While names like Girona, Tuscany, and Mallorca often dominate the world of gravel cycling, a hidden gem calls on to those seeking a different kind of adventure. Say hello to Scandinavia’s best-kept secret: Oslo, the gravel capital of Europe.

Nestled amid awe-inspiring natural beauty, Norway’s capital, Oslo, reveals a cycling paradise like no other; a network of endless gravel roads, a thriving cycling community, and a vibrant coffee and food scene. Join us on this unforgettable gravel cycling getaway.

Oslo – Europe’s gravel capital

While Norwegian tarmac also deserves its praise, we’re gravel enthusiasts at heart. Jørgen, a local gravel expert from Fara Cycling, dares to go as far to proclaim Oslo as Europe’s gravel capital. What set Oslo apart for us, is the vast forest known as “Marka,” covering thousands of square kilometers. In winter, it offers over 450 km of ski trails, but during summer, it’s a gravel paradise.

We escaped the city’s hustle and bustle just a few kilometers from downtown. To be exact, our Airbnb in Oslo’s Majorstuen was only 4.2 kilometers from the first gravel section, making the city an unique urban cycling experience.

Fara Cycling All-road bike, our gravel adventure companion

For fellow cycling enthusiasts exploring Oslo, a visit to Fara Cycling HQ is a must. This local bike brand, situated in the city’s heart, is more than an office and showroom; it’s a hub of cycling passion. We learned about Fara’s impressive range of bikes, including road, all-road, and gravel bikes. We opted for the F/All-Road, which turned out to be the perfect choice for our gravel rides.

Oslo’s finest coffee brews for cyclists

Just down the street from Fara Cycling we enjoyed an amazing brew at Fuglen. Scandinavians have a deep love for coffee, with Norwegians ranking second globally in coffee consumption. So coffee bars line nearly every street corner. Fuglen is an Oslo classic, serving coffee since 1963. The wallpaper and bar are still the original from the 60’s! 

During our Oslo trip, we also visited Tim Wendelboe, another haven for coffee connoisseurs. The place is runned by former World Barista Champion and houses a Micro roastery and coffee training centre too. The perfect spots for our coffee fixes, which fueled our gravel rides.

Traditional Norwegian “Tur Fuel” at Markastues on Your Gravel Ride

During our gravel rides we took part in another beloved Norwegian tradition: Kaffe og vafler på markastue. Dotted over Marka you can find mountain huts that offer coffee, delicious waffles and other treats to fuel the tur (tour). We loved the incredible views at Kikutstua and Skjennungstua.

Fueling Up and Dining in Style – Culinary Delights for Cyclists in Oslo

Cycling makes one hungry, so we were most pleased with Oslo’s cycling-themed culinary delights. Henrik Norre, former Team Sky chef, has created a cyclist’s haven in Oslo with his restaurant VeloChef. They cater to cyclists’ nutritional needs while offering gourmet dining and fabulous wines. It’s a must-visit spot for cyclists seeking both delicious cuisine and fuel for their rides.

Another highlight was Café Rouleur Oslo, neighbor of Candy Mountain Cyclery. Café Rouleur serves Scandinavian-style coffee and a wide wine selection, while Candy Mountain Cyclery, is a workshop where in-house steel bikes are crafted.

Izakaya: culinary highlight in the heart of Oslo

There is more in life than cycling. So our last culinary tip for Oslo is not cycling-themed but Japanese. Located in a cozy basement at St. Olav’s Square, we shared small Japanese dishes and enjoyed Japanese beers. The menu is inspired by authentic Japanese cuisine and it truly blew us away. Izakaya got its name from Japanese words that mean “stay,” “alcohol,” and “room” or “shop,” which perfectly captures what this great place is all about.

The best time to visit Oslo for cycling

“But isn’t Norway like, really cold?” we hear you thinking. The best time to visit Oslo for cycling is from May to August. We visited the last week of August, and although the weather was a bit gloomy due to more rainfall than usual, it was never uncomfortably cold. Actually, all the rain made nature look even more beautiful. The forests were greener, the waterfalls roared with an impressive intensity. Yes, the rain did wash out some of the roads, but the stunning scenery in Marka more than made up for it.

