Author Topic: Cycling in Iceland  (Read 7211 times)

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Offline ufaforwork3

Cycling in Iceland
« on: August 31, 2017, 08:03:46 am »
Hi Guys,

I'm cycling the ringroad in Iceland next Summer.

Anyone done this tip before and got any tips?

I'm doing self supported and will be on a bit of tight schedule (can't really afford any excursions to the interior) but could deffinately stop for some hald days.

Would be great to hear other people's experiences.

Thanks,

Jake


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Offline SaemiVald

Re: Cycling in Iceland
« Reply #1 on: September 01, 2017, 07:05:24 am »
As an Icelander I have some experience on the matter. I have ridden quite a bit around Reykjavik. I once did the ring road in a 10 man team in a relay race so I actually rode approx 250 km out of the total 1400 km. Here are a few observations from me:

-The roads in Iceland are worse than what one would expect. Rough asphalt. I have ridden in other countries and there the roads are much smoother.
-Expect for near Reykjavik the roads are mostly 2 lanes, 1 for each direction and limited or mostly no shoulder for riding. During the summer there is heavy traffic because of tourists so there is limited room for overtaking.
-Weather can change on a moments notice. Sunny one moment and raining the next. Make sure to bring appropriate and warm clothing.
-There are many hills and steep climbs on the ring road.
-There are some very long stretches on the ring road where there is no food or other service to be had. Make sure to know in advance where you can pit-stop.
-Right now it seems Iceland is a very popular tourist location so accomodation is extremely hard to find. Either book well in advance or sleep in a tent.
-The scenery can be very beautiful so when fighting the headwind remember to enjoy the view :)
-During july there is daylight 24 hours which means you can ride in the night (although I recommend lights). Some people find it hard to sleep in semi-daylight during the nights so you may want to bring something to cover your eyes.

Finally three useful websites which you might refer to:
http://www.visiticeland.com/things-to-do/activities/cycling
http://cyclingiceland.is/
https://cyclingtips.com/2015/10/roadtripping-iceland/

Hope it helps.

Offline Ghspalding

Re: Cycling in Iceland
« Reply #2 on: March 04, 2018, 10:01:23 pm »
So good friends did it and their most often descriptions were“intolerable headwinds”!


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Offline RussSeaton

Re: Cycling in Iceland
« Reply #3 on: March 04, 2018, 11:08:39 pm »
So good friends did it and their most often descriptions were“intolerable headwinds”!

Iceland is an island midway between Greenland and Norway.  According to the post above its about 900 miles in diameter.  About the same size as my state of Iowa.  How do you get headwinds all of the time, or even a majority of the time?  Assuming you are circumnavigating the circumference of the island, you are roughly going North, West, South, East an equal amount of time.  Assuming the prevailing winds are out of one direction, then you would have about 1/4 tailwind, 1/4 headwind, 1/2 sidewind.  I realize winds can change every day so it is possible to have handwinds every single day no matter which direction you ride.  But usually winds stay out of the same direction for awhile.

Offline DaveB

Re: Cycling in Iceland
« Reply #4 on: March 05, 2018, 08:14:54 pm »
How do you get headwinds all of the time, or even a majority of the time?  Assuming you are circumnavigating the circumference of the island, you are roughly going North, West, South, East an equal amount of time.  Assuming the prevailing winds are out of one direction, then you would have about 1/4 tailwind, 1/4 headwind, 1/2 sidewind. 
Two reasons:

1.  Strong sidewinds can be almost as difficult to ride against as a straight headwind and will be perceived as headwinds by many cyclists.  Together they will make up about 3/4 of the riding days.

2.  You will remember the headwind (and sidewind) days most vividly and the tailwind days not so much.   Those are the ones you will tell others about.

Offline zzzz

Re: Cycling in Iceland
« Reply #5 on: August 25, 2024, 04:23:53 pm »
I just finished riding the Rind Road here in Iceland.

 I will sometimes not check in on the forum for months at a time so I’m writing this “Reply” so that if anyone in the future does a search and posts a question I’ll get the email notification.

Because I definitely learned some useful stuff.

Pete