Author Topic: Northcape 4000  (Read 12108 times)

Salvatore

  • Джон Спунър
    • Pics
Re: Northcape 4000
« Reply #25 on: 25 January, 2021, 11:59:30 am »
What I'd love to do is, rather than flying back, get the coastal ferry from Alta to Trondheim, then train to Oslo, but probably would take too long. I'll look into it though.

I really look forward to watching the landscape gradually change going north. Nothing beats bike travel for that perspective

Fact of the day: Trondheim is at an equivalent latitude to the northernmost point of Antarctica.

And Kirkenes is further east than Istanbul, yet is in the same time zone as Santiago de Compostella.
Quote
et avec John, excellent lecteur de road-book, on s'en est sortis sans erreur

Re: Northcape 4000
« Reply #26 on: 25 January, 2021, 01:43:34 pm »
Alas the ferry looks an unlikely dream as it appears it might take a week or more to get home that way, which my wife and daughter might not be happy with.

The easy option is to get a bus to Alta and fly from there - changing in Oslo.

Also, it may never happen as making plans for summer is an act of optimism!

Alta to Bodo. 800km ride.
Arctic Norway train to Oslo.
Ferry from Oslo to Hull.
Hmmm likely a week as well!
often lost.

Re: Northcape 4000
« Reply #27 on: 25 January, 2021, 01:49:53 pm »
What I'd love to do is, rather than flying back, get the coastal ferry from Alta to Trondheim, then train to Oslo, but probably would take too long. I'll look into it though.

I really look forward to watching the landscape gradually change going north. Nothing beats bike travel for that perspective

Fact of the day: Trondheim is at an equivalent latitude to the northernmost point of Antarctica.


And Kirkenes is further east than Istanbul, yet is in the same time zone as Santiago de Compostella.

Surely the Southernmost point of Antarctica?

Bermuda is 1000 miles North of the Caribbean. Sorry had to get that one out there.
often lost.

quixoticgeek

  • Mostly Harmless
Re: Northcape 4000
« Reply #28 on: 25 January, 2021, 02:34:48 pm »

Idly playing with Komoot, i just put in Hell to the North cape, via the Loften islands.

Once coming out of the undersea tunnel onto the island where the North cape is, Komoot routes me up a hill at 22%, I'm guessing to avoid a tunnel that goes east a bit.

What route does the NC4K use? Does it use the tunnel or the 22% masochistic climb?

J
--
Beer, bikes, and backpacking
http://b.42q.eu/

Salvatore

  • Джон Спунър
    • Pics
Re: Northcape 4000
« Reply #29 on: 25 January, 2021, 02:47:19 pm »
The profiles in the FAQ doesn't  stop at the undersea tunnel and restart at Honningsvag, so that bit is missing. I rode through the tunnel to get to Honningsvag and don't remember an alternative. I can't see it on google maps  Alternatives to tunnels in Norway are usually "the old road" over the top and not maintained well, if at all. As I found out in S Norway:


PS there are plenty of monster climbs between Honningsvag and North Cape, so no-one will miss out.

Quote
et avec John, excellent lecteur de road-book, on s'en est sortis sans erreur

quixoticgeek

  • Mostly Harmless
Re: Northcape 4000
« Reply #30 on: 25 January, 2021, 02:49:55 pm »
--
Beer, bikes, and backpacking
http://b.42q.eu/

Salvatore

  • Джон Спунър
    • Pics
Re: Northcape 4000
« Reply #31 on: 25 January, 2021, 03:13:11 pm »
That route avoids Honningsvag, and looks as if it takes a shortcut on what looks like a track (shown on the Norgeskart app), but on streetview looks like a non-existant path up a mountain. And 22% is probably a conservative estimate.

Wrong track it's this one. But not much better.

Anyway, the Nordkapp 4000 say the route is all on tarmac, and they recommend stopping at Honningsvag (so that isn't bypassed).
Quote
et avec John, excellent lecteur de road-book, on s'en est sortis sans erreur

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Northcape 4000
« Reply #32 on: 25 January, 2021, 05:23:02 pm »
I genuinely can't see a track in that (second, correct) streetview link. I can in the first, incorrect one. Do you mean following the stream?

And Qg, I'm especially surprised – you being you! – to find your Komoot route in miles and yards!
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

quixoticgeek

  • Mostly Harmless
Re: Northcape 4000
« Reply #33 on: 25 January, 2021, 05:34:16 pm »
I genuinely can't see a track in that (second, correct) streetview link. I can in the first, incorrect one. Do you mean following the stream?

