Racing The Bright Midnight and Touring Through the North
I headed to Norway at the beginning of July, just three months after finishing my
Africa End-to-End ride. The plan was simple: race The Bright Midnight without
pushing too much, spend some time with my partner (it was her first bikepacking
race!), then spend the following weeks exploring one of my favorite countries.
First Days in Norway.
I had already crossed Norway once before, back in 2019, during another bikepacking
race, but that trip was only on busy tarmac roads. This time I wanted to experience a
different side of the country: more remote, quieter, and closer to nature.
The trip also marked my first real opportunity to spend an entire month on my new
bike, the Rodeo Labs Flaanimal Titanium. After thousands of kilometers on previous
bikes, I was genuinely excited to discover what this bike would feel like in two
completely different situations: racing with a lightweight setup, then returning to fully
loaded bikepacking for the weeks that followed.
I arrived in Norway a few days before the race and made my way to Tolga using a
mix of trains and riding. Like every bikepacking trip, I carried my whole life with me:
my tent, cooking gear, sleeping bag, clothes, and everything I needed to be self-
sufficient for the weeks ahead. For me, it’s really important to understand a country
before a race.
Classic Norwegian Conditions
Summer in Norway is unpredictable. You can find snow at only 400 meters above
sea level, enjoy bright sunshine and temperatures above 20°C a few hours later, and
then ride through heavy rain before the end of the day. Water is everywhere. Rivers,
waterfalls, and lakes seem endless, even high in the mountains. Because of that, I
only carried two water bottles, knowing I would never have to go far before finding
fresh water again.
Another unique feature of riding this far north in summer is the endless daylight.
There is no real night, only a long sunset that seems to last forever. It creates a very
special atmosphere where time almost loses its meaning. Whether you’re racing or
touring, it feels like the day never ends.
The Bright Midnight
I arrived in Tolga two days before the start of The Bright Midnight. After more than 50
bikepacking races during my career, I don’t think I come only for the competition
anymore. I still love racing, but these events have also become reunions with friends.
It was great to catch up with riders, photographers, and organizers I have known for
years while also meeting a new generation of bikepackers, many of them almost
twenty years younger than me.
In the days before the start, heavy rain had soaked the course. Proper Norwegian
conditions. Honestly, I enjoyed those conditions and wasn’t stressed at all.
Experience changes the way you approach a race. I knew that after so many years of
bikepacking, there was no point worrying about things I couldn’t control.
I transformed the bike from touring mode into race mode, as always. Almost all of my
bags came off. I packed only warm clothes, waterproof layers, and a hydration
backpack so I could carry a little more water and stop less often. I was especially
excited to finally ride my new bike in its lightest configuration.
The race started on Sunday morning at 9 a.m. The rain had stopped only a short
time before the start. Most riders were dressed in waterproof jackets and warm
layers, while I was one of the few standing there in bib shorts without a rain jacket.
As I said previously, my objective wasn’t to chase a result. After such an intense year,
I simply wanted to enjoy racing again, finish healthy, and rediscover the pleasure of
racing. My strategy reflected that. I rode at a solid pace, but instead of pushing
through the nights, I planned to sleep indoors every evening. I left all my camping
equipment behind and kept the bike as light as possible.
The race itself was everything I had hoped for. Endless gravel roads, steep climbs,
beautiful mountain landscapes, and some rough terrain at times, but nothing too
extreme. During the second night I even rode through fresh snow high on one of the
mountain passes, a reminder of how quickly conditions can change in Norway, even
in July. The endless daylight created a unique atmosphere throughout the race. Even
in the middle of the night, it never really felt dark, making the experience unlike any
other bikepacking race.
Without booking anything in advance, I managed to find a place to sleep indoors
every night. It allowed me to recover properly while still enjoying the race.
The final day was completely different. Bright sunshine replaced the rain. I crossed
the finish line a little over three days after the start in ninth place. The result itself
wasn’t particularly important. More importantly, I rediscovered the pleasure of racing
and was able to find my flow again. It was exactly the race I needed.
Back to Bikepacking
After the finish, I stayed around Tolga for another three days before rebuilding my
usual bikepacking setup. The tent, cooking gear, and extra clothes went back onto
the bike, while my aero bars and a few race-specific items were shipped back to
Switzerland.
From there, Florian, another rider, and I headed towards the fjords and the mountains
for about a week of bikepacking. Every evening we camped, and on several
occasions we pushed our bikes up steep hiking trails to reach small cabins.
Riding in this part of Norway is an absolute pleasure. The gravel and dirt roads are
incredibly smooth and well maintained, sometimes even better than the tarmac
roads. You could comfortably ride most of them on 35 mm tires, but my 48 mm tires
felt perfect with a loaded bike, adding comfort without ever feeling slow.
The endless daylight became just as enjoyable after the race as it had been during it.
We never had to rush to find a campsite before dark. It removed the usual
bikepacking evening rush and gave us plenty of time to enjoy every day.
Solo Riding
I left Florian before reaching Oppdal and continued alone for another ten days,
without any plan, just following the good weather and perfect gravel roads. Along the
way I met countless touring cyclists, crossed paths with riders from the
Transcontinental Race, and shared campsites and conversations with bikepackers
from all over the world.
Looking back, those ten days of bikepacking became the highlight of the entire
month.
I’ve been living from my bike for the past four years, but since finishing my Africa
End-to-End ride I hadn’t really returned to that lifestyle. Instead, I had spent the
previous months moving between friends’ apartments and different cities across
Europe.
For the first time since Africa, I was back where I feel most at home: sleeping in my
tent, carrying everything I owned on my bike, and waking up wherever the road had
taken me the day before.
The simplicity of that daily routine gave me the time and space to slowly process
everything that had happened during my ride across Africa. Sometimes the best way
to recover from one adventure isn’t to stop moving; it is simply to keep riding and, of
course, to tell the stories afterwards. That last part is probably the most important
one.
Looking Ahead
In the end, Norway turned out to be exactly what I needed: a beautiful race,
incredible gravel roads, endless summer light, and weeks of quiet bikepacking
through one of the most spectacular countries I’ve ever ridden. It was also the perfect
place to begin a new chapter with the Flaanimal Titanium. After just one month, I’ve
already ridden more than 3,000 km on this bike, and I can’t wait to see where it takes
me next.
