oslo city guide
Norwegian glossary (Alex) general:
riding styles:
un autobus — group that rides
à bloc — riding all out, as hard and fast
together to finish within time limit
as possible
une chute — fall, crash
la cadence — pedalling rhythm
un commissaire — referee who
la danseuse — out of the saddle un grimpeur — climber
travels by car un coureur — rider, cyclist
un puncheur — a rider, often smaller
un cycliste — rider, cyclist
in stature, literally with a punchy style, who
un directeur sportif — manager
excels on short climbs and sprints from small
un domestique — support rider
groups (e.g. Paolo Bettini)
un échappé — breakaway
un rouleur — a rider who specialises in
une équipe — team
steady, consistent riding. Rouleurs are often
un grupeto — same as autobus
‘super-domestiques’ able to provide a shelter
la lanterne rouge — last rider
for the team leader for hours at a time.
un peloton — pack, bunch
un sprinteur — sprinter
e patron — the “boss” of the peloton un poursuivant — chaser
equipment:
un soigneur — rider's assistant
un bidon — water bottle
un sprinteur — sprinter
un casque — helmet
la tête de course — leader
une crevaison — flat, puncture un dossard — number on rider's jersey un maillot — jersey une musette — feed bag un pneu — tire
Continued on page 16 »»
rapha city guide
“There were angels dining at the Ritz… ”
A brass band was playing ‘A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square’ as we cycled up to the roof of the Oslo’s Operahuset. Rising like pack ice out of the mirrorstill waters of the Oslofjord, the strikingly modern opera house was itself a huge white stage under a heavy grey sky. As the rooftop audience appreciated the jazz, we surveyed the city, spotting, between an office block and a hotel, the Holmenkollen ski jump high on the hill, to which we’d climbed that morning. Norway is a big country, with not much in it; it’s easy, from the Operahuset or from Holmenkollen, to admire the compact city that nevertheless contains fjords, mountains and woods within its boundaries. And it’s easy, on the bike, to appreciate clothing that takes you from mountain climb to opera house, through cold, persistent rain, in comfort and style. The journey between the two offered a different take on urban riding. The city’s quiet roads, green spaces and buildings painted in muted ochre colours are a world away from London, Paris or New York. It’s a place you might encounter, while cycling through the old town on a Saturday morning, wedding crowds in traditional dress, and more horses than cars on the road. But it’s also a city of fronts: where imposing exteriors conceal to design hotels, immaculate restaurants and bars playing techno late into the night. It’s sedate, but sophisticated; understated, elegant and relaxed. When you visit, use this guide to help you discover a different kind of city riding.
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The pros: Oslo 1993, the changing of the guard August 29, 1993: it was clear from the gun that many of the peloton did not fancy the day’s 257.6km World Road Race Championships course around Oslo. They had good reason: new tarmac, road paint and the unremitting, driving rain caused one of the most crash-afflicted Worlds in recent memory. When pros fall off riding uphill, something is amiss. Many big names were quickly shelled; some due to fatigue, some at sheer disgust at the conditions. Dag-Otto Lauritzen, local hero and first Norwegian to win a mountain stage in the Tour, was one of the principal animators; so too were Maurizio Fondriest and Claudio Chiappucci, both among the favourites. With them, in a small lead group in the penultimate lap, was a young Texan, a rider who seemed to thrive in the rain. And, as the final lap came, Armstrong, following Lauritzen up the biggest of the course’s two climbs, opened a small gap, saw discouragement in the faces behind him, kicked and was gone. The scant crowd cheered as he carefully descended the Ekeburg hill, site of many of the day’s crashes, to hit the long, flat run-in 18 seconds ahead. Only Chiappucci had the heart to give serious chase.
