Day 19, Boras - Jonkoping, 100 km

Today is a stage with many meters of altitude and rain is expected to start at 11 o'clock. 

Accordingly, I get up early and sit on the bike before 7 o'clock heading east. 

My expectations for the stage are low. The route planner shows a more or less boring route along Highway 40. This is a highway-like expressway from the east coast to the west coast.

I am all the more surprised when a few kilometers past Boras, the cycle path branches off onto an old railway line. 

It is the 45 km long railway line from Boras to Ulricehamn. The Swedes have converted the route into a cycle path since the end of train traffic in 1988. The path is fantastic to ride. It is wonderfully quiet. The route goes through forests and past lakes. Along the whole 45 km I meet two people, deer, and some birds of prey.

In between, I repeatedly see the dry stone walls.

Finally, I reach Ulricehamn with its beautiful old train station building.

As beautiful as the path was to Ulricehamn, it gets worse now. Komoot suggested a route that should lead onto the expressway shortly after the city. 

Completely unthinkable to ride here with the bike. However, there is an alternative. It's a detour of several kilometers, but I'm happy to take it. 

Then I get back on the expressway and this time there is no alternative. I hold onto my handlebars tightly and try to stay within the few centimeters in the lane, which is not easy when trucks overtake. After more than 4 km, I finally manage it and I look back at the road and am glad that nothing happened. 

From here, it is not much further to Jonkoping. In between, I ride again on an old railway line and see 'harvested forests' on the left and right.

I reach Jonkoping around 2 o'clock - completely without rain.

The city is located on the southern tip of Lake Vattern and has a lot to offer. This includes the Matchstick Museum. Until the 1940s, Jonkoping was the global center of match production. About 70 percent of all matches worldwide came from here. 

I find one curiosity in St. Sophia's Church. 

When it comes to payment, Sweden is completely digital. Even the collection in the mass is done digitally.