From Trondheim to BergenZ Trondheimu do Bergenu

The second leg of our cycling trip led from Trondheim to Bergen. We started it as a trio, Juro, Kika, and Janči.

Right at the start we ran into a closed tunnel. And a closed tunnel in Norway doesn't mean some flimsy wooden barrier you could just walk a bike around. At the entrance stood a massive iron gate that there was simply no getting past with bikes. Next to the tunnel, though, ran a hiking trail, so we decided to take that instead. Eventually we realized the trail ran across a rocky moraine, and understood exactly why the tunnel had been closed in the first place. We didn't feel like turning back at that point, so we somehow fought our way through.

The main event of this leg, though, was meeting up with our friends Peťo, Fero, and a second Kika, who joined us in the town of Åndalsnes. Åndalsnes also turned out to be an excellent spot for dumpster diving, thanks to a very trash-friendly shop. We found a whole stash of treats in it, fresh avocados, still-warm grilled chicken, and several practically untouched bottles of juice.

Since there were suddenly more of us, the ride got noticeably more fun too. Which was a good thing, because right on the first day after Åndalsnes a real challenge was waiting for us in the form of Trollstigen. Trollstigen, or the "Troll's Ladder," is a road that winds south from Åndalsnes in switchbacks, climbing almost a kilometer of elevation.

After Trollstigen it was smooth sailing. The sun came out and a genuinely long, glorious descent was waiting for us. Along the way we swam in Norwegian rivers and camped wherever we could.

This leg was also noticeably warmer than Lofoten. While the highs there hovered around 12 degrees, here they comfortably approached twenty.

After almost two weeks of cycling we arrived in Bergen, where we stayed the night at our friend Edo's place. The challenge, as always, was finding boxes we could stuff the bikes into to fly out of Norway. In the end we managed it fairly easily. Well, Norway is a civilized country.

The biggest YOLO move of this leg was, hands down, Kika, who showed up for this bike trip without a bike. She rented one right there in Norway and ended up taking it all the way home to Slovakia with her.

Even though the ride from Trondheim to Bergen felt noticeably more civilized compared to the raw wilderness we'd experienced in Lofoten, it was genuinely worth it. The weather was nicer, the temperatures higher, and, well, a cycling trip is simply more fun in a bigger group.