Brochure Going North Cape 2017

Transcription

1 Brochure Going North Cape 2017

2 Introduction How far can you go? If you travel to the East, you end up in the land of the rising sun, Japan. If you go to the West, you arrive at the sandy beaches in California. If your destination is the South, you reach the Land of Fire in Patagonia. But if you go to the North, you need to go to North Cape. Far beyond the Arctic Circle rises an iconic globe monument above the desolated cliffs and only a few islands separate you from the North Pole. When the clouds cover the Barents Sea with a colourful, heavenly carpet, and the midnight sun is at its lowest, this is one of the most special places on Earth. It s a once-in-a-lifetime destination. The location and setting of the North Cape is quite exceptional, and definitely worth a journey. And what if this journey covers one of the most stunning countries on Earth, Norway? The country is one long concatenation of natural beauty. Mountains, steep-sided fjords, impressive glaciers, natural fortresses and rocky coastal islands. If there isn t a mountain, than there is crystal clear water; if there isn t water, there is a mountain. You cycle first through the spectacular inland of the south and afterwards along Norway s dramatic coastline. Going North Cape takes you along Flåm at the head of Aurlandsfjord, the Unesco World Heritage Site of Geiranger and the nearby Briksdal Glacier, Norway s initial capital Trondheim with its long history, Bodø the gateway to the true north and jumping-off point for the Lofoten Archipelago and the university city of Tromsø. You pass picturesque wooden villages and stand face-to-face with a herd of reindeer. Your cycling days are interrupted frequently by one of the many ferry crossings. It s cycling and cruising to the North, where the days get longer and longer. You pass the Arctic Circle and experience the Midnight Sun. The days those never end. Hopefully that the days on the bike make you tired enough to catch some sleep. Going North Cape starts Sunday June 18 th, 2017 in Oslo, the capital of Norway. You finish after wonderful kilometres at the North Cape on July 22 nd, The whole route follows neatly paved and quiet scenic roads. Norway is a mountainous country, but you don t need to expect a lot of long steep climbs. Except from a handful stages in the south with serious climbing, you follow mainly rolling roads along the fjords. The tour starts at the beginning of the summer season. Hopefully we get calm sunny days, but Norway is definitely not a good weather destination. It can be anytime and anywhere unsettled, cold and miserable. Good or bad weather conditions; we make sure that your engines keep on running and we try to make every day a comfortable camp. Going North Cape is a fabulous bicycle expedition in a spectacular setting to an extraordinary destination. You don t need to be as strong as a Viking to reach the North Cape by bicycle, but your mind and equipment must be prepared for Arctic conditions. It s not the destination that counts, it s the journey. A journey that you ll feel in your body and bones while you re cycling north, but it will stay in your mind for years and years. The credo of Bike Dreams is : Life is not the dreams you have, but the dreams you realize. 2

3 The Route The whole route has been divided into 29 cycling stages and 6 rest days in Flåm, Geiranger, Trondheim, Torghatten, Bodø and Tromsø. The cycling days have mostly the same schedule : a start early in the morning and cycle the distance at own speed to the next place. The stages have an average length of 100 kilometres, depending on the profile and the locations of suitable accommodation. You can expect four stages between 140 and 170 kilometres. A detailed day-by-day schedule you can find at page 7 and 8 of this document. The whole route follows almost everywhere quiet cycling roads in the interior in the south and along the Norwegian coastline for the rest of the tour. The first part of the tour you can expect some serious climbing with an average elevation gain of almost meters per day. The three weeks along the coast can be characterised as rolling with roughly meters of climbing per day. 3

4 Your cycling days are interrupted frequently by one of the many ferry crossings. 21 in total. Occasionally two or three in one day. Half of the ferry s we take as a group, but because of speed differences between the riders it is sometimes more practical to take the ferry individually. The weather conditions in Norway can be quite divers to the good and to the bad. It s easy to prepare for the sunny days, but it is much more important to be prepared for rain and coldness. Also when it are more days in a row. This requires appropriate clothes and reliable camping equipment. The Norwegians say : There s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes. Keep this in mind. At the start in Oslo you get an extensive tour guide with background information about the route. We advise you to bring a GPS which has the option to upload files. It is a very helpful device to find the correct way without stops to look at detailed maps or to study an overload of instructions. We cycle the last stage 85 kilometres from Repvåg along Honningsvåg to the globe monument above the desolated cliffs which marks the North Cape. After a short celebration, and no doubt that we take pictures, we cycle 31 kilometres back to Honningsvåg. We stay the last night at a hotel in this little harbour town which also has an airport. You can fly back from Honningsvåg to Tromsø and via Oslo back home. Another recommended option for your return trip is to travel by Hurtigruten, the Norwegian Coastal Steamer. It s a 17 hours journey from Honningsvåg to Tromsø, but it s also possible to cruise along the fjords further down. All the way to Bergen takes five days. Support The journey is supported by two vehicles. One vehicle brings the luggage and kitchen equipment to the next place, so you don t have to carry luggage on your bike. The other vehicle gives support on the road and provides a lunch half way the stage. We provide on cycling days an extensive breakfast ( bread, cereals, fruit ) and halfway the stage a tasty lunch is waiting for you. In addition, we will take care that you can recover with an extra meal ( soup, bread, fruit, salty snacks ) after finishing the stage and that you always have sufficient water and sport drinks. The cook of Bike-Dreams prepares in campsites a dinner full of carbohydrates and all nutrients your body needs. We don t serve alcoholic drinks during dinner like in our South- European tours. We do not serve food at the rest days and if we stay in a hotel, we don t serve dinner. This gives you the opportunity to explore and sample the local cuisine. 4

