August 3, 2023
Riding to Flam
A Magical Day in Norway
We had a plan today- which was to ride the notorious but beautiful gravel trail with 21 hairpin turns from Myrdal down to Flam at the bottom of the valley. Myrdal to Flam is only accessible by the famous Flamsbana train or via bike/hike. It’s a drop of over 3000 feet, all on gravel with pitches of 30 percent. For the return back to Myrdal that evening, I had booked tickets to ride the train up from Flam. Because it’s so popular it’s necessary to book the bike spaces on the train long in advance. Flam is also a port of call for large cruise ships - which we found out kind of ruins the vibe if you are unluckily enough to be in Flam during a cruise stop, which was the case for us.
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After a delightful breakfast complements of Lucie at our cabin we set off. For me it was very difficult. The pitches were extremely steep with very tight switchbacks and I found myself riding (slowly) the straight parts and then dismounting and taking the turns by foot. My confidence was low after yesterday’s fall which concerned Dave. Dave had his camera out and took copious pics of the waterfalls, wildflowers and just general awesome scenery. After the 21 switchbacks the rest of the descent is a pleasant one along the valley floor into Flam.
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We stopped for coffee at this small coffee shop/salon where a bride was having her hair done in the back room and getting dressed for her wedding. Just as she was getting ready to leave it started to rain, and she was having an outdoor wedding.
We rode the last 3 km into Flam. Flam is a lovely small town on the Aurlandsfjord and a jumping off point for fjord tours, hiking, etc in the region. The potential charm of the place was lost on us a bit due to the recent arrival of a massive cruise ship which was disgorging huge crowds of people checking out Flam. It was made more drastic because it started to rain (hard) so everyone was trying to to reach inside venues. I had been to Flam eight years ago and remembered that there was a Viking ship-themed brew pub, so we headed there. Of course it was mobbed but we somehow maneuvered our way upstairs, were seated and managed to split a very nice bbq goat sandwich with a tasting flight of beers while we waited out the rain. Flam would have looked very different on a non-cruise day. Regardless, the ride in certainly made it worthwhile.
After our lunch, we headed over to the train station to inquire about our train travel. Lucie our host had already given us some very helpful instructions but we have found you can’t check directions too many times when it comes to train travel. Lucie had suggested we get off at the Reinunga station rather than at Myrdal as Reuninga Station was only 80 meters from our cabin. However, we learned there is no bike loading ramp at Reinunga so the ticket agent wasn’t sure if the conductor would be willing to unload there. After we looked suitably pathetic we convinced her to write out our bike ticket to show Reuninga as our destination and brought our bikes to the platform. It's big business in Flam for tourists to rent bikes in Myrdal and then cycle down to Flam, but then of course all those bikes need to get back to Myrdal on the train. Because of the number of bikes being loaded onto each train, Flam's train depot hires personnel to load your bike for you.
The ride back on the train was lovely, but as we had already done the trip on our bikes that morning we were not as awestruck, particularly as it was raining and overcast. (The Kjosflossen waterfall, which we had seen from the top the evening before on our stroll from our cabin, was worthy and Dave hopped off the train to get some pics. Interesting fact, the only way to see the base of this waterfall is via the train.)
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When we arrived at Reinunga station because there is no loading ramp, the conductor lowered our bikes down a 6 foot drop. Fortunately, our host Lucie had offered to meet our train and she and Dave were able to assist in unloading our heavy bikes. We had another delightful meal at the cabin (including tomato soup with homemade croutons, another excellent bread and lemon tart for dessert!)
An excellent day in Norway.
Today's ride: 20 km (12 miles)
Total: 1,219 km (757 miles)
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