Coming Down Is The Hardest Thing

One of my favorite songs is Tom Perry’s “Learning to Fly.” It’s been covered by so many artists but the sweetest in my book is the version performed by the Weepies. You can listen to it here. The lyrics describe perfectly how I feel on a bike – and what it feels like to be and the end of a great bike trip. Coming down really is the hardest thing. There can be a lot of effort on the climbs but so much of cycling feels like flying to me. I feel like a bird perched up on my saddle looking over the horizon and down into the valleys. I love the sound of the wind and my flywheel on a fast descent. Cycling has always meant freedom to me. It was my first taste of independence and that thrill never really left me. It’s still the best way to commute, travel, tour and test yourself. Where ever you go in the world there is a bike culture. I’ve cycled everywhere I’ve ever been and had the best memories of getting myself from A to B in two wheels. From Tahiti to Amsterdam and everything in between. It’s my preferred mode of transportation.

My last day in Iceland was bittersweet. I was excited for the relatively short 30 mile day but as soon as I set out on my ride along the fjord outside of Þingeyri I felt a little sad that it was almost over. This trip went so well. I felt really strong the whole way. My body was responding so well to these long slow miles with a full pack of gear. I could feel my legs getting stronger and I just want to keep going. It was how I felt after a few weeks in Chile. The slow pace of bike-packing is so rewarding. It’s where I should be right now. A great fit.

Today was eclipse day! The traffic was a bit busier than usual as I made my way across the first mountain pass. The clouds kept the temperatures cool and I got some really dramatic views at the summit. I dropped down into the last valley before the tunnel to Isafjordur. I haven’t cycling in a tunnel since I was in Norway and wasn’t too excited about it to be honest. I have a bit of claustrophobia and I don’t love the idea of cycling in a narrow dark space with cars and buses barreling down on me. As I approached the entrance, a police officer was standing there and asked me to stop. He was so polite and just wanted to make sure I knew what I was getting into. He checked to make sure that I had front and rear lights and that I understood that this was a single lane traffic tunnel. Traffic into Isafjordur has the right of way and opposing traffic has to use the turnoff areas.

It’s 6KM long and as soon as I entered it felt 5.9KM too long. There were very dim lights on the ceiling and the car noise was deafening. I pulled over into the rocky grey mud along the shoulder for any vehicles. In between this, I just rode as hard as I could and searched for the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. It felt like forever but I finally saw the daylight on the other side and was never happier to be done with a ride. I could see the town now as I sailed down the hill and met John at the bike shop. We did laundry and re-packed our bikes with plenty of time to catch the eclipse.

Town was crazy busy with thousands of cruise ship passengers here to catch the big event. We did not plan our trip around this but it was a nice surprise. Unfortunately, it was prettily cloudy out so it was hard to catch the full drama of the moon shadow. It was still pretty cool. We watched it from a long rocky jetty in the bay. At the moment of full eclipse, it suddenly went very dark and all of the street lights lit up, the wind got strong and the birds all left their roosts. It was the second full eclipse that I’ve seen and definitely a cool event.

It was a nice way to say farewell to such a starkly beautiful place. Iceland has some of the best riding I’ve ever seen and the people and friendly and funny. It is land of extremes that will test your pain threshold but it will reward you in equal measure. The quiet is my favorite part of Iceland. The wind is my least favorite. 😬 But what do you expect from a half frozen tip of a volcano in the middle of the North Atlantic. I can’t say I was surprised by any of it except by how much I liked it. I’ve barely touched the riding here and can’t wait to come back to explore more of the incredible gravel roads and mountain passes.

We spent my last day in Isafjordur getting my gear organized, going for a run and then one last swim in this sparkling warm pool. Our final lunch was at an incredible community buffet fish restaurant called Tjöruhúsið. They served delicious stew followed by an incredible selection of cod, wolffish and salmon. It was so fun to meet all of the other travelers and enjoy such a great meal together. A sweet send off to a very special experience.