Mountain Biking Collection by Carola K.
17
Tours
63:32 h
515 mi
17,100 ft
With closed borders, quarantine rules and flight cancellations, planning a holiday in 2020 required more creativity and flexibility. After my plans for a big US trip in September burst, I thought about what else I could do with my annual leave under the current circumstances. I wanted a trip that would be uncomplicated and spontaneous, with a good dose of adventure. After a nice evening with a glass of wine, I had the thought – why not just saddle up my new mountain bike, take the ferry to Sweden, and get rolling.
Without further ado, I sat down at the computer and thought about how many kilometres I could easily cover in a fortnight. Kalmar looked like a good turning point, so I simply left the rough planning to the komoot route planner in mountain bike mode. I tied up the route here and there and, within one hour, I had a round trip of 800 kilometres (497 miles) finished.
In mid-September, I took the ferry from Rostock to Trelleborg with my bike. From there, I headed north, deep into the nature reserves and forests. The mountain bike route, which komoot had put together for me, often led over wonderfully quiet backcountry and gravel roads, as well as rocky paths and winding trails like the Skåneleden, especially on the first days. As my skills are not quite up to such tricks yet, I had to push and lift my bike in parts. I was happy that I hadn’t planned to ride more than 50 kilometres (30 miles) per day at the beginning.
The further north I went, the more wooded the landscape became and the more lakes I saw. There was one beautiful campsite after the next. Despite the possibility of wild camping, I spent almost half of the nights in so-called Vindskydds – simple wooden sheds, open on one side that are always equipped with a fireplace. Nothing beats a campfire! I found most of them relatively spontaneous and adjusted the route a little bit from day to day. This was just the kind of spontaneity I had hoped for. Finding shops to fill up supplies on the way was just as uncomplicated – a beer in the evening was always within reach.
After a city stroll in Kalmar at half time, I rode along the coast on my way back south to soak up the salty sea air. Small fishing harbours, pretty villages, narrow trails and the surprise of where the route would lead to next. An adventure that was created in an hour on the computer will provide me with great memories for years to come. I highly recommend copying it!
Ready to get going? Create and customize your own version of this adventure using the full Tour below as a template.
Last updated: December 12, 2021
With the TT Line we went over from Rostock to Trelleborg at 1.30 p.m. Although you can book bicycle spaces for the ferry, we were the only cyclists between motorhomes, cars and trucks. The placement on the car deck was correspondingly creative. A little complicated, but doable! :) We also had the great…
by Carola K.
From the beach we went back to Trelleborg for shopping. Not at all easy to take only a handful of all the delicious things with you, because the bike is almost fully loaded. The selection of processed cheeses from the tube alone is gigantic!
After that, the route mainly led through rural regions and komoot…
by Carola K.
Get recommendations on the best single tracks, peaks, & plenty of other exciting outdoor places.
The tour today was marked by a few difficulties right from the start. Komoot loves to route in mountain bike mode over the Skåneleden, which is actually a hiking trail but can be used with care by cyclists. This is how the condition of the path turned out to be: with stones, steep climbs, plus a number…
by Carola K.
Today komoot was nice to us and almost exclusively guided us - apart from a slip over a field without a path - over developed bike paths to Kristianstad and then to a wonderful place on the Immeln waters. We were almost twice as fast and with significantly more kilometers on the clock than yesterday…
by Carola K.
We made it out of Skåne and into Småland! Today we drove on beautiful forest trails, a bit of the daily, stony hiking trail was also there. I always notice how expandable my MTB skills are. This was followed by a forest road that had not been maintained for ten years. For us it meant fighting our way…
by Carola K.
Today's stage was just amazing. After we met two Swiss people yesterday at our overnight stay, who emigrated to Sweden in June, we stopped by for a coffee and the typical Swedish cinnamon rolls (Kanelbular) in their sugar-sweet home.
Then we went over lonely roads and forest trails that reminded us a…
by Carola K.
Today the sun tried very hard and brought us a sensational sunrise in Åsnens National Park, which left no doubt about why the shelters are all facing east.
From there it went a bit to the south via the Banvallsleden, then steadily to the southeast via the Sydostleden and Kronobergsleden - all of them…
by Carola K.
We are slowly cycling in. The 52 kilometers went by in a flash, even if, as every day, there were a few "interesting" pushing sections on the Utvandrarleden. We cycled through a place with the resounding name of Yxnanäs, half of which was inhabited and the other half looked more like a ghost town. In…
by Carola K.
Komoot's preference for orange-marked (hiking) trails continued today with the dachshund talk. The sometimes slightly technical sections provided both me and my beloved Bombtrack with the first scratches. But we discovered a quite considerable lake on the roadside, which is not yet shown on any map.
Really…
by Carola K.
On our “rest day” we stretched our legs a little and explored the city of Kalmar with its impressive castle and the cannons that are still pointing towards the Baltic Sea. On the first day without the sun, the right mood arose immediately: whether pirates would emerge from the fog?
We then walked relatively…
by Carola K.
After a lazy day in Kalmar with a little sightseeing, we continued today and once more inland. The hope of still seeing a moose has not yet died.
Nevertheless, unfortunately no one showed up today. Instead, there was a long break on a fantastic cliff on Torsjön - actually too nice to continue.
But since…
by Carola K.
After about ten days of cycling without rain, the cool water has caught up with us. In the morning we were able to sit out the shower for a while, but in the afternoon it got uncomfortable.
On the way we met two Danish anglers who invited us to beer and vanilla coke in the small, open game hut. You don…
by Carola K.
Today we followed almost exclusively developed cycle paths such as the Sydostleden from Järnavik to Sölvesborg. It's comfortable and you get ahead quickly, but the variety is missing when you drive straight on asphalt kilometer after kilometer. So I was looking forward to diving into the woods again…
by Carola K.
Today we rolled further south over the Sydostleden and the smugglers' trail towards Åhus and enjoyed wonderful forest paths.
One more time, however, we stood in front of a military area with bold warning signs that komoot wanted to send us through. There was only a long detour around the outside. In defense…
by Carola K.
When a journey comes to an end, there are many final times that make you feel melancholy. One last single trail, one last climb, one last night in a windbreaker, one last campfire with grilled cheese. 🔥🧀 For a better understanding: That is, roughly speaking, melted cheese between two slices of bread…
by Carola K.
The weather change is here! After we got away for around 15 days with just two light hours of rain (!), A good wind started today. Heading south, I had to struggle hard not to be blown into the field. Slightly inclined position included. To the west along the coast it was then over the Sydkustleden very…
by Carola K.
Since the ferry would not leave until 11.30 p.m., we made a few more laps through Trelleborg and the surrounding area. To lookout points, parks, Trelleborg and a little hype at the water tower. It doesn't take long to scour the small town.
Fortunately, the big grocers are open on Sundays and equipped…
by Carola K.
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