Norwegian Mountains, Møre og Romsdal
Biking on Gurskøya, Oct 31 & Nov 1 2009
(incl. Moldtusteinen, Brandhornet/Fjellsenden & Hasundhornet)
Moldtusteinen, Brandhornet, Oct 31 2009
The truth of the matter is that on this weekend - I didn't feel like doing any hiking. This was an unusual situation, to say the least. But I had felt tired all week, and this Saturday morning, things were no different. The only thing I could get motivated for was to get on the bike, go somewhere and perhaps do some short walks along the way.
Arriving at Moldtustranda, I decided to stop by Moldtusteinen - a 70m hill that I had planned to visit for some time. The local graveyard became my trailhead, and 6-7 minutes later I was on top. This was a welcome break from the bike. My rear has still not fully gotten used to the hard seat..
I continued to Gjerdsvika and went up the Sædalen road. A side road took me a little bit closer to Brandhornet (aka Fjellsenden, 380m) - my second short walk for the day. 12 minutes later, I was on top - glad that there were no more short walks awaiting. I also looked forward to the long downhill to Moldtustranda, and the - fairly - easy leg home.
The whole trip took 3h:40m. The total distance was 46,7km, of which 45,3km was on the bike. 700 vertical meters.
Our local Highway 1 on Gurskøya
(Click for larger image)
Around Gurskøya, Nov 1 2009
This Sunday, I was even more exhausted than the day before. After a very late breakfast, I ended up watching and old movie on some TV channel or other. But after a while I pulled myself together, as there was no way I would be watching telly before noon. I decided to go on yet another bike trip, this time without any short walks along the way.
I figured that a trip around the island would be nice. That was before I got on the bike seat. "Holy cow! Major ouch!" I went back in and put on some extra underwear. That felt better.
I decided to do the trip counter-clockwise, which meant that I would do the ascent to Leikongeidet early on. I was greeted by a strong head wind. I barely exceeded 50km/h on the way down to Gursken, which was fine - for I wouldn't have been able to see much with watery eyes.
Gursken fjord
(Click for larger image)
I stopped at Gjøneset for pictures, some peanuts and water. The rest of the trip would be nice and easy - along the main road all the way back home. But as I was getting ready to get back on the bike, another biker passed. "No! No! this can't be happening", I said to myself. The competition animal in me had awakened..
I soon caught up with him. "Going far?", I asked. He told me that he was going around the island and would head across Sædalen (where I went the day before). "Really? Me too", I said, lying through my teeth. I increased the pace and by the time I reached Gjerdsvika, I expected that I had shaken him off. But no, he was only 100 metres behind.
Grrr. This meant that the ascent up Sædalen would be a painful one. Halfway up the first leg, the distance between us was the same. I kept on pushing the pedal to the metal and when I got to the top of the hill, he was nowhere to be seen. Flatmo-machine vs. Stranger 1-0. I felt good, but also a bit insane.
There was now the familiar downhill to Moldtustranda to look forward to. The goal was to beat the 57km/h I reached a couple of weeks ago. And I was en route, until a small boy decided to block my way. That was quite OK. I shouldn't be going that fast where kids are playing anyway.
What amazed me that I had head winds all around the island. That shouldn't really be possible (?), but I've heard about this before. And now I had experienced it. This phenomenon will need some research..
The 47,2km trip took 2h:30m altogether. And I got 600 vertical meters without having done a single short walk...
Hasundhornet, Nov 1 2009
Later in the afternoon, I went up Hasundhornet to get some after-dark pictures (a short and easy walk). The hike got aggravating, as while I was on my way up and down the mountain, no less than 3 cars stopped next to my car. And after a few minutes, they moved on. Who were they, and what did they want?
But all this aside, Hasundhornet is a most excellent viewpoint...
On Hasundhornet
(Click for larger image)
