Arctic Bike 2015
Winter 2015 I'll set off on an epic journey through Scandinavia. During the coldest and darkest period of the year he will bike 7200 km from the Netherlands to the North Cape in Norway, and back. Follow me on Facebook or Twitter!
Route of Arctic Bike 2015 with supporting Scandic HotelsRoute
I'll start biking in The Hague in the Netherlands, reach the northernmost point of the route at the North Cape, and return to The Hague. On the way up I’ll cross Sweden and Finland. On the way back he’ll go through Norway.
Basically the route is a combination of the routes I biked in winter 1993 and 1995. On both routes there were some parts I didn't get to bike, either because of bad weather circumstances, or due to physical problems. I always had a desire to complete them one day.
On my Ice-X website I made a route page with a day-to-day planning. Also on that page I'll update the actual day-to-day stages and distances whenever Wifi is available.
High Points
Extra challenges are added by climbing the highest points of Denmark (Møllehøj 171m), Norway (Galdhøpiggen 2469m), Sweden (Kebnekaise 2113m) and Finland (Halti 1328m). While Møllehøj is hardly more than a bump in the road, the other 3 require quite a detour by bike and even days on foot with snowshoes to reach and climb them.
Logistics
The main distance will be covered by mountainbike, a BULLS Copperhead 3, specially prepared by Kester2Wielers in The Hague. The MTB is fitted with Schwalbe studded tires and plenty of Axa bike lights. Short parts are done on foot, to reach and climb the 4 high points. Water crossings are done by ferry and kept to a minimum.
The mountainbike will pull a small trailer to carry all the necessary biking, climbing and camping equipment. Nights will mostly be spend outdoors in a tent. Meals will be prepared on a stove. Most of the food will be purchased locally.
Scandic intermediate camps
At regular intervals – about once every 10 days – indoor stops are planned to shower, wash clothes, recharge batteries, and recover in a normal bed. Former expeditions have showed that these stops are crucial to boost morale. Also, these stops will be perfect opportunities to arrange interviews with local media and post updates on social media. Also these stops are perfect opportunities to arrange interviews and post updates on social media.
Several Scandic Hotels have generously invited me to stay with them. The following Scandic Hotels are supporting me:
| Scandic Hotel | in | at km | on day |
| Helsingborg Nord |
Helsingborg, Sweden | 855 | 9 |
| Skellefteå |
Skellefteå, Sweden | 2235 | 23 |
| Luleå |
Luleå, Sweden | 2370 | 24 |
| Karasjok | Karasjok, Norway | 3070 | 32 |
| Alta | Alta, Norway | 3577 | 39 |
| Ferrum |
Kiruna, Sweden | 4193 | 48 |
| Narvik | Narvik, Norway | 4373 | 53 |
| Bakklandet | Trondheim, Norway |
5273 | 62 |
| Kristiansand Bystranda |
Kristiansand, Norway |
6233 | 75 |