8.7.2016 Today I'm particularly early - that will be the king stage... three big and countless smaller climbs and almost 120 km to cover... that's what gives me great respect... besides, rain is forecasted and seemingly endless plains... but the weather app promises with high and holy that there should be no headwind today, but rather a clear northern component in my favor... and my weather app doesn't lie... reports tell of great hardships on this stage with extreme headwinds...Since Tromsø I have planned the program for these crucial days at the North Cape - that's why I'm doing 100 km every day... and so far, the plan seems to be working...The calmness ...... on the first 20 km I'm enjoying ...... then the ascent to the first pass begins ...Proper nutrition is one of the most important things for athletes...... but my body often loudly and clearly demands pure energy ... and everything is constantly burned ...... a calm moment during the ascent ...... it still takes a few turns to reach the summit ...Marked by many wild stories with wind and weather...... after a great descent, the next pass is already waiting in the lowest gap on the horizon ...... seen from up close, it looks like this ...... rare turns to increasingly lonelier farms of reindeer breeders ...... hard to understand - right in the middle of these long straight stretches ...... the previously long straight stretches now become even longer ...... observing the scenery from some distance ...... a herd of reindeer ...... sometimes the animals are very close ...... very close!... and then again this endless expanse that lies ahead of me ...... and it's not just the front - it's this incredible hemisphere around me...... even heading north ...Coffee break at the gas stationI've been riding in the rain for three hours ... but this is now the very last pass and Olderfjord awaits down by the sea ...... after 120 km and many meters of altitude, I'm greeted with a colorful welcome ...... now just drying the laundry ...
