Ultra Long-Distance Cycling

in #finland7 years ago (edited)

In July 2001, I cycled around the southwestern quarter of Finland. The total distance covered was about 1100 km. The longest leg was from Pori to Kannus via Kokkola. My bicycle was a regular single-speed bicycle. Those bikes are supremely comfortable and very well suited to covering very long distances because of the upright riding position and comfortable saddles. My journey had taken me to Kotka, Vantaa and Turku among other places. The idea was to ride a whole day, check into a hotel, shower and head for a pub for a drink or a few. I rode alone so socializing in the evening was a welcome respite from the loneliness of the ride. It was also great opportunity to try the local craft beers.

I was trying to break a personal distance record in long-distance cycling. I had tried to ride from Tampere to Kannus directly (the distance is slightly shorter) but I had to give up and take the train about 100 km before the destination (in Kauhava). My average speed was too fast at that time and I had burned all the carbohydrates stored in my body after having covered a little more than two thirds of the way. After the decision to quit, the last 30 km from Lappajärvi to Kauhava were uncomfortable to say the least. I had to stop every ten minutes or so. About three weeks later, in mid-July, I decided to try to cover 350 km in one go, only a different route.

I woke up late in a hotel room in Pori and had brunch. I ate quite a lot. Sometime past noon I set out for Kannus where my maternal grandparents lived. The terrain was flat and I was careful not to go too fast. My average riding speed was at most 20 km/h. After 45 minutes I stopped at Merikarvia and had an ice cream. My next stop was about 100 km north of Pori in Kristiinakaupunki. I made a detour from the highway and rode to town. I had a diet coke and left. My next stop was about 20 km before Vaasa. I had an ice cream at a service station. After an hour I arrived at Vaasa. I had a hamburger meal and rested for an hour and a half.

It was about midnight. I was somewhat bored already. Not very tided but bored. My strategy of keeping my speed slow had paid off. After resting for a bit in Oravainen after riding about two hours after Vaasa, I decided to just soldier on. Because it was only three weeks after summer solstice, it was merely dusky, not dark. You could see the traffic and be seen perfectly well. At about seven in the morning, I arrived at Kokkola. I went to the market square and had a coffee and an ice cream again. It was a warm and beautiful morning. Kannus was a mere 40 km away and I decided to see how fast I could get there. It took me one hour and twenty-five minutes. When I arrived at my grandparents' house late in the morning, I felt tired by very satisfied. The entire trip took a little over 21 hours of which 19 hours I rode. I took a shower after which I was served a plate full of grandma's rice pudding with fruit soup. After several more helpings, I went to bed and slept 20 hours straight.

The next afternoon I set out for Ylivieska where I took the train to Iisalmi with my goal being to ride to Kuopio from there. But that's another story. That visit turned out to be the last time I saw my grandmother alive. She passed away the following January at the age of 88.

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Interesting. Personally I would prefer to go biking (or even hiking) in Lapland. I find the nature there to be so much more beautiful that I forget the exhaustion. But then again I guess you can't stop for the occasional locally crafted beer...

Because of the long distances the locals drive like lunatics in Lapland and the roads aren't always that good. If you ride long distances in Lapland, you'll be riding long stretches with nothing special to see. Forests are just like in the south but with smaller trees. Population in Lapland is very sparse outside a few small towns and holiday resorts. No services, no sights to see. Of course, if you like jänkä and what if has to offer (animal and plant life etc.), that's different.

Yea I guess you're right. I remember driving trough the alps seeing people biking up and down, I figured that would be nice to do in Lapland, but of course it's a lot more desolate. Maybe I will just go hiking on the designated trails.

I've been to the Alps, too. The Alps are all valleys and mountains. The fells in Lapland are hundreds of times further apart from each other. In between, there is just forest and marshland. Hiking on the designated trails is a good idea. Going to Urho Kekkonen national park or Lemmenjoki national parka are even better ideas. In the former, there are more fells in a smaller area than in Lapland on average. Also, Pallas national park is also a great place to go to if you love breathtaking scenery. The terrain is rugged and you can forget about long-distance cycling, though.

Aikamoinen pyrähdys!

My own longest biking in single sitting is about 250km in 16 hours to my friends cottage from Kerava to Taipalsaari, Lappeenranta, and I gotta say it was pretty hardcore. But I'm planning to go for a very long-distance trip around Finland in the start of autumn when I'm a free man from my civil service!

That's commendable! 16 hours is a long time in spite of not having sacrifice your sleep.

How powerful your legs should be to cover 350km in one go!? Are you a Herkules or Superman?? I'd probably stumble after 1km and fall.
I'm jealous!

It's about endurance, not strength. It is a totally different game. If you go too fast, you'll burn up your carbohydrate stores and your muscles will develop crippling fatigue. If you keep your power output below your aerobic threshold, muscle fatigue will not be a problem for a long time. I had my aerobic and anaerobic thresholds and my VO2 max measured at a test lab back in 2001. Don't remember the figures any longer. They correspond to a certain heart rate for each individual. I think my aerobic threshold was 120 beats per minute. I remember keeping it between about 110 and 120 during most of that trip, except for the final 40 km when I wanted to test myself.

Ow, that's how it is, ehehe, my bad.

The first time I used a bicycle I fell on December 24th day of my mom's birthday. It was not a good gift for her.

I liked jogging a lot in the earlier days but never tried cycling for such huge distances (only casual rides). To be frank I'm not entirely sure if I would've been able to cover 350 km distance with a bicycle.

I'm not sure if I could do it now, either.

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