Should be an easy day with mainly tailwind. And indeed it was, but with a little bike trouble and the last 15km right against the wind, it still felt as "medium". But it certainly helps with 66 instead of 110km.
 |
| View from my tent, more or less. Vatnajökul in the background |
The first 50km were really easy. However, after about 30km I had a flat tire. Not a major issue, but wanted to find a place there you don't blow away while mending it. Found a place there they were building new holiday homes.
A young woman came and asked if I needed any help. I didn't, but asked if I could wash my hands, which I could. Always nice to meet friendly people.
 |
| Wasn't aware they have reindeer in Iceland, but it seems they have. |
Around 50km I got a new flat tire. Makes you wonder about a common cause, but I found nothing in the tyre and it looks still pretty good. Just bad luck? I had no flat tire at all riding Norway from South to North...
I have only one spare tube, so now I had to mend the hole. That is no problem, but how to find the hole in the gusting wind? I was struggling. Until I found out that there was a small stream 100m away, and I used water in my largest pan. Found the holes and mended both - OK so far, hoping for the best.
 |
| Very few places there are trees along the road. Makes an awful lot of difference for the wind. Not many places though, unfortunately |
The last 15km were hard again, though not as bad as yesterday.
Now staying in Höfn, a regional center. But not much to buy here. No bike tires at least.
The nest two days look good, so Egilstadir should be reachable. But then look at the forecast:
On Monday:
Northwest 10-18, strongest in northeast. Showers of rain or sleet in the north, but dry in the south. Temperatuer 2 to 10 deg C, mildest in the south.
On Tuesday:
North and northwest 13-20 m/s. Rain or sleet in the north, snow in mountains. Partly cloudy, but mostly dry in the south. Cold weather.
Northwest 10-18, strongest in northeast. Showers of rain or sleet in the north, but dry in the south. Temperatuer 2 to 10 deg C, mildest in the south.
On Tuesday:
North and northwest 13-20 m/s. Rain or sleet in the north, snow in mountains. Partly cloudy, but mostly dry in the south. Cold weather.
I guess there will be some staying in Egilstadir, let's see. The problem is there are some long stretches without any facilities. Setting up the tent in 20m/s wind and low temp is not attractive either.
Statistics:
66km, total time 6:30 active time 3:50, which gives a moving average of 17.2km/h. Total ascent 215m.
Bad luck with the waether should be that bad. Look for a place to stay for the next 1-2 days and enjoy a beer and a good book to read! After all, it's a holiday isn't it? After that you have charged your battery and are ready for the next stage of your Iceland-round trip!
ReplyDeleteI meant "...should not be that bad"....
ReplyDeleteHave fun and hopefully less flat tires! Greetings Tjeerd
ReplyDelete