Nordmarka Gravel Routes from Oslo – Unforgettable Cycling Adventures

We handpicked some of the best gravel routes of Nordmarka, Oslo, in our komoot collection. These routes lead you through stunning scenery, offering an unforgettable journey through Oslo’s stunning natural landscapes. Because after this trip we have to agree with Jørgen, Oslo truly is a gravel capital you should add to your travel list!

Follow all our adventures on Instagram.

Print is cool! So it’s always nice when a new bikepacking magazine or book is released. Earlier this week Gestalten’s latest book ‘Grand Bikepacking Journeys’ dropped on our doormat. And the fact that two of our stories were included made us pretty proud. 

Stefan Amato, creator of Pannier, asked us a while back if he could use footage from our previous travels. He was curating an exciting book with grand bikepacking journeys for Gestalten. Our travels would fit right in. Months of hard work later, the result is finally here. 

Grand Bikepacking Journeys

In this sequel (see the first book), bikepacking expert Stefan Amato suggests world-famous must-ride routes. Stefan shares helpful advice on prepping, gear, and dealing with the particular problems encountered along the journey. Readers also learn more about the background and geography of each route and highlights any hidden gems. 

The Iditarod across Alaska, the Trans-Pyrenees between France and Spain, the Cross Cape route in South Africa, and many other routes are among those mentioned in the book. We cycled two of the routes: The Annapurna Circuit Trek and the Pamir Highway.

Annapurna Circuit & Pamir Highway

In December 2019 we started our bikepacking journey following the Annapurna Circuit Trek. One of the world’s most beautiful high altitude hiking trails. The trail winds through some of the world’s tallest mountains, with Annapurna I as the highest at 8.091 meter (26,545 feet). You’ll find some of our favorite shots of the trip in the book.

The Pamir Highway is adventure cyclists paradise. We spent a month in the beautiful landscapes of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. We cycled the legendary Ak-Baital pass (4.655 m) and followed the Panj river separating Tajikistan with Afghanistan. Fun fact: we’re sharing the story about the Pamir Highway with Ryan Wilson (@rmdub) – a huge bikepacking and photography inspiration. We coincidently bumped into him when we were riding the Annapurna Circuit Trek in opposite directions.

Hopefully this book will inspire you to get out on your bike. You can find more information about Grand Bikepacking Journeys here.  

Follow all our adventures on Instagram.

In this fourth part of ‘Bikepacking and gravel videos,’ we present you with five cycling-related films we enjoyed very much lately. From inspiring footage of a bike-and-pack rafting expedition to a powerful message about mental health. From the almost endless gravel roads of the United States to the rugged mountains of Norway. So, sit back, relax, and enjoy the adventure.

Want some more? You’ll find the previous series here, here and here. 

The Kona Sutra: Contrast

By Kona Bikes

Some movies make you want to get on your bike and go exploring. The Kona Sutra: Contrast definetly has that effect on us. Romain Barrez of Kona Europe enjoys being creative and taking his Sutra out. He took bikepacking and packrafting to the next level. He strapped a pack raft onto his bike. Paddled from Nice, France, past Entrevaux, and up to Saint Julien du Verdon, passing through old villages and lovely surroundings. This amazing film shows the most breathtaking landscapes, and highlights of his trip.

Crossing Iceland

By Payson McElveen

Iceland is a true bucketlist destination for many cyclists. But something that may be less appealing, is crossing this barren island in one-single go. Payson McElveen devised a strategy to be the very first person to cross Iceland from coast to coast on a bicycle. Including typical Icelandic weather conditions. With the prospect of a winter storm, river crossings through glacier run-offs, and a 4 a.m. start, Payson completed the Iceland crossing in 19 hours 45 minutes.

10 days bikepacking to the mountains of Norway

By Backwoods Bikepacking

In this film, Mikkel Soya Bølstad takes his family on a ten day bikepacking trip in Norway. For them, a summer holidays isn’t complete without a tent and a serious portion of the outdoors. Challenge: they don’t own a car and didn’t want to rely on public transport. So they rode their bikes to the mountains with their dog, avoiding high-traffic roads as much as possible. Things went quite nicely for the first half of the loop, but then luck seemed to run out.

