I bougth my first mountain bike 2005. I used to be a recreational mountain biker who goes out on sunny days. Rides smooth tracks about 1,5 hours and comes home safe and sound. Untill I participated my first mtbAdventure 2013 in South Finland (from Valkeakoski to Ähtäri).
After that five days trip I thought I need to work out more to follow the group better. So I decided to buy a cyclocross bike as well to cycle also winter time. My goal was to cycle or do other sports like cross country skiing once a week at least for one 4 hours training, with low speed, besides other training. It worked out, but didn't end up with so good results what I thought it would do. Anyways I participated another Mtbadventure 2014 in Eastern Finland (from Ilomantsi to Kuhmo). I was the last rider of the group most of the times and had hard times to get through the trip, but I survived. I also finished my first Tahko MTB 120km race. Tahko MTB is the biggest mountain biking event in Finland. 120km was for me a distance I had thought I would never participate.
Fall 2014 I started to study at Outdoor Academy to become a wilderness guide. A year outdoors took my basic condition into a new level. Still I knew that I would be the slowest driver in mtbAdventure also 2015. Ready but scared for the trip.
Suddenly there am I walking into a lake of Pöyrisjärvi with my bike. I feel cold in my feet for a few seconds once they get totally wet, but after a while it feels all right to ride your bike in a lake. Both riding the bike and walking with the bike in a lake feels quite heavy. We have been riding already about 6 hours before this and there are few hours to go before we hit the camping place to overnight. We are 11 cyclists in the group and service car follows us to meet us in the evenings at the camping spots. Most of the nights we sleep in tents.
It feels amazing how long you can keep going even though you feel tired. I try to drink frequently and eat something at least once an hour. My heart beat clock says that I'm burning 4056 calories at the first day. It takes us 11hours 38 minutes with breaks to reach our first camping place and we cycle over 100 kilometers. The first day ends up being the longest of the whole trip from Hetta to Guhkesjavri. Eating a meal and falling a sleep in warm sleeping bag feels like heaven.
It had rained a lot in Lapland this summer. In times we felt it...
The second day starts with rain. You need to move while eating your breakfast because there's so many mosquitoes that otherwice they eat eather you or your blueberry soup. I have followed the group quite well on the first day but the second day feels hard. It's hard to catch any speed with the bike and there's plenty of wet spots on our way. Finally we finish to place called Kautokeino (Aksomuotki) after 10 hours 24 minutes and 3213 burned calories. I have hard times eating the dinner and start to think how on earth will I go through those 5 days of cycling that are waiting me.
I never thought that riding mountain bike 100 km on a sandy road would be my "day of rest". But that's how it works in Mtbadventure in Lapland. The road seems endless but still it feels nice to be able to ride all the time instead of jumping back and fort of your bike to walk those wet parts. I follow the group quite well and it brings back my self-confidence a bit that I could still make the trip through. Last 10 km is great downhill. I don't have my clock on all the day, but 5 hours 22 minutes takes "only" 1613 calories. We set up a camp on a field in a place called Masi.
Camping place in Masi...not an official one...
The fourth day starts with sunshine. I have a bit hard morning though, but after a pain killer and more food it starts to get better. So doesn't it work for a follow rider. He ends up having the hardest day of his trip. Getting his blood sugar down for scary low level. The whole group needs to cycle more slow and it helps me to be part of the main group and have even breaks while we wait for the survivor cyclist.
He does amazing comeback and we do not need to start hard evacuation plan. The tracks we follow are far away from roads. Most of the times the only real evacuation possible is a helicopter if something really bad happens. We are happy that we all reach the next camping place. The day feels like summer and the tracks are the best at whole trip. This is why we came over here. The clock file says of the fifth day 7h 41 minutes 2568 calories.
Johanna's chill out moment in the sun on fourth day of cycling.
It's easy to see the track far away this day, but sometimes you don't want to know how much is left.
After biking=hopeless effort to get your equipment dry at Övre Stilla.
Nice spot for evening swim at Övre Stilla.
I have heard stories of the hardest fifth day for three years and now it has started. We are heading to the place that these cyclest called for the Vuorji-trolls world. I have gained all my energy for this day to be ready, but it seems like a very long day. We get slowly up and down in quite soft tracks that are heavy to ride. The view mainteince the same most of the time and it's hard to see if you have gained any kilometers. Finally we see the mountain we have been waiting for and luckily I get to know that we will not be climbing on that one.
The last 10 kilometers ends up being the most difficult ones with lots of stones. It would be fun riding this kind of track back home with fresh feet, but now I just want to get to sleep. We reached our first cabin night place and shower after five days of cycling and just washing yourself in lakes or rivers so far feels like going into a sauna. We laugh at each others because we actually start to talk who's turn is it to go to sauna, even though it's still just a shower. From Övre Stilla to Skoganvarre it takes 10 hours 30 minutes and 3265 calories.
There were plenty of spots where we need to get over a river.
Cars get stuck over here (even Toyotas!) so it's better to use a mountain bike in Vuorji-Troll's land!
Time for a break. Eat as much as you can.
It was hard to get motivated for the sixth day after a long fifth day. The tracks were easier to ride than the day before, but it ended up being another pretty long day. I found it hard to get my bike going. Didn't feel myself totally tired, but was unable to hold good speed. My bike started to have odd sounds more often and I had have problems with my gear the whole trip. Others seemed to become tired as well. One couldn't bend his knee while walking anymore and other one had problems with his ankles. It's amazing though that the whole group didn't have more physiological or technical problems. We had a nice camping place next to Tenojoki and the last part of the trip we got by boat over the river to spare some 30 km of riding. Day number 6 from Skoganvarre to Piesjoki by numbers was 9 hours 4 minutes 2864 calories.
Getting over the river of Teno by boat.
Camp before last riding day looks like Hilleberg telt show.
Last, 7th day of mountain biking, piece of cake. It's just to go home! That's what we all thought in the morning. It was cold and I had no energy anymore. It was hard start. On top of one hill the other group started fast. Both guides Mika and Pasi stayed in the back of the line and I was slow. The group got good downhill but Mika and Pasi noticed that the way is wrong. We should soon take 90 degrees turn to the right to an unmarked area. We started to call after them and waited an hour on the top of the hill. It was chilly. For the first time I had to use my coretex pants and jacket and all the clothes I had with me to keep me warm. I tried to eat up at the same time that I was happy to get some rest. The other group got back and we kept on going, but there was no more a positive mood in the group once everyone seems to be pissed off extra kilometers or waiting.
Sun came up after lunch and we reached the last downhills. With crazy sounds in my bike I tried to survive the last kilometers. The others had a great speed, I didn't. But for the first time of three trips I finished mtbadventure without sitting a moment in the service car. Cycling or walking, but going through the whole route. Proud of myself, but at the same time I was so tired that I didn't know weather to laugh or cry. So I did both. Seventh day from Piesjoki to Kaamasmukka by numbers was 5h 48 minutes and 1832 calories.
Thank you Mika, Pasi M., Pasi L., Rauno, Veli-Matti, Matti, Johanna, Jari, Jani, Taisto and Mikko of great trip. Far away from comfort zone as it is meant to be in mtbAdventure. I got a bad bad fever of wanting a new bike...these trips tends to be pretty expensive...before and after...
It's not the distance that kills you. It's the speed :)
I still love downhills but I need to get up those uphills to deserve these rides down.
