Riding around Savalen has been on my list of things to do for almost 12 years. Still I haven’t really gotten around to prioritize it. Until now.
I think it’s a very human thing to think that you can do it later. Whatever it is that we want to do, there’s always time. Well I planned to ride around Savalen, follow the “Savalen rundt” signs, on my bike. I knew it wouldn’t be a difficult ride, just a long one. And I never prioritized doing it because I preferred trails over dirt and gravel roads. I still do, but last year I decided that I had to stop putting it off and just do it. Now on my ExoQuad, as bikes are not an option anymore.
A 55 km roundtrip – or is it?
Lake Savalen is quite big. I’ve always heard that the whole ride around is about 55 km. Or about 34 miles. Well, the ExoQuad also advertised that the battery capacity was about 55 km. So if everyone was right about the numbers, it would be a tight squeeze to fit all the distance into one charge. But I had to try. And I would come to find out that the roundtrip really isn’t 55 km.
I set off bright and early on the warmest day this summer. More about that later. The ride follows dirt and gravel roads all the way around the lake. Since I started from the cabin, I started off with the steepest inclines. And this was probably the section I was most concerned about with regards to battery. But the ExoQuad held up just fine.
From wildlife to queuing traffic
In the middle of the first incline I came around a bend and had to come to a stop. There was a pretty impressive bird strutting around in the middle of the road making funny noises. It was a female grouse, and I was really happy to meet and observe her for a little while. Not sure I would have stopped for as long had I been on my bike.
From there on I followed the roads through the forest, crossing through a few saeters (mountain pastures or farms) and closing in on the southern part of the lake. The sun was beaming hot, at I really felt the heat as lunch drew closer.
Right after I turned in the southern most end of the lake, I started meeting more traffic. Several cars were parked next to this cabin/saeter/cafe and I was told there was a market the same day. At this point my battery was below 75%, and I had put about 1/3 of the distance behind me. So I contemplated asking if I could charge for an hour while I had lunch. But I didn’t dare to. There was just too many people busy being very excited about the market.
A longer leg than anticipated
After a rest and some lunch, I continued on my way back north. This section was longer than anticipated, and the sun was really scorching at this point. I started to doubt if I would even make it riding around Savalen, but felt adamant to push through as long as possible. The focus on photography was totally gone though, as this part of the ride was mostly on a gravel road inside the forest. Nothing much interesting to shoot.
When I finally made it to the northern edge of the lake I had about 48% of my ExoQuad battery left. And probably more like 25% of my battery.
Riding around Savalen completed
I completed the ride with a huge smile on my face. Mainly because finishing a long solo ride like this felt like a huge bump in independence. The ride around the lake, including all the back and forth that comes with solo film making, came to about 40 km. Meaning either I had remembered wrongly, or someone had exaggerated a bit. It doesn’t really matter. I had a beautiful and exhausting day out riding no matter the km I put behind me.
All the best,
Tonje