5 Suitable accommodation has been organised throughout the tour. It s a combination of campsites and a few times a hotel. The night before the start in Oslo and the night after the finish in Honningsvåg is a hotel arranged. Next to that you can expect a hotel room during the rest days in Trondheim, Torghatten and Tromsø. At several campsites you have the possibility to rent a bungalow or hut at own expense. Participants The number of participants is limited due to organizational reasons. For people from all over the world it is possible to sign up for the tour. The cyclists who cannot ride, or cannot finish the stage, have always the possibility to take a seat in one of the support vehicles. We will take care that everyone arrives at the campsite before the evening. The tour is open for men and women with an age between 18 and 67. Everyone with a good health and passion for cycling can finish the journey in a normal way. It s also possible for a non-cyclist to experience the journey. You can always assist the other staff with their daily activities like providing the meals and you can enjoy the Norwegian countryside from the front seat of one of the support vehicles. Entry Fee Firstly, the journey is intended to be completed entirely from Oslo to North Cape. We also offer you the possibility to cycle only the Northern, Middle or Southern part. This gives you the opportunity to complete Going North Cape in two or three editions. Start Finish Dates Days Entry Fee Full Tour Oslo North Cape ,- Southern Part Oslo Trondheim ,- Middle Part Trondheim Bodø ,- Northern Part Bodø North Cape ,- We offer a 200,- discount for participants who register and pay the down payment before December 31 st, You'll pay an Entry Fee of 5.295,- instead of 5.495,-. The entry fee includes : Accommodation based on camping (28) and hotels (8) 5

6 Hotel nights in Oslo (1), Trondheim (2), Torghatten (2), Tromsø (2) and Honningsvåg (1) Breakfast, lunch and meal at arrival ( during cycling days ) Fruit, water, sport drinks and energy bars ( during cycling days ) Dinner during cycling days if we are camping Dinner in a restaurant after the finish of the tour in Honningsvåg 21 Ferry crossings Transportation of luggage Transportation of bicycle box Organization of the journey Support by a bike mechanic Going North Cape cycling jersey ( long sleeve ) Tour guide with detailed background information of the route and touristic sites DVD with compilation of the best pictures The entry fee excludes : Transfer to the start in Oslo and from the finish in Honningsvåg Food and drinks on the rest days Dinner at days with hotel accommodation Personal health- and travel-insurance Entry fees of tourist sites Charity The Kids' Cancer Project is the official charity partner of Bike- Dreams in Australia. Three children die from cancer every week in Australia. The Kids' Cancer Project is an Australian charity dedicated to changing this shocking statistic by finding cures for childhood cancers with the lowest survival rates. Half of children with these cancers will not survive. Ultimately, finding a cure is about saving children s lives and ending the heartbreak childhood cancer brings to so many families. Bike-Dreams participants have raised a fantastic Australian $460,000 for The Kids' Cancer Project through their association over the last five years. Going North Cape is one of the charity challenges in Bike Dreams suggests that the riders from Australia participate in fundraising for The Kids' Cancer Project. Many have done so in the past and found it very rewarding. Riders from other countries are of course free to start their own fundraising for charity purposes. Childhood cancer has no territorial boundaries, it impacts children across the world. Together we can make a difference. All efforts are highly appreciated. If we work together, a cure is within reach. 6

7 The Route Going North Cape Day Date Stage Start Finish Distance Climbing Ferry 1 Sunday 18 June 1 Oslo Tyrifjorden Monday 19 June 2 Tyrifjorden Etnedal Tuesday 20 June 3 Etnedal Hemsedal Wednesday 21 June 4 Hemsedal Flåm Thursday 22 June Rest day Flåm 6 Friday 23 June 5 Flåm Vik hr 7 Saturday 24 June 6 Vik Skei min 8 Sunday 25 June 7 Skei Briksdalsbreen Monday 26 June 8 Briksdalsbreen Geiranger min 10 Tuesday 27 June Rest day Geiranger 11 Wednesday 28 June 9 Geiranger Åndalsness min 12 Thursday 29 June 10 Åndalsness Tingvoll min 13 Friday 30 June 11 Tingvoll Svorkmo min 14 Saturday 1 July 12 Svorkmo Trondheim Sunday 2 July Rest day Trondheim 16 Monday 3 July 13 Trondheim Namsos min 17 Tuesday 4 July 14 Namsos Kolvereid min 18 Wednesday 5 July 15 Kolvereid Torghatten min 19 Thursday 6 July Rest day Torghatten 20 Friday 7 July 16 Torghatten Levang min 21 Saturday 8 July 17 Levang Kilboghamn min 22 Sunday 9 July 18 Kilboghamn Reipå min 23 Monday 10 July 19 Reipå Bodø Tuesday 11 July Rest day Bodø 7

8 Day Date Stage Start Finish Distance Climbing Ferry 25 Wednesday 12 July 20 Bodø Ramberg hr 26 Thursday 13 July 21 Ramberg Sildpollnes Friday 14 July 22 Sildpollnes Andenes min 28 Saturday 15 July 23 Andenes Fjordbotn hr 40 min 29 Sunday 16 July 24 Fjordbotn Tromsø min 30 Monday 17 July Rest day Tromsø 31 Tuesday 18 July 25 Tromsø Rotsund min 32 Wednesday 19 July 26 Rotsund Langfjordbotn Thursday 20 July 27 Langfjordbotn Alta Friday 21 July 28 Alta Repvåg Saturday 22 July 29 Repvåg Honningsvåg Bike Dreams B.V. Muggenbroekerlaan BA Roermond THE NETHERLANDS Telephone : +31 (0) info@bike-dreams.com Website : Bike Dreams B.V. is registered at the Dutch Chamber of Commerce in Roermond under number