Äkäslompolo, Finland: Thursday 3rd July 2014
It’s been light all night
as it always is at this time of year in Lapland. This far north, we have around two months of
midnight sun with what they call “nightless nights” when the sun never sets.
Fortunately, this morning
sees it a bit cooler and overcast, as we are up early, drinking strong coffee,
repacking and trying not to think too much about the fact that we are about head
off, with a group of fit Finns, on the longest cycle we’ve ever attempted – The Hullan Polkasu or, in English, the Mad Cycle.
Hullan Polkasu
Sampo Kaulanen (left) owns and runs Jounin Kauppa, the supermarket and shopping centre here in Äkäslompolo.
One
day, in the heat of summer (yes, as well as being light for 24 hours it often
tops 30C in Lapland) he was looking at a map of the area while trying
to think of some ideas for a summer fun event.
He thought about the short distance to Norway, and came up with the idea of going for a cool refreshing swim in the Arctic Ocean off the coast of Norway.
The one proviso was that he put details of the event on Facebook, and would only go ahead with the cycle if it got 50 000 “Likes”.
Within a few days, the number of “Likes”
sailed past the 50 000 mark, and Sampo had started training!
Of course, it's no fun to cycle such a
long route on your own, so Sampo sent out a general invite for people to join
him on the trek.
Lapland Finns are typically fit and very keen on the outdoors, so soon people were signing up from all around Finland to join in.
As part of the small contingent of Brits
in the village, and badly in need of some exercise, we decided to sign up too. Now, on the morning of the first day, it seems
a bit rash to have made that decision only three weeks ago!
Äkäslompolo –> Hetta (Enontekio) – Day 1
As we gathered outside the
supermarket at 7:30am we found, somewhat to our relief, that not only were
there indeed quite a few other people ready to take part, some very well prepared with racing bikes.
Fortunately, there
were some people that looked like they might go at a more reasonable pace,
including a couple of fellas on a tandem, quite a few bikes with cuddly animal
passengers and a lady on a traditional Tunturi bike with no gears!
Age no Barrier |
The youngest participant was 11 and the
oldest 63, excellent examples of the characteristic Finnish “Sisu”.
After a quick pep-talk from Sampo and a brief group stretching and warm-up session, we all dropped our bags with Nils-Samuli in the Jounin Kauppa “Support van”, which was to follow us for the full route.
This was to prove a valuable lifeline as, along with carrying luggage, it was stacked with goodies!
Just time then for a group photo of a bunch of enthusiastic cyclists before setting off on the first part of the trek.
140 km to the lovely Sami village of Hetta (or Enontekio as it’s shown on the map).
The road out of Äkäslompolo has one steep climb, perfect for warming up the cycling muscles.
Once we had puffed our way up that, we were off at a good speed, and in no time, we had passed the road to Akäsmylly at 20 km, marking the furthest we’d previously cycled in that direction.
The first Pit-Stop
Several Jounin Kauppa
suppliers had contributed food, fitness drinks and energy bars to the cause, so
after about 30 km, there was a pit-stop set up at the roadside for a quick
refuel.
This was the first time we really understood the benefits of having a support team, as they handed out much appreciated food and drink.
This was the first time we really understood the benefits of having a support team, as they handed out much appreciated food and drink.
After a couple of minutes
relaxing and watching a few other participants coming and going, we pressed on
for the next 40 km to the lunch stop at the Loimu restaurant in Raatama, where
there was lots of gorgeous Lappish salmon soup to get everyone raring to go
again.
By this point, it was
clear that we had spread out quite a bit, with the “Elite” riders well ahead,
and the rest spread over quite a distance, in small groups, making new friends
as people of similar speeds cycled together (some closer than others) or regularly passed each other.
By the time we hit the
110 km mark, it seemed that most people were feeling the effort taking a toll on
their legs, and it was perfect to have another pit-stop to top up energy levels which helped the last 30 km fly by.
Welcome to Hetta
On arrival in Hetta, most
of us were staying in the Hetan Majalta hotel.