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Later, Armstrong was to claim that only by checking his cycling computer did he know it was the final lap. It doesn’t seem that way. Watch the video: the beefy Texan, whose great-grandparents were from Oslo, celebrates from 600 metres out, arms raised, a smile of disbelief on his rain-soaked face. The 21-year-old was the second-youngest World Champion ever, and the youngest since the war. In the sunny amateur race the previous day, 19year-old Jan Ullrich was the youngest to take the title since Merckx in ’64 – only two years after arriving at the first unified German Nationals with no cycling shoes, and nevertheless placing fourth. In the post-race photos he clutches a teddy bear, and looks impossibly young. From today’s vantage point, the day seems quietly pivotal. Stephen Roche, in his last international race, retired after five laps. Fignon, for whom the race was meant to be a swansong, decided his form was too poor to make a telling team contribution and ducked out the week before. Indurain, who still had two Tour victories in him, never got closer to the World Champion hoops than this second place. And two riders, who would loom large over the next dozen years, definitively announced themselves to the world. For better, or for worse, one era gives way to another.
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The locals: ski-ing and Styrkeprøven
Until recently, Norwegians were perhaps as likely to come to cycling as a summer respite from ski-ing as their top cyclists were to ski cross-country (great cardio-vascular and leg exercise) during the cold, dark winters. These days, ski-ing is still popular, but Edvald Boasson Hagen and others visit the Olympiatoppen, the national elite sport institute only a short ride from Oslo city centre, where the facilities include a giant rolling road for indoor cycling training. The alternative: spiked tyres, heated insoles and cycling through the blizzards. Despite the climactic difficulties, there is a competitive local racing scene, the highlight of which is, perhaps, the Styrkeprøven. These are long organised events, inspired by resistance fighter and cyclist Erik Gjems Onstad, who cycled the length of the country – and Finland and Sweden too – monitoring the Nazi’s retreat.
Though they’re open to all, at the top level the Styrkeprøven are fully supported team time trials, in which up to 30 riders from each club work together. The record for the longest Styrkeprøven – the 540-kilometre Trondheim-Oslo – is under 12 hours, at a 42km/h average. The prospect of giving your all for the team and being spat out of the back with 300km to go doesn’t bear thinking about. local clubs In Oslo for a while and looking for someone to ride with? Try contacting a local club. Rapha recommends: Sportsklubben Rye [check addreses with alex] www.sportsklubbenrye.no IF Frøy [check addreses with alex] www.froy.org
rapha city guide
Riding the city
Compared with many capital cities, riding in Oslo is easy and relaxing. If you stay away from the larger roads and dual carriageways north and east of the Operahuset, your journey unwinds on uncrowded roads, with, for the large part, careful and courteous drivers. Watch out, however, for the tramlines, which can catch a wheel and are slippery when wet. With the fjord to the south, Vigeland sculpture park to the north-east, the Munch Museum to the north-west and the Ekeberg to the east, Oslo is easy to navigate around. The Operahuset, kvadraturen (old town), town hall, palace and station are all central, within 5 minutes’ ride of each other. Frogner and Grünerløkka, Majorstuen and Bislett – all neighbourhoods worth visiting, are an easy cruise away. See below for bike-hire details, or use the municipal hire scheme. These bikes, which rather pleasingly resemble Choppers, have three hub gears and are great fun to ride. Some have a back-pedal brake; all are high-geared enough hit a decent speed.To use them, you need a swipe card, which can be picked up at the tourist offices next to the Natural History Museum and the station. Eighty kroner gets you a card for the day: keep each bike for up to three hours at a time, and you won’t be charged anything more. There are relatively few docking stations around town, but the city is small enough that you’ll make short work of all trips.