Gravel – A Love Letter

By PEARL iZUMi

The documentary film ‘Gravel – A Love Letter’ captures the essence of gravel cycling by sharing what it means to the riders. Leading characters are three PEARL iZUMi athletes, Hannah Shell, Marley Blonsky, and Angela Naeth. The film delves into the history of gravel racing. And the effect it has on the towns and the inhabitants along the routes. 

Grateful | Alec Suriyuth

By Yama Folk

The film Grateful, created by Yama Folk and starring mountain cyclist and photographer Alec Suriyuth, focusses on mental health and the value of the simple things in life. Friendship, riding singletrails and photography have given Alec a renewed respect for the natural world. The film is not just about the powerful message. Also, the footage of British Columbia makes you want to visit this stunning place!

Follow all our adventures on Instagram.

It’s getting chilly outside. Winter is rapidly approaching, we already went past the end of daylight saving last weekend. While some of you may be diehard bikepackers who prepare to go out in the snow and frigid temps, this may be the off-season for others.

Wintertime, though, means relaxing with a hot chocolate in front of the fireplace, regardless of what type of rider you are. And what could be a greater complement than a few motivational bikepacking videos? So here you are, relax and take it all in.

Matty & Clare – Lost Captures

By Bombtrack Bicycle Co

Matty and Clare’s Lost Captures is certainly one of the most beautiful bikepacking movies. Norway’s stunning nature, with its rocky mountains, raging waterfalls, and beautiful fjords, isn’t the only draw. I t’s the personal touch of following Matty’s Grandfather’s footsteps on a bike touring trip through Scandinavia in the 1950s. Matty and Clare retrace Grandfather Bob’s wonderful voyage with the help of an old photo album.

Rapha Gone Racing – Alaska Pipeline FKT

By Rapha

Lael Wilcox is known for her spectacular adventures. In this short film by  Rapha you follow her time trailing her way across the Alaskan tundra along the historic oil pipeline from Deadhorse to Valdez. Despite her best efforts to be as quick as possible, she prioritizes having fun. The film looks into the ins and outs of bikepacking, such as closed roads, where (not) to pitch your tent, and where to buy food. All of this performed with a constant beautiful smile on her face.

Gaëlle on Tour: Whiteout

By Bombtrack Bicycle Co

There are few places in the world that seem more ‘wintery’ than Russia’s Siberia. Gaëlle Bojko set off on a month-long bike expedition over a frozen Lake Baikal, the world’s largest freshwater lake. Temperatures as low as – 20° Celsius are common in northern Siberia, just north of Mongolia. The pictures of the frozen lake’s pattern are stunning.

Rapha Gone Racing – The Alt Tour

By Rapha

We follow Australian pro-cyclist Lachlan Morton during his battle of beating the peloton to Paris during the Tour de France in Rapha’s latest film. Lachlan is also riding the transfer stages, as if the challenge wasn’t wild enough. The Alt Tour. Without teammates, rest days, a mechanic, or a cook, he covered a total distance of 5,500 kilometers and gained almost 65,000 meters of elevation. But who needs a cook when you can have chocolate milk, beer, and soda all at the same time?

Montanus – Second Wind

By Montanus

Montanus’ blogs, pictures, and films never fail to wow. Second Wind, their most recent bikepacking video, is no exception. After the lockdown measurements were lifted, the duo returned to the Italian Apennines Mountains. The video’s slow pace, along with the magnificent cinematography and soothing music, creates an almost meditative experience. It surely makes you want to travel to the Apennines someday.

More time to kill? Here you can find part 1 and part 2. 

Follow all our adventures on Instagram.

When you go on longer rides, there’s an extra aspect to take into consideration: on bike nutrition. We have mostly lived off Snickers and dried fruit, but realized that we needed to expand our culinary horizon a bit. So we decided to try out some new types of snacks to eat while cycling longer rides. Read on to read our review of Oskar Oatbar, Maurten Hydragel, our home made energyballs (plus recipe!), Snickers and of course banana.

When cycling we get our energy from fat and glucoses that we have stored in our body. On a lower intensity we burn fat and as the cycling intensifies we switch from fat to burning glucose which we derive from carbohydrates. When the glycogen runs out, your legs just won’t spin any more. Most of us have been there, and it’s no fun. So just eat the same amount of calories that you burn? Not really, it’s also about how much your body can digest.

