Escape from boredom

I must admit looking at the increase in workouts for the past 30 days are amazing, but sad but true…the last 30 days have been as it should be, the previous 30 days with almost no workouts…bad!

This picture (opens in new window) is showing the gps track of my bike ride today, or at least the most important part which was from where I started at Skillingsfors using my mtb riding forest roads back home to Norway. Skipping the last part which was only boring transport along the road back to Løken. I’ve also added some numbers which I will refer to when commenting the pictures.

1) Just a picture of a random part of the road right after I had left Skillingsfors, nice place.

2) View of Askesjön

3) Askesjön, the sign just before I turned away from the road and headed for the forest.

4) Headed for the forest right next to the car

5) Nice forest road, not that wet, kinda strange considering the heavy rain the days before today.

6) Only part I had to push the bike, a bit to steep and slippery.

7) Flat out…

8) Gravel road almost all the way to the border.

9) Not sure what has happened to the elk, but it was a lot of fur here

10) Stopped by the cabin which is on the edge of Krokvatnet on the Swedish side looking towards north. I need to get up there to cross the border.

10) A bit worried, all the time it is pretty much water in the lake, just look at the floating dock.

10) Not exactly mint conditions for riding my bike, but I only needed to carry it for about 300 meters.

11) Looking cross the border towards Norway.

11) And now I’ve crossed the border and trying to remember Sweden … by taking a picture of the last view of the country

11) If ever coming from Norway and want to follow in my footsteps (bike trail), just look for this tower and take hard left just after you have passed it.

11) The border is in the stream

The forest road in Norway had quite large rocks, making my ride slow going both up and downhill.

The rocks in a much closer view

The forest road ended (or starts, it all depends) just about 7-800 meters after the war memorial along national highway #21 heading for Rømskog.

Find some more tips at Terrengsykkel.no (in Norwegian)

Yesterday was a good day. Visited friends which I had not seen for ages, weather was nice, and got to ride my bike for about five hours. First alone, started from Furuseth Kirke via Vormsund, Årnes and then to Vestreng. Very nice weather, did a serious job on my tan line. Then spent a few hours with Iver, my youngest son who is staying at my in-laws this week. Then in the evening me and my friend Anders spent two good hours in Østmarka on our MTB’s.

I really need to work on my camera angels, it look way to easy. Ok, it was easy – but I could have made it look more extreme if I had stood elsewhere 🙂

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But, ok – Anders can also work on his comments. Saying “Very easy” does not create an illusion of extreme biking.

Ice Cube also having a good day, enjoy rap as it should be!

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Realized after doing Color Line Setesdal Tour last weekend that my Conti GP4000 tyres have been mounted on my bike since before I did Den Store Styrkeprøven in 2008. When cleaning the bike earlier this week I noticed that the rear tyre was far from round anymore. Found another pair for tyres I had bought a long time ago and mounted them today, GP Force/GP Attack. Now realizing that the combo of Force and Attack is a riskier option than GP4000, note that I have had no punctures since I started using them. So now just waiting for an opportunity to buy a new set of GP4000S 622-25

Pretty worn out…