You only have to open instagram and several accounts will show you the stunning climb of the Lysefjord, the Lysefjordstigen see in Norway. Not only the location, at the end of one of the more beautiful fjords, but also the challenge itself: you climb some 840 metres in 8.9 kilometres. So with a 9.4% average, it ranks with, say, Passo Giau and is tougher than, say Sa Calobra. To be called a beauty for good reason. If you go cycling in Norway, then this one should not be missing from your list. Take a look?
The climb: accidental side effect
It's a great view when you get on your bike from Lysebotn. You look kilometres across the water of the Lysefjord. If your back is to the water, you can see the beautiful 27 bends of the climb ahead on your right. The fjord is a kind of gorge, so the climb goes up quite steeply. A beautiful, but also imposing prospect.
Construction
Before this road was built, Lysebotn, a small village at the end of the Lysefjord, was an isolated place. You could only get there by water. With the construction and completion of this beautiful piece of infrastructure, this changed in 1984. The aim was to make the power plant in Tjodan more accessible. An influx of tourists was not anticipated. This is the beautiful by-product of this route.
Start in the centre
If you want to take some courage, the best place to start is at Olav's Pub at the Lysebotn campsite. In fact, the only place where you can also get a cup of coffee. From here it is flat for a while, you then have to go 1,100 metres through a tightly built tunnel. After that, you soon start turn 1 of a total of 27 hairpin bends. Tip: make sure the gradient doesn't show up on your Wahoo or Garmin in. Because you will see 'double digit' gradients passing by for a long time. For over 6.5 kilometres you ride up the mountain at 10 per cent. There is a vicious section in it towards the end, where you ride up at 15 per cent.
Over the top
Once you reach the top of the climb, the road flattens out. It is literally as if you have come up from the abyss. Still, that's very special about cycling in Norway. A totally different experience from cycling in the Alps. The route leads you through a beautiful landscape with small mountain lakes and rock formations. It's like riding through a fairytale landscape. That feeling lasts for a while. There is still quite a bit at the very end. When you think you're back on the flat, you get another 14 per cent thrown at you.
Back and forth
Since the road to Lysebotn is a dead end, you can't necessarily make a nice round trip. You will always have to go to a crossing point to take the boat there, or as we had thought of it: you drive all the way to the end of Lysevegn and then turn around again. Because actually, it's also pretty cool to descend those hairpin bends again. Isn't it?
Until 2019, organised Haute Route a cool race here. With the reassessment of priorities and the takeover by IronMan group, they have started to focus more on the classics. A pity, because pictures like the one below, we will see less as a result.
