45,000 kilometers. 37 countries. 286,000 altitude meters. 16 months. That’s the recipe for Førsvoll’s spindly cycle tour. The start is on 25 May, and if he keeps the planned timetable, he will be back at Nordkapp in October 2024. – I’m just a completely ordinary guy, says Førsvoll. The route from the northern end of Europe to the southern end of Africa is a popular route for cyclists who like to go the extra kilometres. The special thing is the return from Africa to the cold north. According to Førsvoll, no one has cycled the same route up again. – I dream of doing something that I am unable to do. Something that is completely impossible. Then I found out that this seemed quite impossible, says Førsvoll. See the route Atle is going to cycle: Most people who undertake such trips have trained specifically for this over several years. This is not the case for Førsvoll. Because he has used his job as a food delivery stall to prepare for the trip. – What I have been doing for the past few months is delivering food. You won’t be fast, but you will be well trained, tough and tough, says Førsvoll. He cycled for a total of 72 hours as a food delivery stall in April. That’s over 18 hours of cycling a week. – I have to agree that this is a special way to recharge for the cycle trip, says Førsvoll as the food is delivered. Another order rings in on the phone. We will deliver sausages and soft drinks to a person at the door. – What is exciting now is how far off guard we are going, says Førsvoll as he looks down at the phone screen. NEW ASSIGNMENT: Førsvoll checks the order on the phone. Photo: Anders Boine Verstad / news This time it was a trip of two minutes. The trip from 25 May, however, takes a little longer. – This is an extremely selfish thing to do. Perhaps the most selfish thing one can do, says Førsvoll about the trip. However, this is not his first bike ride of a solid length. Previously, he has cycled the length of Norway, through the whole of Finland and also participated in Trondheim-Oslo. Nevertheless, Førsvoll feels that he is out in unknown waters. – Forma is better than it has ever been before, but I don’t know if it is enough, says Førsvoll. See what Førsvoll’s days as a food delivery boy are like: – Absolutely extreme news’s cycling expert Sondre Sørtveit allows himself to be amazed by Førsvoll’s cycling project. – It is completely out of another world actually. It is a very large project. Incredibly impressive if he gets it right, quite simply. It is completely extreme, says Sørtveit. He has never heard of anyone who has driven the same route, and says he will be madly impressed if Førsvoll manages it. However, he is somewhat doubtful about the training method ahead of the trip. A LITTLE SKEPTICAL: Sørtveit allows himself to be impressed, but is also a little skeptical. – It is very ambitious then. He has certainly had a lot of riding on the bike in any case, but there are probably completely different challenges that will meet him on that journey there. Very unconventional, but a tough bet, says Sørtveit. He mentions weather, wind, climate and harsh weather conditions as challenges he will face. He believes that training in the form of longer trips than from door to door would have been far more optimal. – You need some very long, long walks for your body to cope with it there. I don’t think it sounds like the most ideal charging. Two underpants and stray dogs On the trip, Førsvoll will try to live as minimalist as possible. Among other things, he has only two underpants with him. He has packed this with him for the trip. Three bicycle bags must be attached to the back of the bicycle. They contain everything Atle Førsvoll needs for the trip. He has temporarily packed this with him: Bag 1: Sleeping bag. Inflatable sleeping mat. Light tent. Bag 2: Sunglasses. Toiletry folder with toothbrush, toothpaste, Imodium, malaria medicine, salt tablets, as well as a picture of the lover and the dog. Fiber towel. Two pairs of socks. A cycling vest. Two underpants. Specification: one must be washed, the other must be used. Sandals. Bag 3: GoPro. Bicycle lock. Sardines. Primus with gas, gas burners and grill plates. Water purification machine. – It cannot turn water into wine, but it can almost turn wine into water, says Førsvoll. Drone to document the trip. The trip has been planned since the corona era, but was not feasible until now. A final small obstacle now, however, is that several of the countries he will be cycling through are in unstable times with, among other things, war and civil war. Nevertheless, he does not consider this to be the biggest challenge. – What I fear most on the trip is something as banal as stray dogs. Being in the countryside in Turkey and being surrounded by five to ten loose dogs, that thought scares me, says Førsvoll. Sepp Kuss made sure that both the commentators and the TV viewers had their hearts in their throats with this maneuver.
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Atle Førsvoll is going on an “impossible” bike ride from the North Cape to Cape Town – and back – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