Anticipating the arrival of a lot of weary Finnish cyclists, the hotel
knew exactly how to prepare; getting the beers chilled as the sauna heated,
providing the perfect welcome for the end of day 1.
The Hetta locals
had arranged a welcome festival for the cyclists in the market square in the
evening, with stalls selling coffee, cakes, sausages and
other post-cycling delights as well as laying on some locally flavoured entertainment, the highlight of which was a young singer performing a song that she had written especially for the Hullun Polkasu event.
other post-cycling delights as well as laying on some locally flavoured entertainment, the highlight of which was a young singer performing a song that she had written especially for the Hullun Polkasu event.
Then back to the hotel, to bed.
Everyone started off in cheery spirits and was soon clocking up the miles to the first café stop after about 30km. That bit wasn’t too bad, especially with the thought of lunch on the horizon.
First, we came to the border crossing between Finland and Norway. It was an easy border to pass, with no stops and checks, but it was nice to get a cheery wave from Norwegian customs as we pedaled past.
The building and all the exhibits (most of which are for sale) were designed, build and collected by Frank and Regine Juhls since settling here in the 1950s.
After the wet weather of day 2, it was something of a relief to see that the more typical Lapland summer weather had returned.
As everyone gathered outside the hotel, we started off in good spirits, though with dire warnings of mountains between us and our final destination, Alta, to be tackled later that day, ringing in our ears.
The support
team had somehow managed to get hold of a vat of sausage soup, which, accompanied with cheese sandwiches and a fantastic view of Norway was the perfect pick-me-up
for the second half; and what a second half it was!
As we descended from the stopping point, we seemed to hit one downhill after another, and were keeping up a much higher speed with far less effort than before. Even the few uphill stretches seemed easier. Then we started to see the mountains in the distance, looming closer with every km.
Each km seemed to expose more and more impressive Norwegian scenery, with high cliffs, still topped with snow, gushing waterfalls and majestic lakes around every corner.
Past the mountains, it was easy to keep up
the momentum, and keep the UK flags flying, as the last few km flew by and we were soon arriving at
Alta River Camping, the end of the cycling route.
Day 2 – Hetta -> Kautokeino - Let’s go North of the Border
Day two dawned and it was
apparent that the promise of lovely weather had been a little optimistic.
Heavy clouds covered the village, and it
didn’t look like the light rain was planning to stop anytime soon.
Gathering to start from Hetta market square, the villagers gave us a fantastic send off, with a quick Zumba session to warm up weary legs and a great sing-a-long of the
Hullan Polkasu song, which even the Finns couldn’t understand as it was in the
Sami language; not that that stopped everyone joining in with the chorus.
So many options! |
Everyone started off in cheery spirits and was soon clocking up the miles to the first café stop after about 30km. That bit wasn’t too bad, especially with the thought of lunch on the horizon.
The second half of day two
was promising to be a bit tougher, with everyone setting off still damp after
lunch, and with full stomachs and some steeper uphill sections, it was all
getting to be a bit of a slog. Then two
things happened that really boosted us.
First, we came to the border crossing between Finland and Norway. It was an easy border to pass, with no stops and checks, but it was nice to get a cheery wave from Norwegian customs as we pedaled past.
Then the Jaunin Kauppa support
van drove past with the team handing out energy drinks and chocolate to all the cyclists, on the move!
No one could fail to be lifted by that kind of surprise, and with it being a shorter day, covering only 80 odd km, we soon had Kautokeino in view through the low clouds and a lovely downhill section to the Arctic Motel and Camping site to finish.
No one could fail to be lifted by that kind of surprise, and with it being a shorter day, covering only 80 odd km, we soon had Kautokeino in view through the low clouds and a lovely downhill section to the Arctic Motel and Camping site to finish.
This time, some of the
participants were staying in cabins at the Kautokeino camp site and some were
up the hill at the Thon hotel.
After checking in, we headed off to relax in the outdoor hot-tub under the watchful eye of some of the local reindeer.
As we sat chatting with some of the other cyclists, the weather started to
clear, with the magnificent Norwegian mountains and scenery gradually appearing
through the clearing clouds.