And Qg, I'm especially surprised – you being you! – to find your Komoot route in miles and yards!

That's your setting not mine. It displays in Metric for me.

I'm guessing if you are not logged into Komoot, it will try to do localisation of the settings.

I could probably file this as a bug, nothing should use miles or yards. It should all be metric.

J
--
Beer, bikes, and backpacking
http://b.42q.eu/

Karla

  • car(e) free
    • Lost Byway - around the world by bike
Re: Northcape 4000
« Reply #34 on: 25 January, 2021, 05:40:16 pm »
I could probably file this as a bug, nothing should use miles or yards. It should all be metric.

Delusional, or just dictatorial?  :facepalm:

quixoticgeek

  • Mostly Harmless
Re: Northcape 4000
« Reply #35 on: 25 January, 2021, 05:44:19 pm »
I could probably file this as a bug, nothing should use miles or yards. It should all be metric.

Delusional, or just dictatorial?  :facepalm:

Why don't we move this to the KPH vs wrong thread?

J
--
Beer, bikes, and backpacking
http://b.42q.eu/

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Northcape 4000
« Reply #36 on: 25 January, 2021, 05:48:01 pm »
I genuinely can't see a track in that (second, correct) streetview link. I can in the first, incorrect one. Do you mean following the stream?

And Qg, I'm especially surprised – you being you! – to find your Komoot route in miles and yards!

That's your setting not mine. It displays in Metric for me.

I'm guessing if you are not logged into Komoot, it will try to do localisation of the settings.

I could probably file this as a bug, nothing should use miles or yards. It should all be metric.

J
I don't use Komoot, so must be some default.
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Salvatore

  • Джон Спунър
    • Pics
Re: Northcape 4000
« Reply #37 on: 25 January, 2021, 06:19:22 pm »
I genuinely can't see a track in that (second, correct) streetview link. I can in the first, incorrect one. Do you mean following the stream?

 I can't see it in either. On the Norgeskart map it starts to the eat (right) of the stream and goes up the right side of the valley. But the Northcape 4000 route follows the road anyway, through the 0.5 poronkusema tunnel.
Quote
et avec John, excellent lecteur de road-book, on s'en est sortis sans erreur

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Northcape 4000
« Reply #38 on: 25 January, 2021, 06:26:48 pm »
In the first one I thought I saw a track – sheep trail really – bang in the centre. Looking again, I think it's just a rainwater run off track. But there is a sort of very vague track starting on the left of the screen and running up to the right of the first big rocks. Definitely something for walking, preferably without a bike to push, not for riding.
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Re: Northcape 4000
« Reply #39 on: 17 February, 2021, 12:09:59 am »
I've entered this. This year is Lake Garda to North Cape via Lake Balaton, Krakow, Riga and the length of Finland.

Lots of countries I've not cycled in before and some I've never visited at all. Cycling in the Arctic is a big unknown for me, and a little bit scary.

it's mandatory route so should be more scenic than main roads and more chance of bumping into people. It's not a proper race and drafting is allowed, which undermines it a bit, but should be fun.

Maybe it will happen, maybe not. It's all schengen which may or may not help.

Anyone else doing it?
Ive been wracking my brains on a contact who has done this race Frank.
It just came back to me. During TCRno5 I crossed paths, with a chap called Peter Wohler.  I was riding down an eye watering gradient towards Innsbruck on a major drag. He was trudging up on foot on my side of the road in the opposite direction and had a NC4000 sticker strapped to the front of his bike. Naturally we stopped for a chat. It was on the drop into Zirl,  crazy steep. 16 plus % I seem to recall. It was hot as Hell and I'd had a crappy day getting lost (surprise surprise) I'd missed the pass from Germany into Austria, and ended up coming through the back door on a beautiful but laborious gravel track along the North of lake Plansee. After which I bailed on a busy road loaded with aggressive weekend traffic for a short cut that involved vaulting several security gates that wasn't a short cut at all.  I digress, but the outcome was I had a great chat with Peter, who had eschewed doing TCR as he is not comfortable with aggressive dogs, but still likes to take on a big race. He is a contact on my social media profile if you want to look him up.

 
often lost.

