spotlight
The Oslo Connection
You probably think of massive Fjords and the Northern Lights when you hear Norway being mentioned as a travel destination but have you ever thought of it as a cycling destination?
By Julian Roberts
10 minutes by Julian Roberts
Julian shares his first taste of cycling in Norway and how it became one of his favourite spots to ride his bike.
Oslo, Norway may just be your next "bucket list" cycling location...
It’s late May in Oslo, it’s spring, but the lakes are still frozen and you still have to wear thermal layers on the bike. It never really climbs above 10 degrees this time of year, but the views and roads and “groads” (gravel roads) myself and my friend Csaba are riding are absolutely beautiful.
Untapped adventure...
Why is Oslo a place that is yet to be untapped for gravel and even more road riding to be precise? Well, it is a place that I visit often now. The connection to it was originally through work but I discovered its real beauty a little while before through the “Oslo Dawn Patrol” a crew of hardy cyclists that ride 2 times a week all year round no matter the weather. Once the bad weather sets in, a change of clothes and swap to studded tires solves the problems.
But what I really fell in love with was the solitude of the quiet back roads, the hustle of the city after a ride giving you a reality check that you are only a 15 minute ride from civilisation yet providing you a disconnect, and the fact that it has an amazing cycling infrastructure and cycling presence, considering the weather you will see people on bikes all year round.
To continue our original adventure we had just had a pre ride coffee at Fara Cycling HQ, zipped up our thermal jerseys and gilet, checked the bikes over and whipped a bit of air out for some extra traction, It was a special day as well as I was getting to ride the new Fara F/GR gravel bike before anyone else.
We headed out the door, turned left and was immediately hit with the climb out of Oslo, if you’re not aware already Oslo is built in what I like to think of as a basin. It’s surrounded by beautiful forests that tower above, but what does this mean if you want to get out? Well you got to do a little bit of elevation, it wakes the legs up that’s for sure.
Within 15 minutes we were out by Bogstadvennt (a bustling lake in the summer and winter months loved by ice skaters and cyclists) and hammering our pedals down in hunt of the silent roads and frozen lakes.
We soon found our solitude in between the tree lines, discovering the winding roads that led us towards traditional Norwegian huts, kilometres of perfect gravel roads and to the frozen lake.
Now, it’s a bit of a mind buster when you in spring but the lakes are still frozen. Maybe it’s just in my mind as it’s something I am not used to, especially when I am dressed in thermal kit in spring. But let me tell you it is beautiful, it is peaceful and when it takes you just over an hour on gravel roads to get here, totally worth it.
After this we got treated with a long descent back into Oslo. It really is just all the way down through switchbacks and long winding roads, but I was told it wouldn’t be right if we didn’t stop at a cafe on the way home for a coffee and traditional Norwegian pastry. It just so happened that it was also the day of celebration in that village and we were treated with music from the kids of a local school who would visit every shop in the village and play the same song.
After that we did in fact head back to Oslo and back to Fara Cycling HQ to get cleaned up, wash the bikes and have a well deserved beer. So would I recommend riding in Oslo? Hell yes I would.