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Ride to… Kvadvaturen Oslo’s handsome old town, with its armoury, bank and crumbling brick buildings, is perfect for a Sunday afternoon spin. Ride to…the Vigeland sculpture park Created by artist Gustav Vigeland in the middle of the sprawling Frognerparken, the 32-hectare landscaped sculpture garden is home to 212 of the artists muscular, stylised sculptures celebrating the human form. Frognerparken: Nobels gate 32, 0268 Oslo Ride to… Akker Brygge and the boat to Bygdøy Once the heart of the city’s working docks, the area’s renovated warehouses are now home to shops, designer outlets and boutiques. In summer, visit the Solsiden restaurant, on the water, for the freshest seafood you’ll ever taste. Aker Brygge is also where the number 91 ferry bus stops. Take your bike on the boat to the suburb of Bigdøye, where museums await – or simply watch the sun going down from the weathered wooden dock, and the boats putt-putting through the fjord. Solsiden: Akershusstranda 13, Skur 34, 0150 Oslo Ride to… Holmenkollen For a challenging training ride, strike out to the north, towards the ever visible Holmenkollen ski-slope. The elegant steel structure seems to float in the air, and there’s a museum and coffeeshop to pass the time. Or punish yourself on the 6km climb, which leads to some of Oslo’s wilder roads. Kongeveien 5, 0787 Oslo rapha city guide
Refuel, repair, replenish… Eat, drink, sleep, and look after your bike. the hotel Grims Grenka, on the edge of the old town, is the first – and so far only – design hotel in Oslo. Come for modern rooms with Bang&Olufsen televisions, a stylish Scandinavian lobby, and, in the summer, a rooftop terrace. — Kongens Gate 5, 0153, Oslo www.firsthotels.com/Our-hotels/Hotels-in-Norway/Oslo/First-HotelGrimsGrenka the bakery United Bakeries is the perfect place to stop after a turn around the Vigeland Sculpture Park. Order hot chocolate, boller (spiced bun) or a range of patisseries at the white-tiled, shabby-chic counter, then try to bag a place in the sunny courtyard. — Frognerveien 58, 0266 Oslo www.united-bakeries.no the bike shop Raske Sykler, just north of the Slottsparken, is a trustworthy, independent bike shop that is well used to handling both road and mountain bike repairs. — Rasker Sykler, Pilestredet 47, 0350 Oslo. www.raskesykler.no
the pasta stop Bruno’s Proseccheria serves cold meats and large, warming bowls of pasta in an immaculately designed setting. Eat tagliatelle with blue cheese and walnuts, or linguine with locally caught seafood, surrounded by globes of light hanging from the ceiling, white china elephants and ceramic guns stuffed with red roses. Rådhusgata 30, 0151 Oslo www.proseccheria.no The coffee shop In a quiet side street off the main square of Grunerløkka sits Tim Wendelboe, one of the world’s premier coffee bars. With bare, blackened floorboards and no food, nor much furniture, on offer, the setting is austere. Pull up a wooden chair next to the roasting and bagging machines, listen to the scratchy transistor radio and lose yourself in one of the carefully selected brews. — Grunersgate 1, Oslo 0552 http://timwendelboe.no
Norwegian glossary (Alex) roads and courses:
riding phrases:
un col — mountain pass
chasse patate — ‘potato hunt’: riding
une côte — hill, slope
between two groups
une course — race
être dans la pampa — ‘to be in the pampa’:
une course par étapes — stage race une descente — downward slope
to end up cycling on one’s own, left behind ne pas passer un pont de chemin de
une étape — stage, leg
fer — 'unable to cross a railway bridge’: to be
la flamme rouge — red marker at
terrible at cycling up hills sucer les roués — ‘to suck wheels’:
one kilometre from finish les graviers — gravel
to stay close behind another rider
hors catégorie — a climb beyond
tenir le gouvernail — ‘to be at the helm’:
classification (extremely difficult)
to stay at the rear of the pack
les lacets — a succession of corners une montagne — mountain
finir sur la jante — ‘to end up on the rim’: to be completely knackered on arrival
une montée — upward slope
pédaler avec les Oreilles — ‘to pedal with
un parcours — route, course
one’s ears’: to pedal without technique or style
une plaine — plains, flat land
terminer la course dans l’etc —
une piste — track
‘to finish the race in the etc.’ : to finish near the bot-
une plaque de goudron — a patch
tom of the classification
of tar
verbs:
une route — road un virage — (dangerous) corner
accélérer — to accelerate
un virage en épingle à cheveux
s’accrocher à — to cling, hang on to
— hairpin bend
attaquer — to attack, spurt ahead changer d’allure — to change pace changer de vitesse — to shift gears courir — to ride
rapha city guide