En 2022, j’ai parcouru plus de 6000 km à vélo des confins Nord de l’Europe jusqu’au coeur des Alpes. Cette vidéo retrace mon périple, au fil de paysages magnifiques, de rencontres authentiques et de mes mésaventures.
Timecodes:
0:00 Introduction
2:57 Laponie – Difficile mise en route
11:13 Les Îles norvégiennes – Un nouveau départ
16:50 La côte – Face aux éléments
24:59 Fjell & Fjord
38:01 Oslo et fin de la Norvège
39:17 Suède
41:32 Danemark – Vent, dunes et pierres runiques
45:38 Nord de l’Allemagne – Plat mais rude
49:26 Centre de l’Allemagne – Histoire et parcs nationaux
53:25 Schwarzwald – Le paradis du gravel
56:32 Jura – Hike-a-bike territory
1:01:34 Derniers coups de pédales
1:04:16 Outro
Musique:
Arc de Soleil – Jam on Easter Island
Arc de Soleil – The Local Police
Breakage – I ‘N’ I
Builder’s Tea – Hel
Four Tet (@fourtet555) – SW9 9SL
Johan Anders Baer, Dronefolk – Ritni (Frost)
Jon Hopkins (@jon_hopkins_) – Light through the Veins
KAUAN (@kauanmusic) – Kaiho
Stellardrone (@StellardroneMusic) – Breathe in the Light
Stellardrone – Mars (Bonus)
Stellardrone – Messier 45
Tony Anderson (@TonyAndersonMusic) – Éclosion
Tony Anderson – Heart of a nation
Tony Anderson – Infinite
Tony Anderson – Retour
Wardruna (@wardruna) – Helvegen
Photo de la miniature par Jørgen Mo (moern sur Instagram)
#bikepacking
Hello, I’m Eliot. In 2022, after my studies, I did my first bikepacking trip. I left a small town in the north-east of Norway called Kirkenes and then came back to my home in Switzerland. I left there initially with the goal of doing the European Divide Trail, which is a route that crosses Europe,
Diagonally, mainly on dirt roads. In the end, I didn’t do this route at all. I only made a few sections, for reasons that will become a little clearer later. The journey ultimately lasted 2.5 months, for a little over 6100 km. My experience before leaving was mainly about cycling. I have no
Bikepacking experience, I have almost no camping experience, and then uh I’m a beginner in everything photo/video. Besides, I’m not leaving with the intention of making a documentary. But, as the miles go by, I get a little caught up in documenting this trip and
It was especially when I arrived home that making a video became a bit obvious. Of course, before leaving I had to prepare my equipment, and it was quite tedious. I read too much on the internet, got a little lost,
To the point of buying my last bag days before departure. So, I’m not really ready in terms of knowledge of the material; I wasn’t really able to test the bike and then the configuration of the bike. But I tell myself that in any case I will learn on the spot and that
I will manage a little in the moment. But overall I’m super excited to leave. I’m just a little apprehensive about wild camping and especially the presence of bears in Finland. So I’m flying to Kirkenes at the end of June 2022. Arriving there, I immediately start
Mounting my bike, before the eyes of a stuffed bear which sits in the center of the carousel. And that doesn’t reassure me much. I really hope that this is the only one I will come across during my entire trip. A little hour later, the airport has been empty of passengers and
Staff for a while, my bike is ready and the adventure can finally begin. I’m super excited to do my first pedal strokes in this new environment and the change of scenary is immediate. First because of the cold, it’s barely
10 degrees, compared to 35 degrees in Switzerland. Then, because of the midnight sun, since we are well above the arctic circle, and also because only a few minutes after leaving the airport a first reindeer tumbles in front of me before disappearing into the vegetation.
The particularity of the region is above all its proximity to Russia. The day after my arrival, I go in the direction of Murmansk. After just a few kilometers, I arrive at the border post with Russia and given the political context,
It’s quite strange to be there. I then turn off onto a small road which winds between fjords, lakes and plateaus, before descending into a valley where a river flows which serves as a natural border between Norway and Russia.