It’s at times like that,
you realise what a special place Lapland is.
Gallery Visit
With an earlier end to the
cycling at 3pm, we had time to visit Juhls’ Silver gallery in Kautokeino.
The building and all the exhibits (most of which are for sale) were designed, build and collected by Frank and Regine Juhls since settling here in the 1950s.
It's a welcoming and fascinating place with an amazing history and a free guided tour. It's no surprise that people travel from all over the Nordic countries to visit. Highly recommended.
Day 3 - Kautokeino -> Onward to the Arctic Ocean
After the wet weather of day 2, it was something of a relief to see that the more typical Lapland summer weather had returned.
As everyone gathered outside the hotel, we started off in good spirits, though with dire warnings of mountains between us and our final destination, Alta, to be tackled later that day, ringing in our ears.
The only en-route stop on day 3 was after
70 km at the top of the one steep uphill section, the first tough section that
we had encountered that day.
Photographer Stepi enjoys lunch |
As we descended from the stopping point, we seemed to hit one downhill after another, and were keeping up a much higher speed with far less effort than before. Even the few uphill stretches seemed easier. Then we started to see the mountains in the distance, looming closer with every km.
Each km seemed to expose more and more impressive Norwegian scenery, with high cliffs, still topped with snow, gushing waterfalls and majestic lakes around every corner.
As we arrived at the mountains, to our
surprise, the road seemed to go downhill more and more steeply, with the
bending road snaking down through the mountains, where only the bravest of
cyclists stayed off the brakes completely.
Keeping the UK end up |
It was great to catch up with everyone
there, enjoying the camaraderie, a relaxing beer, a sauna (of course) and some dinner in the sunshine.
In the excitement of finishing the cycling, we almost forgot
that the objective of the event was to swim in the Arctic Ocean. A Refreshing dip
Fortunately, one of the Ylläs coaches had
been laid on, and by 9pm we were all boarding to start our unusual trip to the
seaside.
A couple of km outside Alta, we stopped at a lovely little beach with Norwegian mountains and sky perfectly framing the Arctic Ocean.
A couple of km outside Alta, we stopped at a lovely little beach with Norwegian mountains and sky perfectly framing the Arctic Ocean.
The end of the challenge and time for quick photo, just giving a few moments to think about the prospect of the final swim in the Arctic Ocean.
Then into bathing gear to charge, run or paddle into the sea.
The water was quite cold, but wonderfully clear and refreshing after days of cycling.
It’s hard to imagine how the last day could have been better. The gorgeous weather the Norwegian scenery and the fun of swimming in the Arctic Ocean really made it a special experience.
Big Thanks
Special thanks to Teemu Haavisto & Ylläs Sportia for support
and technical services and to the Jounin Kauppa support team for helping us all
to make it to the end, and of course to Sampo Kaulanen for the original idea
and for making the event a reality.
Thanks also to Stepi Sundberg for taking so many great photographs of the event during all three days, and especially for allowing me to use some of these here. You can see more of his work on his web site by clicking on his name.
Not forgetting Ylläs Express for picking us up and taking our bikes back to Äkäslompolo, especially since I’m not sure any of us could have cycled back up the long climb back out of Alta!
Thanks also to Stepi Sundberg for taking so many great photographs of the event during all three days, and especially for allowing me to use some of these here. You can see more of his work on his web site by clicking on his name.
Not forgetting Ylläs Express for picking us up and taking our bikes back to Äkäslompolo, especially since I’m not sure any of us could have cycled back up the long climb back out of Alta!
Video Footage
To get an idea of the spirit of the event
and see some of the magnificent wild scenery, Veli-Matti Näränen took some excellent video footage during the event…
And the team from JVPS did a fantastic video blog!
And the team from JVPS did a fantastic video blog!
Roll on Hullun Polkasu 2015!
Join Us?
If you fancy taking part in Hullun Polkasu 2015
and experiencing some of the summer magic of Lapland, please feel free to
contact me or visit the Hullun Polkasu Facebook page.
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