Mäntyharju (Finnish pronunciation: [ˈmæntyˌhɑrju], “Pine Ridge”) is a municipality of Finland. – https://wikipedia.org
“Mäntyharju is located in the Southern Savonia region. The municipality has a population of 5,636 (31 December 2021)[2] and covers an area of 1,210.98 square kilometres (467.56 sq mi) of which 229.23 km2 (88.51 sq mi) is water.[1] The coastline is almost 1,520 kilometers (940 mi). The population density is 6.2 inhabitants per km².”
In this video, JOM of the Gravel Cyclist crew rides a route provided by Kalle, a local rider and business owner in Lahti, Finland. Mäntyharju is about 97km or an just over an hour’s drive from Lahti. Well worth the drive, this area is known as “Pine Ridge” in English, and is yet another gravel cycling paradise in Finland.
Continued from Above:
“The summer houses or cottages located in the countryside are part of the culture of Finland where most Finnish families spend their summer holidays. Mäntyharju is the municipality which has the fifth most summer houses in Finland.”
“Some of the reasons for Mäntyharju’s popularity involve its many pure lakes and a relatively short distance to the Finnish capital Helsinki of approximately 200 kilometres by car. The municipality also has a direct, high-speed train connection to the capital area. Because of the many summer houses, the population of Mäntyharju more than triples during the most popular summer holiday times.”
Links of Interest:
FNLD GRVL – https://fnldgrvl.com
Visit Lahti – https://visitlahti.fi
GRAVEL / CX Bike that breaks in Half: #GravelTravel Optimized (JOM’s bike as used in this video) – https://www.gravelcyclist.com/videos/gravel-cx-bike-that-breaks-in-half-graveltravel-optimized/
Let’s Pack a Gravel / CX Bike that BREAKS IN HALF: Ritchey Breakaway Ti CX Bike – https://www.gravelcyclist.com/videos/lets-pack-a-gravel-cx-bike-that-breaks-in-half-ritchey-breakaway-ti-cx-bike/
Unpacking & Building the Ritchey Breakaway Ti Gravel / Cyclocross Bike – https://www.gravelcyclist.com/videos/video-unpacking-building-the-ritchey-breakaway-ti-gravel-cyclocross-bike/
Gravel Cyclist’s Route Library – https://www.gravelcyclist.com/gravel-cycling-routes/
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7 Comments
could you do a run-down of your Ritchey rig? gearing, ie: chain ring/cassette spread. tire width. that crank set looks wider than a typical compact 50/34t
almost looks as good as New England, but flatter
Dat's a very nice looking place to ride.😁
Nice! Great views on the video! 🙂 I have a summer cottage at Mäntyharju, so it's easy to explore the local gravel roads from a decent "base of operations" 😀 Although… I've been mostly mountain biking there, and I'm planning a one nighter for this autumn still to explore the mtb trail from Mäntyharju to Repovesi national park. Not doable on a gravel bike, unfortunately. Maybe I'lk do a video of Mäntyharju's gravel roads on my Trek "Gravelhammer" next year 🙂
Nice to see that you enjoyed your stay in Finland. Hope to see you next summer here for more rides.
Nature break? No worries! 😂
Looks like Finland escapes the centuries of deforestation that got the rest of Europe.
So many KMs of gravel roads through the forest, it's no wonder the Finns have always been great at rally driving.
Awesome video, as usual! Thanks for posting!
Curious as to what brought you to Finland?