Fat and protein are much harder for the body to digest, so those Snickers might not be such a good pick after all. We all like to ride hard on our training rides, so we are mostly burning glycogen. Since we store glycogen (and fat) in our body we luckily don’t have to munch away the same amount of carbs that we burn, we just have to make sure we don’t get a deficit.

We always start off with a full tank. And when rides go on for longer than one and a half hours we make sure that we refuel our tank regularly. Our bodies can absorb 60 grams of carbohydrates per hour in single form and 90 to 120 gram if you combine different types of carbohydrates. The upper limit is different for everyone and also depends on how hard you train. It’s best to try for yourself how much you can take in without getting nauseous on that unexpected climb that always seems to pop up right after you’ve crammed in an energy bar.

Cycling snacks review

We did a little review of the snacks that we bring on our ride, just to give you some inspiration. By no means are we experts in nutrition, so we are not saying that this is what you ‘should’ be eating. But to still be able to give you some useful information we evaluated our snacks on four factors: taste, packability, nutrition and price.

Can’t beat a banana

You can’t go wrong with a banana. Unless you leave it at the bottom of your snack bag over a bumpy road for a few hours. Bananas are tasty, healthy and actually get sweeter if they brown up a bit. A banana is super easy to stick in your back pocket, but does risk getting mushy. Some people can handle it, some don’t. For us Sabina usually eats the brown soggy parts which Robin just can not deal with. Depending on where you are, the peel is either easy to discard (if it gets eaten by animals) or a pain to carry (in suburban areas).

Another plus for the banana, is that they are cheap. Here in Sweden a banana costs around 5 SEK (€0,50/£0,40). 

Home-made energy balls

Who knew that making your own energy snack was that easy. We bought a bag of Nut & Fruit mix at Lidl, added five big medjool dates and mixed it into a smooth paste in the blender. After rolling the paste into small balls (about the size of a golf ball) we rolled them in cacao powder to prevent them from sticking to each other. We save the energy balls in the freezer and by the time we want a snack they are the perfect temperature and texture.

The balls turned out really tasty, although they were very sweet and a bit sticky. If you’d eat more than three in a row while cycling you’d probably get a little nauseous. We bought a premixed bag, but you could of course make your own mix with more nuts and less dried fruits to make it a bit less sweet. Add whatever (un)healthy ingredient you want, peanut or almond butter, ground instant coffee, protein powder, flaxseed, whatever you want!

We packed the balls in a Ziploc bag, and they kept their form. I don’t know how well they will keep on very hot days as they might melt a bit, so pack carefully. Be careful not to eat too much of these little rocket fuel balls. Dried fruits contain a lot of fibres, which is super healthy but may not be the best when cycling. Eating too many fibres on the bike can make you constipated or leave you feeling bloated.

The mixed bag with cranberries, walnuts, almonds and sultanas cost 24,90 SEK (€2,46/£2,14) and the box with dates was also 24,90 SEK. I used the entire bag of the mix but only took a few dates out of the big box, making this is a really cheap cycling snack. Since we made our own mix we have to ballpark the nutrients. 

Oskar Oatbar

These oatbars that are handmade in Germany really surprised us. When we think of oatbars we think of a dry either tasteless or overly sweetened bar that is not easy to chomp up. That’s probably also why we saved them for last, and only tried them when everything else was finished. But wow, how badly did we misjudge those. We tried the Cardamom 390s bar and the Classic Curcuma bar. After having eaten a lot of sweet snacks it was so nice to have something that was more savoury and a little spicy-sweet. We liked the Cardamom flavour the best. The texture was easy to chew on and didn’t feel dry to the mouth. The bar was filling without leaving the stomach feeling heavy. Would definitely recommend it.

The bars are made from organic ingredients: oats, wheat flour, different kinds of natural syrup and tasty spices. 

The paper wrapper had got a little oily from the bar (we think), so it had some dark spots. It didn’t feel like it would stain your jersey, and paper beats plastic any day if you ask us. The bar easily fits in a jersey pocket or food pouch, since it is very flat. They are also very light and still have a high nutritional value. One bar costs €2,50, but considering you get actual food that’s pretty okay to us.