It is at the edge of the Barents Sea, in the small hamlet of Grense Jakobselv, that the road ends and is the official start of the European Divide Trail, parts of which I plan to do. I really have a rather strange feeling being there, which is surely due to a mix of the
Military presence. There is also Russia which is just a few meters away and also this polar vibe, of this small village which comes out of nowhere and which seems frozen in time. On the way back, I had the pleasure of having my first and only puncture, which is a miracle considering
The surfaces of the rest of the trip, all in the rain and while trying to keep the mosquitoes at bay, that are gathering around me like flies on a piece of meat. In my wandering in Kirkenes, I come across the liberation monument which pays
Tribute to the Soviet liberator. Because even if the region is very calm now, it wasn’t always the case. During the Second World War, Kirkenes was partly German, and it was even the second most bombed European city. Leaving Kirkenes means going into the unknown and leaving comfort. On the way to Finland,
I meet Daniel, an Austrian bikepacker, who is going in the same direction as me and with whom I ride for a day to the Finnish border. And that’s where the serious things will begin. Damn ! If I had to summarize Finnish Lapland in a few words, it would be: straight roads,
A very sparse population, most of the names on the map are more places than real villages, mosquitoes and reindeer. The breeding of the latter is at the heart of the life of the Sami people, who are this group of indigenous peoples of northern Scandinavia. Due to the low population density,
There are few supply points. From Inari, the next refueling point on the trail is at Muonio, more than 250 km to the west. In between, there is just Tieva-Baari in Pokka, a sort of motel which offers a welcome break from mosquitoes in the middle of the taiga.
Lapland is also and above all the grandeur of nature. There are also a lot of bogs and swamps and associated with the heat, they give rise to swarms of mosquitoes. With the horseflies, they make my life hell. Impossible to stop without being harassed. To eat, I run and gesticulate in all directions.
And at night you can hear a constant noise as they try to get into the tent. It was during my last 24 hours in Finland that I really felt my lack of experience and during which unfortunate events piled up. Shortly after Pokka, I set up my tent for my first night of
Real wild camping and it was impossible to ignore the swarms of mosquitoes attacking me as I set it up. My mind is also busy scanning the forest for the slightest movement, watching for the arrival of a bear. And to add another layer, I can’t get
My stove to work, which had worked the day before. So being a little more prepared would have helped. I continue my journey early the next morning after a very short, warm and sunny night. An hour after leaving, it starts to rain lightly.
After a while, the rain suddenly becomes more intense and a tree is struck by lightning about 50 meters from me. I rush into the small ditch next to the road and lie down in the forest, hoping that the storm will pass. Unfortunately,
It doesn’t stop and after a good ten minutes of receiving buckets of water on my head, I decide to leave the area pushing as hard as possible and join Levi further south to dry off and warm up. In the afternoon, the sun and the heat are back and I plunge into
The taiga on a small gravel road, wearing rain pants to avoid the incessant attacks of mosquitoes and horseflies. And here I really feel a real feeling of loneliness, and vulnerability too, enhanced by everything I had experienced in the morning, also my
Constant state of alert trying to watch for the coming of a bear and the lack of water that soon hovers over me. In these circumstances, I find it a little difficult to fully enjoy it. Arriving in Muonio, on the Swedish border,
I decide to take a bus to Tromsø in Norway. Mainly to avoid mosquitoes, also because I was told that the part of the route in the North of Sweden was quite boring and finally because I want to discover the sublime landscapes of Lofotens and Norway.
On the bus, I meet another bicycle traveler, Sebastian, whom I will meet several times. After about 5 hours of travel, I arrived in Tromsø under bright sunshine and above all without mosquitoes, a real relief. The evening of my arrival in Tromsø, I saw silhouettes in the distance climbing the mountain
Overlooking Tromsdalen. Time to leave my things, here I am, climbing the Sherpa Steps to enjoy the midnight sun on the heights. From there, I will follow EuroVélo1 probably to Trondheim. It is a well-known and popular route for travelers going to or returning from Nordkapp.
