Cycle therapy
Cycling through Norwegian mountains typically means gruelling ascents and steep gradients that would set Lance Armstrong reaching for his medicine cabinet. A solution to this problem is the Rallarvegen, an epic cycle route that swerves among mighty lakes and craggy summits and, best of all, is almost entirely downhill. Summer months make for the best time to test your brakes, beginning at 1,222 metres above sea level in the highland outpost of Finse. From here, the route traverses a rocky plateau, where alarmed lemmings squeak at passing bikes, before swooping down switchbacks into summery pastures in the Flåm valley. The path ends at sea level beside the Aurlandsfjord – here you must either continue by boat or limber up for a return trip (most cyclists cheat by catching a train back to the top).
7 Fresh air and fantastic views on the Rallarvegen cycle route