Kvinnaböske is situated at the foot of “Hallandsåsen”, a horst on the border between Scania and Halland. It reaches its highest point at Högalteknall near the village of Hasslöv at 224 metres. The horst can be climbed from either North or South via a number of great, long ascents. Many of them reaches grades of 10% or more. For a Danish cyclist not being exploited with hills this alone is a reason to go.

On hilly roads

Björn had set me up with two local cyclists for a Sunday ride. After a hearty breakfast with some really tasting, homemade crispbread Anders and Joachim picked me up on their road bikes.

They were going to show me some of the best roads in their neighbourhood. I had the suspicion that it was going to be mountainous and regretted having only my touring bike at my disposal.
After just a few kilometres the first ascent made us shift to the small chainring. The grade was below 5% and it was only two kilometres long, but had it been in Denmark, it would have been something special. Such an ascent  would probably have attracted a few other road cyclists. Here in Sweden we had it all to ourselves.

After the climb we stayed elevated at around 150 meters for a while, before a step, curved descent brought us down to sea level. We had now ridden 20 kilometres and crossed Hallandsåsen once. Two more crossings to go.

Cozy coast atmosphere

After the first crossing we went around the Northwestern part of the Bjäre peninsula. We quickly pasted through Båstad, a small city at the bay, cycled further to Hovs Hallar, a nature reserve where you can paraglide and climb, and turned around in Torekov, a small fishing village, which in summer is turned into a tourist hot spot.

After 2½ hours, 68.8 kilometres cycled and 891 meters climbed my two guides and I were back at the inn. Björn treated us with more crispbread and several thermos bottles of coffee as we talked about the highlights of the tour. The area can definitely be recommended to every road cyclist looking for quiet and hilly roads in a beautiful landscape. Also for mountainbikers there should be some thrilling tracks, Anders and Joachim told me.

Disclaimer: ibike.dk was invited by the Björn, who offered a 50% discount on the price of accommodation and food.
http://www.kvinnaboske.se/

On my old Specialized touring bike (see Cycling home for Christmas) I have used a Shimano dynamo hub (DH-3N80) with both head- and taillight for several years. It has worked perfectly ever since installing. A no worries system. Next to the great lightning power it is convenient never to have to think about bringing your battery lights, when you leave home.

A no worries system

On the Specialized I have went through all phases of headlight development. I started out with a regular light bulb, driven by a dynamo on the rear wheel. The lamp had a nice yellowish light, but did not really illuminate the road. Then I moved to a halogen lamp and the road in front of me got brighter. Finally, I got my self a B&M LED headlight, which gives a colder but a much stronger light. It has been on the bike for 3 years now and still works flawlessly.

Therefore I wanted to have a dynamo system on my new touring bike, the Genesis Croix de Fer.

It is my plan to use the Genesis for longer tours, maybe also some brevets, but first of all it is my commuter bike. I live in Copenhagen, but work in Næstved, which is exactly 83 km away. On most days I commute by train, but 2-4 times in a month I try to cycle.

Though the Shimano/B&M system still works to my full satisfaction , I wanted to try something new. After reading at several reviews on the internet I decided to go after the SON hub dynamo in combination with the brand new SON Edelux II headlight. In the end the thorough overview on Peter White Cycle’s homepage convinced me – just take a look at the first photo!

Building a wheel

I ordered and waited. The interest for the new Edelux seemed very large. Finally, end of February two small packages arrived. The hub and the light. I had already received a B&M taillight to be mounted on the seat stays.

Now I just needed to rebuild my front wheel with the new dynamo hub. I cannot build a wheel without looking at a recipe, so I found my old bicycle repair book (Hold cyklen i form – Keep your bike in shape) and attached a wheel turning stand to the desk in the living room. A podcast from The Bike Show on Residence FM had told me that wheel building was simple and yet highly complicated.

To sew the rim and the spokes together is no big effort, but to get it right in all dimensions needs an experienced hand or a lot of trying. With only a few wheels on my resume I had no hopes of getting it right the first time.