The route passes from island to island, all mystical and heavenly in good weather. On the ferry to go to the island of Senja, I meet Eric, Klaus, Léa and Sebastian, whom I had seen on the bus to Tromsø. My first pedal strokes on the island
Ended in a small fall, following a collision with a Vaudois. So I continue with my German-speaking companions, Léa, Klaus and Eric, with whom I camp at the edge of a lake that same evening. The next day, we continue crossing the magnificent island of Senja, considered a Norway in miniature.
The next ferry leads to the island of Andøya, where Eric and I leave Klaus and Léa. Once again, the landscapes are sumptuous. We arrive two days later in the Lofotens Islands, greeted by perfect weather and a summer atmosphere. Eric and I left shortly after, each continuing their adventure on their own.
Only a few hours after leaving Eric, I met two Zurich locomotives, Ursi and Jean-Jacques, whom I will meet several times during the next 3 weeks. The perfect weather, exceptional for the region, allows me to fully appreciate the world apart that are the Lofotens,
This small archipelago between sea with turquoise and crystal clear waters, mountains with snow-capped peaks and small fishing villages with colorful houses. A magical interlude in my trip. Look at this light. Amazing ! Full of fish heads, it stinks of death.
And this is how my crossing of the Lofotens Islands ended. After reaching the end of the road at Å, I took the ferry to Bodø, where the weather will start to play tricks on me. I meet quite a few other travelers on the ferry. After having eaten something
Together, I leave with one of them, Simon, from behind in the photo, to look for a place to camp. And we were surprised by the rain while we were setting up the tents. Impossible to sleep in there. The next day, I ride with Simon for a while before realizing that I
Lost my rain pants 5 kilometers earlier. I then have to leave him, go back and look for my pants, an absolutely essential item of clothing given the weather forecast for the next few days. From there, the wind gets stronger, but the tunnels,
Some of which are more than 3 km long, offer a little respite. It is also in this first part of the coast that I meet Thomas, a Norwegian who is traveling from Bodø to Oslo, and with whom I travel for several weeks.
It is very wise to join forces, because the weather is unleashed against us the following days: headwind, lots of rain and less than 10 degrees. These conditions are particularly unpleasant on this section because of the succession of ferries, the coast being
Very jagged. Riding in rain gear makes you sweat, your feet are soaked anyway despite overshoes. You then have to wait for the ferry in the cold, to warm up for 10 minutes on board, and enjoy eating a small brun ost (brown cheese) waffel, to comfort yourself. Thermal shock
Is guaranteed when you exit the ferry when you’re almost hot, but still wet to the skin. In these conditions, you have to find tips to stay a little warmer, such as using plastic bags for fruits and vegetables as slippers. We took cabins when it rained too much to dry all the things.
At lunchtime, it’s more or less always the same menu: polar bread, Knekkebrød or Lompers, potato pancakes, with cheese and carrots. The rest of the day, I stuff myself with cookies and other sweets like Lefsa, an industrial pastry with cinnamon cream. A real killer!
A week after leaving Bodø, we arrive in Trondheim, under very cloudy skies. Talking to the locals, their summer has been completely rotten so far, in complete contrast to the north hit by the heatwave. I really need a little rest after the coast and doing something other than cycling
Does me a lot of good. I wander between the wooden houses on the banks of the river that runs through Trondheim, the surrounding old town, and the Nidaros Cathedral, a major place of pilgrimage in the North of Europe. As I observe the richly sculpted facade, I come
Across Ursi and Jean-Jacques completely by chance, the two Zurich residents I saw in Lofotens. I also see Simon again who also arrived but by another route. As the tent has shown signs of weakness in terms of waterproofing during the last week, I am taking the opportunity to try to waterproof it.
Drying the tent. Nice! I’m quite hesitant about the route to take. In the end, I decide to continue with Thomas to the mountains. So we leave together towards Kristiansund and the famous Atlantic route, in Dantean conditions, the worst of the trip. Fuck! Norway…what a weather.
