Lycksele, Sweden

Day Eight 107 miles 4141 ft

The plan today was to get to Lycksele and that’s where I am writing this from so on the face of it the day went well. In reality it did fall into four separate segments and I ended up doing 107 miles not 113. 

  
Getting up from our wild camp the first noticeable change was the fact that the sun was shining already, unusual as for the past week it had taken until  after 10.30 for it to burn off . Today would be different. 

Segment one was one of the best of the trip so far and started with a climb on the main road past Yokahama Tyres Arctic Falls winter tyre testing grounds ( in the middle of nowhere) for 5 miles and then back onto a dirt road over the mountain. 

This was no baby road either as after little way in, a sign read Lyksele 164km – our destination. 

  
I do not know if you have seen Into the Wild, but this did feel a bit like that  as from the moment I left the road and started climbing further up to over 1500ft I saw no one at all for about an hour and a half and I was on my bike in my Lycra in the middle of Northern Sweden. 

  
All this on awesome gravel roads too 

   
 
The ups were long, but bombing down them running within the car tyre tracks at up to 30 mph certainly concentrated the mind, especially when mixed with a pothole or a thicker bit of gravel. Extreme road biking and a bit more of a challenge than just riding the road. I was glad to have my new Giant Defy disc braked bike as it gave so much more confidence in moderating the speed.  Great fun. 

  
Even this far out the odd house popped up, we guessed mostly holiday homes but there were some derelict ones too. 

Being remote,  I did come across several reindeer again today and a small fox who was wandering next to the road but ran a mile as soon as it saw me, unlike our Kentish vermin,  who are used to humans. 

  
The river crossing above was especially pretty and it was here that Nigel and Monica had waited just incase I had got too remote in the wilderness. I always carry my space blanket  ( thanks to Brian Fraser) and like all over Scandanavia  you can get 3G on your phone, so I was not that adventurous except in my own mind! Funny how 3G doesn’t work in Hadlow!

Coming to the end of this segment, we ran into a small village, where I saw one chap wandering out his house, brushing his teeth at 10.30 and a lady hanging out the washing, but they had a great view out over the village’s personal lake ( there were about ten houses)

   
 
These IKEA like photos over their lake also showed the change in the weather. 

Segment two

After over 30 miles effectively off-roading, we finally got onto a bigger road, so the plan was to do the set 30 miles ready for lunch, so it was a big surprise the see Nigel after only 27 miles. 

He shook his head- not good- when the Swedes redo a road, they dig it up, chuck huges lumps of gravel down and keep the road open before tarmaccing it ( in this case next year). 

The alternate route. after getting this far, was around 70 miles extra and the roadworks went on for 14 km. Deciding to give it a go. I managed a mile before a lorry went past too closely, so on the grounds of safety, referring to my Chef de Mission Nigel, we decided that the only way forward was to cheat as the road was just uncyclable, even the camper kept to just 15. 

A bit disheartened, as this means I will not have cycled all the way. In the end, common sense, safety and practicality must be taken into consideration. After all I am not cycling over the sea crossings and the total distance missed was only around 9 miles. 

  
Segment three after lunch saw the wind swing round behind me and I had s superb tear alongside a lake keeping the bike over 20 mph for almost 10 miles before another big climb. 

A quick cuppa and the final segment saw the wind change to head on again before the promised rain arrived, slowly at first, but then hard enough to make me stop, put all my lights and waterproofs on  So the final hour was a damp one to a very large. but very deserted campsite. It does have great showers though. 

All in all, a very varied day, the best, the worst, the quickest and the wettest segments of the tour so far. 

The forecast is mixed for the rest of the week, so my gear is in the drying room ready for action!