Maurten Hydrogel

Most cyclists either hate it or love it. We haven’t made up our minds yet. The taste of the Maurten energy gel that we tried was very pleasant. A little sweet, but not too much. The substance is weird. Do you chew or gulp it up? (Robin chewed and Sabina gulped.) The packaging is tiny, so it’s really easy to take with you. The ratio of energy to weight is huge. You can easily pull it out of a pocket, open it with one hand and consume while cycling. Sabina got a little reflux, maybe she ate it too fast?

The gel contains water, glucose, fructose, calcium carbonate, gluconic acid and sodium alginate. The composition of both the ingredients and the substance of the gel is designed for maximum energy absorption. It will definitely not replace a meal, but if you are in a race, a meal is not what’s on your mind. This is purely to replenish your body to perform at maximum capacity. Nevertheless, if you are going to use gels in a race, you also need to train with them. Maybe not every ride, but at least a few times before race day.

The gels are high-tech and that’s usually synonymous for expensive. And that goes for these gels as well at €3,36 a piece.

Snickers

The nutritional value of a Snickers candy bar is at first glance very similar to energy bars. But there are some important differences between these yummy candy bars and healthier energy bars. Snickers have a higher proportion of fructose to glucose. Glucose is always the first sugar the body uses for energy. Any excess fructose not needed for energy will be used to make body fat. Snickers are also very high in fat, which is why they are so delicious and melt in your mouth. But like mentioned before, fat is much harder for the body to break down into energy.

Healthier energy bars derive their calories from a more balanced distribution of carbs, fat and protein and provide more vitamins and minerals. Sure there are some nuts in there, but those are drowned in a sticky sea of melted sugar. 

If it’s not your go-to meal and eat five snickers in one ride, then you’re absolutely fine. You should get the most important vitamins and minerals from your main meals anyway, and not from cycling snacks. Because to be fair, they are almost like the perfect cycling snack. Cheap, small, delicious and available all around the world (it was mostly Snickers that got us through the Pamir Highway.) Top it off with a can of Red Bull like our friend Gustaf and your dentist will definitely hate you. But you will have enough energy to get home.

Your favourite cycling snack

What is your favourite gel, or do you prefer a whole different type of fuel?We’d love to hear what you bring on your rides, especially on multi-day rides. And as much as we enjoy all this on bike nutrition. There’s nothing as good as a proper fika*!

Follow all our adventures on Instagram.

We were wondering what everyone is doing nowadays, and figured other people might have the same question. That’s why we decided to put together a ‘where are they now’ (you can read ours here). We would love to read your story. Here are some of the stories we’ve collected so far, but stay tuned for many more to follow!

Venga.vamos

You might know Silvan better as venga.vamos. He left his home in Germany in februari 2018 to travel the world by bicycle. Can you imagine traveling around for that long, what a dream! 

Silvan was cycling in Brazil together with Isaura when the pandemic hit Europe. He decided to not fly back to Germany, straight into the pandemic, because Brazil was still calm at that moment.

He and Isaura had already been staying at a Warmshowers host in Bahia for four weeks. The house is very close to National Park Chapada Diamantina. Now five months later them and two other travelers are still stranded in Bahia. ‘If I knew how bad Brazil would be affected and how the situation would have developed in other countries for example in Europe, I probably would have left Brazil and flew back to continue my journey in Europe’ Silvan says.

Luckily he is at a good place. He doesn’t need to pay rent and he shares all the food expenses and always cooks together with his new travel buddies. In exchange they help around the house and the garden – there is always something to do, so it’s kind of a win-win situation.

He is hoping to go back to his home in Germany, but not before he and Isaura get to visit her family in Chile and Costa Rica. Now they are just waiting patiently, in that same waiting mode as five months ago, just waiting for borders to open up again. ‘It’s a little bit frustrating because we can’t plan anything midterm, but we are still happy to be stranded in paradise and trying to make the most of our days here.’

Silvan is using his time in lockdown to learn to travel inside rather than outside. A beautiful purpose, that many of us now finally get a chance to.

Rnbcycles

We met Rob and Bex in the very cold border town Sary-Tash in Kyrgyzstan last year. This adventurous couple started their journey in Indonesia and were slowly but steadily cycling back west all the way to the U.K.