It turned out to be quite meditative. Turn the wheel and check for trueness. To loosen and to tighten spokes. Slowly I got a hand for it. I began to learn how much I needed to turn each spoke to see the result I wanted. It took all night and when I installed it on the bike it was a centimetre off centre. To loosen and to tighten again. So it went a couple of times until I finally got it right.

Cycling in the dark

So far I have only tested the system for a few hours in the dark, but enough to be very impressed by the lightning power of the Edelux II. The beam both illuminates the road way ahead of you – more than 25 meters I should say – and it provides a nice wide projection area on the road. I would feel safe going down a curvy road in the night with the Edelux.

The dynamo hub, I have the SON28 ISO Disc, runs very smooth. I have noticed a minor reduction in speed with the headlight turned on, but no more than expected.

Both hub and headlight make a very good quality impression. It is also very convenient that the headlight has a sensor mode, so that the light turns off and on automatically. It really is a no worries system. I am looking forward to test it during a night ride.

There are several ways of crossing the Elbe. I chose going under it via the old St. Pauli Elbtunnel. Build in 1911 and with a length of 426.5 meters it connects the city with the extensive harbour area on the other side. Cars are allowed at certain times, but on Sundays it is only accessible on foot or on a bike. It was cool and quiet. Two lifts made going down and up effortless.

From tarmac to sand

The tarmac jungle of the harbour area makes a cyclist feel rather small. I met a few other recreational cyclists, but most of the time I was surrounded by channels, cranes and concrete.

On top of my handlebar bag a had the ADFC authorised cycle map. It showed both local, regional and national cycle routes. I tried navigating to those going most directly South. In the densely build area of greater Hamburg it was not always easy. But eventually I escaped the tarmac jungle and found my self on the edge of Lüneburger Moorland.

The map showed cycle routes going through the moor and to circumnavigate would mean a rather big detour. I decided to stay on my heading and attack the moor.

I had only just entered the moor when I got an impression of what would await me further on: Deep sand.  To make things worse for cyclists, the moor seemed to be very popular among horseback riders. The landscape was beautiful but the moor was a struggle. On several stretches cycling was impossible. The 32 mm tires cut deep lines into the sand.

After an hour or so in the moor I was happy to escape the sand. I still had a long way to go, and I looked forward to cover some kilometers again. If I knew what was awaiting me, I would have preferred staying a little longer in the moor.

Cobblestones to Bergen-Belsen

I do not recall how many kilometers I cycled on cobblestones after the moor, but I do recall the feeling of racing down a hill with shaking bones and rattling teeth. Anyway, it got the sand of the bike.

And then I rose my head and in front of me the perfect road materialised. It was 4 meters wide and embanked with broad sandy shoulders. It cut its way through the light green forest and was mirrored by a stretch of sky. It reminded me of the old Elbtunnel.

The perfect road brought me back on the schedule I did not have. It gave me time enough to visit the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp near Celle. On the vast area with few traces of the original camp it is hard to imagine the cruelties that took place during the Hitler epoch. There is a newly erect museum, which looked very inviting, but I wanted to move on. After all I had a deal with René and Felicitas, two friends in Hannover, who was going to accommodate me for the night.

Read the first part here -> On a bike to Amsterdam – part #1

Just do it

There where, however, some considerations.

First, it could get cold. Well, with a good layer of wool that should not be a problem. Second, the daylight at this time of the year in Denmark is very limited, lasting only from 9 AM. to 3.30 PM. Okay, I would have to use my old winter bike with a dynamo lightning system and put on a hi-vi jacket. Third, and in my mind the biggest obstacle, the trains would probably not have any room for bicycles when half of the Danes would be visiting the other half for Christmas celebrations. With pessimism I called DSB – the Danish train operator, and a friendly lady gave me reservations for both my bike and me. Forth, it would be way out of season and I did not want to wild camp – would I find any accommodation? The options were limited, but I managed to find two hostels still open for reservations.

In the morning of December 20th I made myself comfortable for the 5 hour train trip to Aalborg, from where I would start the bike tour. I planed on cycling for two and a half days. The total length of the trip would be nearly 400 km.

Drinking cold water

I cycled out of Aalborg under a perfect blue sky.

