of the evening so it was probably a good idea that the family did turn back as they would have got absolutely soaked.

Tversted Plantage to Skagen After it had been raining all evening we woke to a beautiful morning. What a lovely spot to wake up in. It was quite still and there was a mist over the heath and heather and the windmill looked pristine white in the morning sun. Everything

was steaming in the morning sunshine after the evening’s rain and there were small frogs jumping across the path as I walked across to the mill to go to the loo. There were Swallows and House Martins zooming around the building and perching on the sails of the windmill.

Inside the windmill the old machinery was all still there and there were some old wagons and a sledge. As I returned I met John coming across the heath she too commented on the number of frogs.

On my return I got the stove going and we had breakfast. One of the nice things about using the shelter pod is that you don’t have a tent to pack up and after last evening’s rain it would have taken a while to dry it out, although in the morning sunshine it perhaps wouldn’t have take too long. Just before we left we went over to have a chat with the family who were in the other shelter. They were from Hungary and were cycle touring around Denmark and were off to Hirtshals the way we had come yesterday. They were hoping to go to the sealife center and we told them that they would enjoy it and we wished them well for the rest of their journey.

Our route to Skagen took us again on forest tracks out of the Tversted Plantage to Skiveren where there were some lovely thatched houses with pink rendered walls they reminded us of being back in Suffolk.

From Skiveren we joined a road which took us to the white painted Råbjerb Kirke. We had been heading east but a couple of miles from the Kirke we turned north on more tracks across heath and dunes and passed close to the Råbjerg Mile which was a huge set of sand dunes and we could see people standing on top of them. The whole of this top end of Jutland is built of shifting sand moved by the action of wind and waves and the tip at Grenen above Skagen is growing daily.

From the Råbjerg Mile we back into the forest of the Bunken Plantage and guess what it was full of concrete bunkers but this time judging by the design these were not German bunkers from the Atlantic wall but looked more modern probably from the cold war. After the Plantage we came to the village of Hulsig where the bike route took us past the local railway station just as train was about to come in so we stopped to have a look. They were spanking new trains with sliding doors and the carriage was level with the platform and we watched a woman easily push her bike onto the train. They were so much nicer than our old Greater Anglia trains.

From Hulsig our route took us north on a

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good tarmac bike route initially across heathland and then in to the into the Skagen Klitplantage. It was a popular bike route and we met quite a lot of recreational cyclists. In the forest there several picnic benches along the path complete with there on water standpipe, these Danes have things well organised. We soon reached Kirkkilit where our campsite was. It was a lovely afternoon when we got to the campsite and we put up the tent and got the gear inside. We decided that we would have a cup of tea before we headed off to have a look around Skagen. To save time we decided to use the cooking place at the campsite it gave us an opportunity to charge our phones. Mine phone being completely flat as I was without the e-werk.

I must admit both of us nearly fell asleep sitting there and John said if we don’t get going soon we will never get going. Just as we left the cookhouse it started to spit with rain so we hurried back to the tent. We hoped that it was a shower but it rained almost continuously throughout the rest of the afternoon, that evening and the evening. It was so heavy at one point during the evening that it woke us both up as it hammered down on the tent.

Skagen We woke to a reasonable morning which seemed to get better as the sun came out as we were having breakfast. There was was hardly a cloud in the sky then so we got everything out of the tent in the sun to dry it and get the tent dry after all that overevening rain. John kept saying that the clouds are starting to build and I don’t like the look of those clouds we need to hurry up. I said the forecast is for good weather. Anyway she was right as I had just rolled up the exped mats when it started to rain. There was a mad scrabble to grab towels and jackets that were out drying and we dived back into the tent. Fortunately it was a short shower and it came out sunny again. We were keen get the tent packed away dry as we were heading back to Aalborg on the train and then back home.

With everything packed away dry we headed off towards Skagen and on the way spotted the sign to The Sct. Laurentii Kirke known as ‘The Buried Church’. The original church had been buried in the shifting sands and what remains today is the whitewashed tower which dates back to the 15th century. The rest of the church was demolished in the 18th century and the church tower was left as a sea mark.

From there we rode into Skagen itself and stopped at the Kystmuseet which is an open air museum with examples of old Danish houses, windmills and an old Lifeboat House.We had a look around the center of Skagen and its port lined on one side with busling seafood restaurants before heading to the most northern point of Denmark the Grenen.

Along the way we came across the Vippefyr a most ingenious lighthouse beacon. It was such a simple idea as the beacon was on the end of a large counter weighted arm so the beacon could be easily raised and lowered in was originally built

in 1627 and the present one is a replica. The road out to the Grenen has a good cyclepath running alongside it and part way along we passed the ‘Grå fyr’ (grey lighthouse) which was built in 1858 as a replacement for the ‘Hvide fyr’ (white Lighthouse) which we had past earlier just north of the town.

The ‘Grå fyr’, which is 46 m high and was designed

by Danish architect N.S. Nebelong is Denmark’s second tallest lighthouse. The honour for the tallest being taken by the Dueodde Fyr on Bornholm, which is apparently one metre taller. We soon got to the carpark area for the Grenen which means ‘the branch’ in Danish which is a bank of sand on the Skagens Odde and is the most northern tip of Denmark where the Kattegat and Skagerrak seas meet. We did try and cycle to it but the road was too sandy so we returned to the car park area and caught the Sandormen (the sandworm) which is a large coach trailer pulled by a tractor. It took us right out to the point where the the Kattegat and Skagerrak seas converge. It was quite dramatic as the waves were crashing onto the spit from both sides there were black skies ahead and behind us.

John elected to take her boots off and stop with a foot in both seas.

On returning to the car park and our bikes the black skies over Skagen were very dramatic and we got some good photos before heading to the Skagen Bunker museum which was close by the to the carpark. It was a good move as just as we got there it started to rain. The Bunker museum was very interesting and by far the best we’ve seen in Denmark. Not only did it have some of the rooms recreated as they would have been in WWII it had some other relics from the german occupation.

The most chilling exhibit was the list of deaths by each country in WWII. When we got back out of the museum we had missed the heavy rain and headed back into the town. Our train to Aalborg wasn’t until 6.30pm so we decided to go and have something to eat at the seafood restaurants near the port. Suitably refreshed from that we head for the station. The local train to Frederikshavn was the same train that we had seen at Hulsig station and with its sliding doors and carriages at the same level as the platform it was so easy to wheel our bikes on to it. However when we got to Frederikshavn we had to change trains to an intercity train to Aalborg. These clearly hadn’t changed in the last 20 years as they still had the 3 huge steps to negotiate with our heavily laden touring bikes. Once we had them on the carriage there were places for them but it was hard work!

The train ride to Aalborg was fairly uneventful and we got off at Aalborg Vestby St. Although it was a high level station above the road it fortunately had a lift to get us and our bikes down to the street level. From the station it was a short distance along Kastetvej to the campsite where we found our car in the field next to the campsite. After loading the bikes onto the bike rack I quickly popped next door to see the woman in the campsite reception to tell her we were back a we had picked up the our car.

We then headed south to get us on our way home.

54 BIKE MAGAZINE APRIL 2020

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APRIL 2020 BIKE MAGAZINE 55

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56 BIKE MAGAZINE APRIL 2020

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