I reached Åndalsnes, the gateway to the mountains and fjords. This is where I left my buddy Thomas. I really had a great time with him. These few hundred kilometers with him passed very quickly, despite the terrible weather and a few pains here and there. I remember Thomas as being a very generous person,
With a strong character, faithful to his three pints in the evening, to his polar bread spread with a sort of cheese paste. I also remember his amusement at seeing me eating like crazy all day long and his many “Fy Faen”, or “Fuck” in Norwegian. But it was time
To go my own way and regain some flexibility in terms of rhythm. The next day, the sun made its comeback and it feels great. The route in this region is a succession of climbs on the fjells, these regions above the tree line, with short vegetation, and descents towards the fjords.
The first of these climbs is not the least. This is Trollstigen, the path of the Troll. The next valley is very famous for growing strawberries and they are the best strawberries I have eaten in my life. Without exagerating. At the top of a second climb, I meet another bikepacker,
Jørgen, a Norwegian passionate about cycling photography. We descend together towards Geiranger, enjoying the breathtaking view of the fjord and its waterfalls. On the other hand, the village is a real Disneyland. Every day, a cruise ship brings waves of tourists to the small village. Camping between two
Cars is not ideal, but we are staying two nights due to severe thunderstorms in the area. Two days later, conditions are more favorable. Jørgen and I then leave for Dalsnibba, one of the mountains which dominates Geiranger at around 1500m. The climb is tough, but the views of Geiranger and the surrounding fjells
Are stunning and definitely worth it. It stings ! Soon at the top. Oh damn, that was hard! I left Jørgen the next day to head towards Sognefjellet, an ascent of around 50 km to a majestic high plateau, where lakes and glaciers mingle. 251 m of elevation gain left.
It is with very tired legs that I head back down towards the largest fjord in Norway, the Sognefjord, where there is a holiday feel. The region is a real Emmental: there are tunnels everywhere. It is also here that
There is the longest road tunnel in the world at 24.5 km. And most are closed to cyclists. You either have to take a bus, some of which don’t take cyclists either, as I have experienced, or you have to manage otherwise. In my case,
I take a tourist ferry to Gudvangen and find a couple on board who agree to take me aboard their campervan to go through some tunnels. This ferry is actually the most impressive I have taken. It rushes into the Gudvangen fjord, very narrow, with cliffs several hundred meters high from which multiple waterfalls flow.
The weather seems to change for the next few days, but I still set out on the Rallarvegen, at least on the section between Flåm and Myrdal train station. The rain and a lot of thinking convince me to take a train to Bergen to let the bad weather pass.
They follow me because I smell like a billy goat. Oh damn…the hardest climb of my life. A promise kept for the rainiest city in Europe: the surrounding mountains are hidden by a thick cloud cover and it rains constantly. I take the opportunity to go to the hospital
To get advice on a tick bite. I’m also doing some much needed cleaning. Well… I had plenty of biscuits in my frame bag. Um… I think we should be able to see through here. Yeah, we can see bits of biscuits that are stuck together. But with the rain,
Water got in and all my stuff had cookie mold. So there were definitely mushrooms that had started to grow. Oh dear ! How awful ! So I’m trying to clean this up. There you go. I leave the Hanseatic city two days later to reach the
Myrdal station and continue the Rallarvegen. The path was formerly used by rail workers during the construction of the railway between Oslo and Bergen and it crosses a plateau at 1300m altitude with breathtaking landscapes. What follows is just as beautiful and varied: Tinnsvegen and Imingfjell, the forests
From Geilo, the lakes and rivers, and also a little awakening at 3 a.m. because of a wild boar which was growling near the tent. The mountain region is especially full of encounters and coincidences. In particular in Lom, I meet two young French bikepackers, Haytham and Houzayfa. And during
Our discussion, they mention a funny guy they met a few days earlier, with a pink canyon, polar bread and a tube of cheese attached to his bag. That is exactly the description of Thomas! In Kristiansund, I met two bikepackers, Laura and Stefan,
A Swiss girl and a Romanian who live in Oslo. We have stayed in touch and they offer to host me for a few days, which I accept with pleasure. And I am truly spoiled by their welcome and hospitality. In particular, they had picked a
Very large quantity of blueberries and raspberries in the surrounding forests. Because Oslo is a city very close to nature. From the heart of Nordmarka, a region of forests and lakes north of Oslo, to the summit of Holmenkollen via the opera house by
The sea, Stefan shows me, by bike of course, all the diversity that the Norwegian capital has to offer. The other days, I let myself wander, visit a few museums and see Jørgen again. I also take the opportunity to do a little maintenance and repairs, before heading
Back to the southeast a few days later, with Laura and Stefan, who are leaving for their next trip. I then follow the coast for a while before reaching Sweden towards the east. I join the European Divide Trail in the south of Sweden. It feels good
To change the pace a little with a little more variation in the surfaces. In two days, I arrive in Gothenburg, which I visit in a hurry. I of course take the opportunity to eat a famous Kanelbullar, a cinnamon roll, a Swedish classic.