Rob and Bex were cycling through the Uzbek desert when all of a sudden the whole country shut down all borders. There were no cases of covid so it caught them by surprise.  They found a nice, affordable room in Khiva for a month, to wait until the borders would open and the ferry across the Caspian would start again.

However after hearing from their embassy and England’s prime minister, they listened to their announcements that all British Nationals abroad should come home immediately. That same day they packed up the bicycles and jumped on the 15 hour train back to the capital Tashkent. ‘In the hostel in Tashkent we met back up with five other cyclists we had met the previous week, who were also trying to get home. We all signed up to a flight which was going to be at some unknown cost, to some European city at some time… perhaps within 2 hours. It turned out to be 5 days but we got the flight to Germany and then another flight back home.’

When they got back to England they moved into a caravan living and working on a permaculture farm in Somerset. ‘It didn’t really feel that different from life on the road that we had known for the last 17 months. It was so rural that we didn’t really notice any restrictions for Covid.’

When we met Rob and Bex they were already talking about living on the countryside, growing their own sustainable food and even keeping bees. It looks like this pandemic has fast forwarded them straight into this wish.

Bex: ‘We are really happy that we got home when we did and believe that things happen for a reason. We have been in France now for three weeks and have bought a house with land. In November we will move to France to live there as permanent residents.’ Rob will enjoy setting up their organic smallholding whilst Bex will continue her work as a teacher and examiner online.

Projectpedalfurther

Of all the bicycle travellers we follow, Sara and Andreas were the first to fly back home because of covid. We remember being a little surprised with their decision and naively thinking it surely couldn’t be that bad (little did we know). While we were still happy cycling in India, Sara and Andreas were in Vietnam when they first read about the virus.

At first they didn’t do much. ‘We didn’t think it was a big deal. Later we talked to many locals and started to read English written Vietnamese newspapers. The fact that China is not only a neighbouring state but the Chinese are also the biggest tourist group in Vietnam made us believe that the situation would get worse pretty soon. Sara’s parents wanted to visit us in Vietnam, but we thought that this would not be a good idea due to her age and the not very advanced health care system in the country.  This and the fact that we did not want to be stranded somewhere and depend on the help of our governments and evacuation flights, made us decide to fly back to Switzerland.’

They left Vietnam on February 10, just three days after they had first thought about flying home. ‘We knew that some of our friends but also random people we met during these days did not understand our decision, as Corona did not really seem to be a threat in other parts of the world at that time.’

Sara and Andreas are still in Switzerland and now live with Sara’s parents. At first they thought it was only for a few weeks until they could continue their trip in America, but the virus was faster. Their flights to Los Angeles were cancelled a few days after they had booked them.

They thought of cycling in Spain or maybe in France, but after weeks looking for opportunities to travel they decided to postpone the trip until spring 2021. They use this time to work and replenish their bank accounts. At the moment Sara is working as a teacher again and Andreas works as a contact tracer for the health department trying to fight this shitty virus.

Looking back they feel like they made the right decision going back when they did. ‘Although the interesting thing is that both Vietnam and our next planned destination Taiwan have done very well in fighting the virus. So we could have travelled a little further. But the fact that most airlines have stopped flying and so many people have had to go home on special flights after being quarantined in hotels still makes us believe that we did the right thing, even if it was perhaps a little too early.’

This Swiss cycling enthusiastic couple definitely isn’t done cycling yet. They are now making the most of their time in Switzerland.  ‘For years we have spent our holidays and most of our free time on our bikes, and we will continue to do so. We are lucky, Switzerland is a cyclists’ paradise and there are still many unpaved paths and paved roads to discover.’

If the situation allows it the project to pedal further will continue next year. Luckily Andreas and Sara don’t feel like they are running out of time. ‘Some years ago we decided not to have children. We are not in the business of “travelling – writing a book about it – starting a family – building a house”, which makes it a little easier to wait. Still, if we are honest, it sucks. We don’t think too much about possible destinations at the moment, because for now it just doesn’t make sense. But we would love to cycle the Americas one day. And also the return to Kyrgyzstan or the Himalayas is on our list.’

Were you also cycling somewhere on this big blue and green planet when the pandemic shit hit the fan? We would love to read your story. Post it down below in the comments and don’t forget to follow us on Instagram!