Total trip time : 84 days
Cycle days : 73
Rest days : 11 (Granada, Valencia , Barcelona , Lyon , Guntersblum x2 , Hamburg , Copenhagen , Gothenburg , Trondheim , Tromso )
Countries visited : 6
Time and distance covered in countries
Spain : 16 cycle days , 1,525 km
France : 11 cycle days , 1,284 km
Germany : 11 cycle days , 1,036 km
Denmark : 3 cycle days , 207 km
Sweden : 6 cycle days , 490 km
Norway: 26 cycle days , 2,446 km
Total distance ridden : 6,988 km (4,367 miles) the equivalent of cycling to Muscat in Oman from London. Or from New York to LA and back to Oklahoma City. Or Sydney to Perth and back to Adelaide. Or Toronto to LA and back to Denver.
Longest day : 157 km
Shortest day : 22 km
Average distance per day : 96 km
Highest average per day per country: France 116 km per day
Lowest average per day per country : Denmark 69 km per day (ironic given it was the flattest)
Total time spent in the saddle : 422.22 hours
Average time per day spent in the saddle : 5.78 hours per day
Longest day in saddle : 8 hours 40 mins (Granada to Jaen)
Average speed per day : 16.54 kph
Top speed : 64.7 kph
Total height climbed : 64,315 meters (211,007 feet) . Equivalent to cycling to the summit of Mt Everest from sea level 7.3 times
At several points of the trip in order to pass the time I counted the number of full turns of my pedals in a 1 km stretch . Down in France it was an average of 178 , up in Norway it got as high as 320 full crankshaft turns in a km on some stretches of road. The average of my samples over the entire trip was approximately 242.
Given I cycled 6,988 km that means I turned my pedals over 1,691,096 times.
Say that out aloud
One million, six hundred and ninety one thousand and ninety six times.
Total calories burnt : Alot
Total weight loss : 10.9 kg or 24 lbs or 1.7 stone
Reduction of waist size : 2.5 inches or 6.35 cm.
Photos taken : 2,872
Hardest day : The climb from Nerja via Almuñécar to Granada. 2,407 meters or 7,896 feet. 8 Hours 03 minutes
Second hardest day : The ride from Granada to Jaen. 8 hours 40 mins.
Easiest day : The ride from Bremen to Hamburg .
Second easiest day : The ride from Vordingborg to Copenhagen
Wettest day : Ride from Stokmarknes to Andenes. Norway.
Hottest day : Any number of days on the south coast of Spain and the day I rode through Oslo.
The number of different beds I slept in: 62
Number of punctures : 1 (2 km after crossing into Norway. A piece of Norwegian roadside flint was the culprit)
Number of mechanical failures : 0
Number of physical failures, days of illness : 0 (Thoughts on this to follow)
Number of times I donned my heavy duty water proof jacket prior to getting to Norway : 2
Number of times I donned my heavy duty water proof jacket in Norway : 15
Favourite piece of non technical equipment: Bamboo stick picked up outside of Nerja that accompanied me all the way to northern Norway and was used as my bicycle stand.
Favourite piece of technical equipment : STRAVA
Favourite item of clothing : My fetching fluorescent shower cap like helmet cover
Items carried but never used: 2 (Sleeping bag inner silk sheet and North Face Down Jacket)
Items lost or left behind. 2 (locking cable for bike and bamboo stick...story to follow on the stick))
Highlight of the trip : Coming first by a clear margin were the people I met. Scenery comes second.
Places I’d go back and revisit. In a car, campervan or on a BMW R1200 GS.
1. Tarifa and south west coast of Spain.
2. Granada and road to Jaen in Spain
3. Valencia in Spain
4. Rhône Valley from Avignon to Lyon in France
5. Rhine Gorge from Mainz to Koblenz in Germany
6. Denmark
7. Lofoten Islands in Norway.
8. Nordkapp on a clear still and warm day. So never.
Thoughts on the trip to follow