After a day of rest, I take the ferry to Frederikshavn in the north of Denmark, a crossing of around 3h30. I have a little pinch in my heart as I board the ferry, because the great Scandinavian expanses are now behind me and I am a little dreading
The monotony of the journey from there. But fortunately for me, nothing could be further from the truth. From Frederikshavn, I go a little further towards the north coast. In doing so, I take numerous singletrails in the heart of moors and dunes, making progress quite slow. a lot of sand too …
…but it’s pretty cool. The route passes through some questionable places. Do you see a path? Because I don’t. … but it’s pretty cool. The same day, I was bitten by an insect on my lip which doubled in size. … but it’s pretty cool.
It is also possible to drive on the beach for several kilometers, the sand being compact enough for cars to drive on it too. On these beaches there are numerous bunkers gently swallowed by coastal erosion and vestiges of the Second World War, which contrast strongly with the swimmers and paragliders.
I soon turn south, in the center of the country. The heat becomes increasingly intense once you leave the coast and the moors give way to a patchwork of forests and very dry agricultural landscapes. I follow a good part of Hærvejen, the Way of the Oxen,
An ancient trade and pilgrimage route, which offers many Viking remains nearby. These include the runestones and the stone boat of Jelling, which was the royal city in the 10th century. One of these stones was erected by Harald Bluetooth, who introduced Christianity to Denmark and was king of Denmark and Norway. He was
Also the grandfather of Knut the Great. And an interesting little anecdote: we gave its name to Bluetooth technology and the Bluetooth logo is in fact its initials in runes. Wild camping is prohibited in Denmark, but the Danes have set up a very dense network of shelters. There is sometimes a fireplace with wood,
Perfect for spending a good evening in the company of new acquaintances. I am leaving Scandinavia for good by arriving in Flensburg in Germany. North of Hamburg, I was treated to my share of sand and very tough singles, until a small mishap. Well, the rear rim is broken. Second spot.
It goes in all directions. The tire begins to rub. So I’ll walk to the next bus stop and then take a bus and a train to Hamburg. I spend a few days in Hamburg to find a bikeshop that has a suitable rim and
Can fit it. So I take the opportunity to wash my very dirty clothes, eat, visit a few museums and go to a barber. Because I really need it. Once my wheel is repaired, I head south towards the Lünebürger Heide,
A region of magnificent moors, where the flowering heathers roll out a purple carpet for me. But first a few more painful singletrails. What?! You see why things are not moving quickly. Ok so this is where I need to go. On the outskirts of Hanover, I decide to leave the European Divide Trail,
The route being too slow and too violent for the equipment. On the program, it will rather be national parks and mountainous regions. Pretty nice. First on my list is the Harz National Park. Tales and legends of witches populate the park’s forests. The region strongly inspired the Grimm brothers for their tales. Goethe
Also refers to it in Faust, Walpurgisnacht taking place at the summit of Brocken, the highest point in the park and in northern Germany. Another creature that inhabits the woods, much less mythical and terribly destructive, is the bark beetle, which has already ravaged a large part of the park’s forests. It’s hard, it’s steep!
This is also where I join the old border between East and West Germany and which I will follow for a few days. Further south, I pass through Hainich National Park, a magnificent primary beech forest listed as a World Heritage Site. Damn, this forest is magical!
