Bergen - Oslo, cycling from the west to the east

The Hardanger Fjord

My first multi-day cycling trip was from Bergen, on the west coast, to Oslo, on the east side of Norway.

Route map (conceptual)

It's already a while ago - sometime in June, 2016, if memory serves me correct, that I suddenly felt the urge to brag about my newest plan, to make a long journey across the Hardangervidda, from the city of Bergen on Norway's west side, to my home-city Oslo. It would be a blast, I thought. "Oh, cool!", my colleagues at work expressed, while secretly thinking for themselves, "ha ha, that lard ass is never going to make it, it'll be so funny". Well, I didn't just make the mistake of mentioning this plan once, I repeated it, nearly bi-weekly. It would be wise to learn when to shut up, because it's better not to try at all, than to fail.

The plan was set it motion by creating a Strava route, which I used to discuss with my friends and colleagues what roads to avoid, where to stop, what to photograph, which ditch to lie down in when I eventually collapsed and died, etc.

I purchased an 11L Apidura saddle pack, filled it with only the necessities. I also carefully noted all the back-out plans for various failure scenarios. Booked the train, and grunted at my inability to stop bragging about plans that were too tiresome, and waited until the scheduled departure.

But I was actually looking forward to it.

Day 1: Train to Bergen

The night train from Oslo to Bergen departed at 23:25, and would arrive in Bergen at 06:51 the next day. I was concerned about sleep, since sleeping in train seats with possibly talkative co-passengers have been difficult before.

The ride cost me 1.060 NOK for both me and my bicycle, the bicycle being placed in a dedicated room in the train set. I travelled with civilian clothes.

I think I slept maybe 4 hours during the ride.The constant wagging and sounds from the train were preventing any decent sleep.

Day 2: Bergen - Geilo (Strava)

The train finally rolled into Bergen in the early morning. I swiftly changed into my bib shorts in the train's bathroom, before it stopped at the station. A bit of food was purchased in the station's Narvesen kiosk. Headed outdoors - and surprise - some morning rains was waiting for me in Bergen.

Raining in Bergen - just outside the train station. Not surprising.

Statue of a famous norwegian writer, Ludvig Holberg.

The rain fortunately ended shortly after leaving Bergen city center, but Bergen wasn't finished with the surprises: My rear tire started fizzling, and after a short stretch it was completely flat. A tiny piece of glass appeared to be the culprit. Now I had no spare inner tubes left.

The Hardanger bridge.

The Hardanger fjord, from Eidfjord. Very nice.

The roads on the first day had quite a few nice sights, like the Hardanger bridge, and the Hardanger fjord. Some hills with dramatic features were passed. The landscape varied a lot, flat streches, hills, villages, fjords. I was never bored.

After Eidfjord, I discovered that the old road up to Hardangervidda was closed due to previous rock slides. My options were, as I saw it: Illegal tunnel riding, or trying to get a ride with a bus. I chose the first. Big mistake. One simply does not ride through Måbøtunnelen. It's dark, narrow, filled with heavy transports and tourist buses, in addition to being a continous right-turn without a road shoulder.

I should have jumped the barriers on the old road instead. I survived, but the decision was foolish.

Vøringsfossen. Looks really impressive in real life.

Fog and 3 degrees celsius on Hardangervidda. Seriously cold, brrr.

Once up on Hardangervidda, there was dense and very cold fog. I knew that there would be a drop in height soon, so I continued even though I was freezing pretty bad. Success. Hardangervidda provided the most beautiful tailwind all the way to Geilo.

At Geilo, I stayed at Ustedalen Hotel & Resort. I was too late for dinner, so I ate everything I had of nuts & bars, which wasn't much. The nutrition risk was acceptable, only since this was a 3-day trip.

Day 3: Geilo - Oslo (Strava)

After a good breakfast, and stocking up on Lefse & nuts on the local KIWI shop, I immediately turned onto the Rv40 road, and continued rolling downhill until I reached this ominous sign, informing that the downhills stopped right here, and my legs had to go back to work again:

The day starting with steep hills.

Anyways, riding steep hills sometimes pay off with better views.

Vasstulan. Highest point until descending into the valley to Kongsberg.

After the mountain, the scenery changed to dense forest. The sights and the valleys around the Numedalslågen river were very nice. After a while, I reached Kongsberg, a place famous for its silver mines, and turned northeast towards Oslo.

My legs were super awesome, and I reached Oslo before dark.

Me in front of the royal castle in Oslo. Very tired.

Two-day cycling adventures is a good set-up. You can travel far, to places you've never been before, and it's still low-risk.

Riding Bergen - Oslo is no easy ride due to all the elevation inbetween, but it was certainly a good test of what can be accomplished with some planning and some decisiveness. A job well done, and a memory for years to come.

Stage (Strava)	From	To	Distance (km)	Elevation (m)	Moving time	Avg. power (W)	Total work (J)	Calories (kCal)
1	Bergen	Geilo	283	3 935	11.50.57	161	5 988	6 677
2	Geilo	Oslo	259	2 264	10.22.04	146	4 592	5 120
TOTAL			542	6 199	22.13.01	154	10 580	11 797

Thanks to ACE for editing support.