The temperature was around 7 degrees Celsius. The first half day was planed as a moderate warm up day with only 50-60 km of cycling. I was excited how it would be to cycle in the dark, especially how difficult it would be to find the right way. For that purpose I had mounted a headlamp on my helmet. Together with my LED front light and my two tail lights, one dynamo driven, the other running on batteries, it was a humble arrangement for illuminating the nearly complete darkness of the Danish countryside.

But it worked very well. What did not work that well was my intake of water. I made the mistake of not drinking because I did not fell any thirst. After around 40 km I felt dizzy and tired. I got off the bike seriously in doubt that I would make it to the hostel, which was less than 20 km away. But what was the alternative? To wait for the bus? There were no buses. To call a taxi? No, it would probably take hours, and I was already freezing. Instead I floored the remains of my water bottle and got back on the bike. Somehow I made it to Fjerritslev, where I treated myself with a big dish of kebab and a giant coke.

The endless road

In the early dark morning of day two I had a quick breakfast at the local bakery. The woman in the bakery did not know the town I was heading to, Fjaltring. I took it as a proof of covering a decent amount of kilometres. According to my measurements it would be around 130 km. The first half would be in a South-Western direction, the second part straight South. The weather forecast made me worry a bit. It predicted strong winds of 8-10 meters per second from South-West, lasting the whole day. And, by the way, the next day too.

I covered 50 km in the first 3 hours, not using the big chainring one single time. I had lunch completely alone at a nice spot in the National Park Thy and envisioned that I could use the larger gears as soon as I would turn in a more Southern direction. I was wrong.

The constant headwind made it impossible to cycle more than 15-16 km/h. I felt slow on my lightly packed bike, but I still had the feeling I was moving somewhere. On some stretches the trees created a full wind screen and for a short while I could stop pedalling without making the bike stop. What was even better than the interruption of circulating pedals was the silence. Suddenly, I could hear my self think again. I enjoined the brief reminiscence of how great cycling is, before stamping down in the pedals again.

The last hour before sunset I cycled down the languet Agger Tange. The road is 9 km long and totally exposed to wind. The headwind made it hard to go more than 12 km/h. It gave me plenty of time to enjoy the constant view of the endless road ahead, though I mostly just looked down.

I made it to the end from where I took the ferry across Limfjorden to Thyborøn. From the harbour town I called the next hostel to inform about my late arrival. The friendly hostelhost adviced me to eat before arriving in Fjaltring as the only shop would close at 6 PM. On the ferry I had seen a train line going more or less in my direction. The wind had worn me out, so I decided to swing by the train station to check the timetable. To my luck the next and the last train for the day would leave in less than an hour. Just enough time to have a bite of food.

After the short train ride, which costed me 20 kroner (bikes are free), I cycled the last 10 km in complete darkness to the hostel.

The friendly hostelhost greeted me with a nice little treat.

Overturned garden gnomes

The third and last day of my Christmas journey was also the longest. At least according to my plan. I had measured it to be somewhere around 180 km. The direction would be straight South. The wind had been pretty strong all through the night, and its source of air did not seem to run out on this side of Christmas eve. There was plenty of wind for one more day and all of it seemed to come from the South. Rømø was further away than the map showed.

At breakfast I looked into some short cut possibilities. As I was going to cycle in more densely populated areas with bigger towns, there was a better offer of public transport than had been the case in the Northern part. I had several options of jumping a train as I got longer South. So that was the plan. To cycle as long as I could and then find a train to take me the rest of the way. That I would give up after only 100 km did not cross my mind.

It happened somewhere between Hvide Sande and Nymindegab on route 181, a 23 km long, straight road with high dunes on one side and Ringkøbing Fjord on the other side. Around noon the headwind had joined up with its dear friend rain. The constant blow of wind mixed with thousands of small jabs from horizontal raindrops slowed me down to 10 km/h. After two and a half hour I arrived in Nymindegab. Even though I was waterproof dressed from head to toe, the rain had managed to penetrate. My hands and feet felt numb.