Re: Northcape 4000
« Reply #40 on: 17 February, 2021, 10:11:28 am »
Peter is a wonderful guy. I've ridden quite a few audaxes with him, quite often we even shared rooms before/after the event. Lovely sense of humor, in a German bike forum he used to use the nick 'Bergfloh', albeith he is tal and nearly 100kilo

Re: Northcape 4000
« Reply #41 on: 18 February, 2021, 09:39:48 pm »
I've entered too.  Er, sorry for the delay, I am not on here often.  Treating it as a big long holiday with oodles of cycling, in places I have never cycled before.  Can't wait but uncertain it will go ahead.  At least I've had my first jab so preparation stage 1 done!
Great things are achieved, not by strength but by perseverence

Re: Northcape 4000
« Reply #42 on: 19 February, 2021, 11:22:51 pm »
I rode this last time it happened. Loftoten islands were particularly beautiful; though the route up through Denmark / Sweden means that 2021 may be more interesting overall?  Enjoyed the ferries (nice, social pauses).  The final tunnel onto Magoyera (sp?) wasn't enjoyable; but there had been plenty of tunnels on the way to that tunnel.  Visibility was down to about 5 m when I arrived -- plus driving rain. The day before, from others pictures, seemed to be bright and sunny.  Quite easy to get the bus back to the airport afterwards.

Re: Northcape 4000
« Reply #43 on: 20 February, 2021, 08:46:57 am »
Interesting. I am lucky that I do not need to rush home at the end so thought of taking the Hurtigruten ferry to Bergen and flying from there.  This would be a bit of R&R but also means I could hop off at the north end of the Lofoten Islands and re-join at the south end. Lofoten is high on my list of places to cycle. Right up there, in fact, with the event itself
Great things are achieved, not by strength but by perseverence

Re: Northcape 4000
« Reply #44 on: 20 February, 2021, 01:11:55 pm »
Lofoten was almost implausibly beautiful -- picture postcard views around every corner. I thought of the ferry, but time plus price decided me against.  Norway is shockingly expensive (as a few Swedes noted, as well). Whether that expense lies behind the popularity of camper vans I don't know, but there are plenty of those -- which also means there are plenty of good campsites / facilities in pretty deserted places.

Re: Northcape 4000
« Reply #45 on: 20 February, 2021, 04:53:40 pm »
Lofoten was almost implausibly beautiful -- picture postcard views around every corner. I thought of the ferry, but time plus price decided me against.  Norway is shockingly expensive (as a few Swedes noted, as well). Whether that expense lies behind the popularity of camper vans I don't know, but there are plenty of those -- which also means there are plenty of good campsites / facilities in pretty deserted places.


I seem to remember that a beer was over three quid way back in the mid eighties when we were on deployment. That was eye watering for a poorly paid squaddie. The locals used to come and socialise in the NAAFI bars where we had duty free booze. I think the going rate for a bottle of scotch was about 40 pounds as the government added very high tax rates to alcohol. The other random item that I remember was cloud berry yoghurts. Yum!
often lost.

Mr Larrington

  • A bit ov a lyv wyr by slof standirds
  • Custard Wallah
    • Mr Larrington's Automatic Diary
Re: Northcape 4000
« Reply #46 on: 20 February, 2021, 06:12:46 pm »
My former cow-orker Dave, a practising Glaswegian, once claimed that the first Norwegian phrase he learned on starting a secondment to our office in Stavanger in the latter half of the 80s was the equivalent of “Ah'm no' payin' that fer a fuckin' pint!”
External Transparent Wall Inspection Operative & Mayor of Mortagne-au-Perche
Satisfying the Bloodlust of the Masses in Peacetime

Re: Northcape 4000
« Reply #47 on: 20 February, 2021, 07:36:15 pm »
paying for everything by credit card made it less immediately painful. (Cash doesn't seem popular.)

Re: Northcape 4000
« Reply #48 on: 15 June, 2021, 08:16:56 am »
They confirmed yesterday that this is definitely going to run, on the basis that the EU Green Pass will be in place from 1July.

I need to work out if I will be able to do it.

It seems that non-EU citizens can get a green pass as long as they have the right to travel to the country in question, but there is surprisingly little info around on it.

If you are fully vaccinated (as I am) this should mean free border crossings. For those not vaccinated, it would mean getting a test at every border. They have taken the opposite approach to the TCR saying that finding the test centre is all part of the adventure!  There are some non vaccinated people who are pretty pissed off about that.

Re: Northcape 4000 - rider killed
« Reply #49 on: 30 July, 2021, 09:26:53 am »
This has gone ahead but I didn't ride.  Italy introduced a quarentine for UK arrivals and my knee wasn't in good enough shape.

But that's not important.  I've just received an email to say that a rider has been killed in a collision in Hungary.  No more info on what happened other than it was by Lake Balaton.