”what happens if you get scared half to death twice?”…

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On The Road: 83km/ 52 miles. I Elevation 2,235 metres/ 7,333ft

Leaving the small village of Skjolden, we headed for Lom but first some of the best riding in Norway! Winding our way through a valley with the Brehemein and Jottenheimen national parks on either side, we saw the waterfalls Wittgenstein cascading down from the Jottenheim National Park to the Lustrevegen.

We quickly started our climb which is solid and probably one of the hardest on the tour, which peaked at 34 km, meaning a 30km climb with undulating moments. This is the legendary Sognefjellet mountain pass. It is the highest in northern Europe, reaching an elevation of 1,434 metres(4,734 ft) above sea level and has been rated by UK-based newspaper, The Guardian, as one of the world’s top 10 cycling routes!

It has been dubbed “Norway’s Alpe d’Huez” because of similar characteristics….Alpe d’Huez is 14 km and 6,100 ft, avg. grade 8.1%. The Sognefjellet Pass is 28km and 7,000ft avg grade 9.0%.

We stopped for coffee at the pass and replenished ourselves after this testing climb, gave me a chance to change out of my under layer, jersey and gilet for a dry undershirt and jersey. At this point we could see cross country skiers and biathlon athletes training!

In Norwegian the word Sognefjellet means mountain of the gods….it lived up to its name!

The scenery was incredible today, as we moved away from the fjords of West Norway to more mountaineous terrain and we saw snow walls and frozen lakes along this spectacular road.

From the pass we had 50km with around 1500m descent, an amazing ride taking us into Lom for a later lunch, all the more enjoyable after such a great ride and climb.

Note Lomskyrkja – the church in Lom – is one of the biggest and most beautiful stave churches in Norway.  

Route 55 across the Sognefjell mountain area between Luster and Lom is the highest and most impressive mountain pass in Northern Europe (highest point 1430 metres).Not every tourist route provides such a natural dramatic setting with a profusion of powerful impressions. Along the road there are multiple viewing points to soak in the beauty of the natural surroundings.

A nice modern hotel in Scandinavian fashion was our destination and another stellar dinner

Life is Good in Lom!