I had spent nearly 7 hours to cycle 90 km. It was beginning to darken. I had lost my guts. On the map I had seen a railway line from Nymindegab. I decided that it would be the end of the tour. Only I did not find any station. To my luck the next bigger town, Nørre Nebel, was only 7 km away and in a Southeastern direction. For the first time of the day I did not cycle in direct headwind.

The time table at the train station said that the next train would leave in one and a half hour time. In a small waiting room I changed to dry clothing and went on hunt for a cop of coffee. That was the end of the tour, and I knew it. The train would drop me off in Skærbæk, only 15 km from Rømø. But it would be 15 km over a dam with absolutely no protection from the wind. I called my father and asked if he would pick me up at the station. He would.

The basics

I used my Specialized Rockhopper comp from 2000, which I have built, rebuilt and modified dozens of times.  Today it is my winter and  heavy touring bike.

I cycled 300 km on 2 and a half day. The temperature was around 10 degrees Celsius and the sun was up for 6 and a half hours each day.

Next time I will cycle the route in the other direction, from South to North, coinciding with the official recommendation. And probably pick a different time of the year… Well, I am actually not so sure about that. Winter touring has the same benefits as off-season travelling: it easier to get a room and you get a view behind the scenes of the summer destinations. You just need to keep your feet warm!

Travel tips

I stayed in two Danhostels. They can be found and booked on www.danhostel.dk

The time table of the ferry between Agger Tange and Thyborøn can be found on www.thyboronagger.dk

The time table of the train service from Thyborøn can be found on www.lemvigbanen.dk

The Westcoast or North Sea Cycle Route which I followed on large parts of my route can be found here www.northsea-cycle.com

For customized route planing I used www.naviki.org

I typed A: Copenhagen and B: Amsterdam into the European route planner Naviki.org, pressed send and the result it gave me was an itinerary of 800 km, if I chose the shorter route. A plan was beginning to evolve. Because I already cycled the first part of the route last year, I cut off most of the Danish part and changed my starting point to Nykøbing Falster, the last regularly serviced train stop before Germany. The result was now 650 km.

4 days, I wrote to Chris, would I be on the road. I planned stopovers in Hamburg, Hannover and Münster before reaching my final destination. This meant a slight detour from the direct route, but it gave me the opportunity to visit friends along the way, which later proved to be a perfect investment.

In rush for the ferry

I started my tour on a Monday in July. Some of the Danish IC trains have a seperate compartment for bikes and odd sized luggage like child carriers and oversized suitcases, which is very convenient. This train had, and it wasn’t full at all. Some two hours later I arrived in Nykøbing Falster, where not only the cycle tour but also the stress began. I had estimated the route to the ferry in Rødby to be around 40 km, which made the first leg a bit tight because the next ferry was in only 1 ½ hour.

It was indeed closer to 45 km, but the ferry was also 15 minutes later than I expected, so the two ends met and I could board the ferry all sweaty and warm for the first coffee of the day.

German tailwind

A tailwind gave me a good start once I reached German soil. I enjoyed cycling without looking at the clock every five minutes. I tried to stay on the official cycle routes, shown on my ADFC cycle map, but they crisscrossed a bit too much to make it a consequent solution. I navigated to the more direct roads and to my surprise found that most of them had separated bike ways. The only problem: they were in a bumpy condition. At least that was how it felt on the handlebar when going more than 25 km/h.

After cycling for a couple of hours it occured to me that the planed destination of Hamburg was a bit over the top for my first tour day. It would be more than 200 km in total, and whether it was a mental issue or a leftover from a longer bike tour a few weeks earlier, I couldn’t say, but I began to feel a slight pain in my left knee. It didn’t take me long to make Lübeck the final goal, and from there I would board a train to Hamburg.

Hamburg, meine Perle

Around 9 p.m. I arrived in Hamburg. It was still warm and there was a good vibe around the Alster where the local crowd had their barbecues. I met up my girlfriend who had travelled the same stretch as I but without the bike part. We enjoyed some decent German food and a good Astra beer, while I was looking forward to my first and only day of rest before reaching Amsterdam.

Read the second part here -> On a bike to Amsterdam – part #2