Ride to Eat NR 3 2022 Trollstiegen Norway June 25

michiel kerkhof

Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#45
So the 2 guys left Trollstiegen after the RTE and went to start the End to End ride on Wednesday june 28 at 1600 sharp. It was eventful to say the least with roadworks in Sweden partly on very loose and wet gravel for a couple of slippery miles then into a very heavy thunder and rain shower near Osnabruck where I found shelter ar a truck parking stop for 2 hours then continued until I needed gas only to find the cashregister was not working due updating took another 30 minutes….onto Paris on very cupped tyres which made stearing difficult especially at low speed so I decided not to filter which costed a good 30/45 minutes extra onto Bordeaux and Spanish border the Pyrenees were good fun to ride until I somehow managed to hurt my back in a bend( nerve stuck beteeen discs old problem), had to take some rest to see if it would improve but unable to fall asleep after 1 hour back on the ride.after Salamanca stopped at gas station again in vain trying to get pain killer when suddenly my mate Wilfried turned up as well.We had been riding individually as it’s very difficult to do a ride like this together.Wilfried saved my ride by handing over Ibuprofen 600 which at least suppressed the pain I was suffering I couldnot sut straight up on the bike but we decided to stick together so we did for abt 1 hour where between Caceres and Meride things gig so bad again I warned Wilfried and we stopped of the motorway at a small roundabout going to a closed gasstation.Only to find out I was dine and dusted and unable to ride.So Wilfried again saved my ride by handing over his mattress for me to sleep on for couple of hours until daylight.Slept like a rock until 05.30 then tried walking and packed my things and send message to Wilfried I would try to continue until the finish. Stopped for gas and coffee and continued….painful last 2 hours but finished at Tarifa after 26 hrs and 53 minutes still good for silver.Wilfried had some time out as well after he had let me go to sleep safely and spend 2/3 hrs sleeping on his parked bike but finished still in time to achieve gold….both of course pending authentication of the rides. Made it to the hotel where I have been sleeping most of the 30 hrs I an here now…back improving slowly and hopeful tmrw after another night of sleep ok enough to get me home in 5 hrs or so…..Another eventful ride is in the books!
 

GSears

Dambuster... Bouncing panniers...
Premier Member
IBA Member
#46
Sorry to hear of your misfortune.
Congratulations on completing the ride.
Hope the back gets better in time for Italy.
 

Firstpeke

Well-Known Member
#48
Well done for finishing the EE2E......

I have not fared so well.... I am sitting in a hotel in Stockholm at the moment and it took me 23 hours to get here.
High ambient temps in the middle of the non dark night, a cracking thunderstorm meant taking refuge at one petrol stop for a good half hour!

Although I also suffered from aggravating my back, probably when putting the RT on the mainstand, although I didn't feel it at the time I now have a muscle that keeps going into spasm and making life difficult.... and yes Ibuprofen helps but it keeps coming back when riding and makes things difficult.

That however is not my main reason for knocking the ride on the head.... it was fatigue.... the hot weather in Norway for the last week has been great and has meant consuming large amounts of water, much of it from my Camelbak!
Despite sleeping reasonably well before starting and enjoying most of the long ride down to Stockholm, it was in the early hours that I suddenly felt desperately tired, it took three separate stops to find enough rest to continue.... I was pleased to get here, but knew in myself that my biggest failure had been in poor personal preparation for the ride.....
Not enough to get my self ready for this insanity level ride.... and I did not expect Norway to be so hot that a mesh jacket I packed was needed every day, which of course meant drinking more water.

It was a frustrating moment calling my wife to tell her I had decided that I was knocking it on the head and would need to cancel my forward bookings and plan a route home from here.

I enjoyed my long planned tour up through Norway and especially enjoyed meeting everyone at Trollstiggen and dinner at the hotel!

Not sure if I will get another crack at the EE2E, but who knows what is around the corner!

One high point of my whole Norway tour has been seeing 74 miles per gallon out of a 1250RT...... and between 64 to 70mpg over most of the trip! Until this morning of course when normal service was resumed due to Sweden having a more liberal approach to speed limits!
What I shall not miss is the eyewatering cost of fuel in Norway at around £10.23 per gallon on average!
 

michiel kerkhof

Premier Member
IBR Finisher
#49
So sorry to hear of your misfortune but you made a wise decision to call it the day. Better thus way than with regrets afterwards in hospital.Fatique is a weird thing I know only too well…. And there is always another day another ride….it’s in the genes mate nothing you can do about that.Hope to see you again soon!