I reach the Rhön mountains under a blazing sun after crossing the Fulda region. The latter was strategic during the Cold War, because it was an obligatory crossing point in the event of an invasion of the West by Soviet forces. Many watchtowers are still visible, including Point Alpha,
An American observation post located on a hill overlooking the western borders of the Soviet bloc. … visit Point Alpha. Quite nice, but I’m a little burnt out, so I wasn’t very attentive. Wow! Stunning ! This view.
The next step is to reach the Black Forest in the southwest. I then follow the Main before branching off onto a route which runs alongside the ancient German Limes, ancient Roman fortifications from the 1st to the 2nd century which marked the border of the Roman Empire.
Start with a climb in the morning. Always hard to start the engine. This is what I try to avoid getting in the way. Well, we can’t see very well because of the trees, but… it makes a constant noise, so rather active. There we see better. Brutal … these fucking climbs.
From Pforzheim, I climb into the highlands of the Black Forest and cross immense forests on a labyrinth of forest roads. Further south, the mountains become steeper and the climbs correspondingly steeper. The Black Forest is clearly one of the highlights of this trip, both in terms of landscapes and gravel.
Oh damn, I just traveled 15 km for nothing, 1 hour, to get a tent pole that I had forgotten up there. Oh holy shit! A few minutes ago I noticed he only had Swiss licence plates. Oh damn, that feels weird. So good though!
Although I arrive in Switzerland at the end of the crossing of the Black Forest, I have one last section in mind before ending the trip: the crossing of the Jura. Here is an exhaustive summary: Shit. Holy shit. Oh holy shit! Holy fuck! Gorges du Doubs Shortly after crossing the border with France,
A screw in the rear rack broke. I can remove the rest of the screw still stuck in a garage and replace it with my spares. I just went up to Mont d’Or. Horrible climb, horrible… the knee is starting to hurt.
But hey, it was worth it. The view was just incredible. I saw a part of the Léman, the end in fact. It was way more powerful than Basel, to see something familiar. Hello ! I also try one last time to take the European Divide Trail
For a section on the French-Swiss border and another section which leads to below the Col du Grand Colombier, but that doesn’t really reconcile me with the route. What is this mess ?! Oh damn…how horrible! Well, we’ll reach the end soon I hope. Pretty nice! What’s in store for us here?
Nice! Now: go up the pastures. This will immediately be less funny. Damn, I’m pissed off. What the… I’m right in the river bed there. But what? Holy shit. I don’t think we can see or judge very well, but it’s monstrously steep, with wet stones. Holy shit!
Holy fucking shit! It never ends! After some more swearing, I reach the top of the Col du Grand Colombier, highest point of the trip and the end of my Jura traverse. That said, the Jura is a magnificent region, with many forests still very well preserved.
From the top of the Col du Grand Colombier, my gaze turns towards the east and the Alps and I suddenly feel a little more that the adventure is coming to an end. I’m both a little sad to end this journey, but also very happy with how far I’ve come and looking forward to
Seeing my friends and family again. The Mont Blanc. Stunning. In Chamonix, I was once again able to realize how small the world is, especially in Europe and in the cycling world. I actually have the pleasure of seeing Henrike and Louis again, somewhat by chance,
Two young German cyclists, whom I met in the north of Denmark. Last day. I have just left Argentière. Col des Montets. It’s getting closer! That’s it, almost back home. As I arrive at my aunt’s house, with whom I have planned to go eat,
I hear “Go, go, go!” “. It’s my friend Bastien, or Babou for short, who is there on a road bike to welcome me: a total surprise. It’s the first familiar face I’ve seen after 2.5 months of traveling and it really warms my heart.
In Sion, I see my brother Tim again and what a pleasure to be able to give him a big hug. Oh my brother! We go back to the house together just to burn off the last calories from the Norwegian Lefsa. And it was in front of my house that my adventure ended,
My head full of magnificent landscapes, enriching encounters and with the conviction that this cycling trip is only the first in a long list.