Pyöräilisinköhän? What do you mean?

My friend Dr. Dan Karvonen, who teaches Finnish at the University of Minnesota, has said that Finnish is not difficult, it's just different. Instead of using many small words, we like to add few letters here and there and alter the word body in various ways to change the word's meaning. Therefore some words become ridiculously long. For someone not familiar with Finnish it might look horrible, but it's all very logical, and once you master the basic rules, you're good to go. The name of my blog looks like a word-monster. Is that even a word? How can you pronounce that, with all those dots and stuff? The name of the blog is inspired by a meme (see below) in which a guy tells a Finn that the Finnish language has a word for "I wonder if I should run around aimlessly?" And the Finn immediately replies "juoksentelisinkohan?". "Pyöräilisinköhän" is the same for riding your bike. It means "I wonder whether I should ride around aimlessly (or ride my bike)". Instead of using all those small words, we bake them into a single word which is easy to understand if you know Finnish grammar. So let's break this into pieces.

Source: http://satwcomic.com/aimlessly

PYÖRÄILisinköhän. The base of the word is the verb "pyöräillä", to ride a bike. The original meme about running is a bit different than riding a bike, because for riding a bike the basic form of the verb is the same as its frequentative form, where as for running to run is "juosta" and the frequentative to run around aimlessly is "juoksennella". Frequentative form implies repetition but also that the activity is less focused and not goal oriented. For cycling, the word is the same whether or not the activity is focused and regardless of how many times you repeat it. This observation could be a beginning for a study in the Finnish philosophy of cycling, but I'll leave that for later. In this blog I'm usually riding around aimlessly and I try to repeat it as often as I can.

pyöräilisiNköhän. "Pyöräillä" is the base form for riding a bike which does not specify who is riding. We don't need a separate word for that but can do it by little adjustment and addition. I'm riding a bike is "pyöräileN", you're riding a bike is "pyöräileT", he/she/it is riding a bike "pyöräileE". So in this blog it's me who is riding a bike.

pyöräilISInKÖhän. -ISI- and -KÖ- are two different but connected additions. Finnish language has seven so called clitic endings or "liitepartikkelit" as we call them in Finnish. In this case -KÖ- transforms the word into a question. And when the word is transformed into a question, it must also be turned into conditional mood with -ISI-, because if there are no alternatives, there's no need for the question, right? So the conditional, I would ride my bike is "pyöräilISIn" and the question should I ride my bike is "pyöräilisinKÖ".

pyöräilisinköHÄN. You can add more than one clitic ending to a word and combine them in various ways. So the final -HÄN transforms the question into a rhetorical question. The question, should I go ride my bike is basically rhetorical. You don't need an answer to it, because it is always yes.

Simple. Finnish is not difficult, it is just different.

My Framed Minnesota 2.0

Updated 7.1.2017.

I got back into mountain biking, after a 15 years hiatus, when I moved to Minnesota and saw a fatbike for the first time. I wanted to try one, but didn't want to spend 1500$ on a Pugsley or a Mukluk before knowing whether I still liked riding trails. Luckily when I really started looking for a bike in early 2014 Framed had just introduced its Minnesota series that cut the price of an entry level fat-bike in half. I bought the bike after my first test ride, but had to wait for a month until I got my ride. Pretty soon I was sure that I, not only like, but love riding fat. Over the years I've tried other bikes that are two or three times more expensive than my Framed MN 2.0, but haven't noticed a real difference. Only when I tried my friend's carbon Salsa Beargrease with carbon rims, I could immediately feel that I was riding a different kind of a beast (that setup must be around 4000$). I've been slowly upgrading my MN 2.0 instead of buying a new bike.

I do all my maintenance and assembly myself, sometimes with a little help from my friends. So here's my current setup.

Original Vee Rubber Mission.

Upgraded Surly Bud.

The first upgrade getting rid of the original Vee Rubber Mission tires. They had a lot of self steer and very little traction. I first upgraded my front tire to Surly Bud, and the difference was enormous. I could ride into corners much harder, but now the problem was that I started losing traction in the rear. Since the MN 2.0 has clearance only for a 4" tire in the rear, I couldn't pair the Bud with its usual companion Lou. I had heard good things about 45NRTH Vanhelgas, and decided to give it a shot. Haven't been disappointed with that choice either. I changed the tire in winter time and could climb up snowy hills that I couldn't even dream of climbing with the Mission in the rear. I've been happy with that setup ever since.

45NRTH Vanhelga, Shimano XT derailleur and E*13 extender.

When I broke my derailleur in June 2015 I decided to convert the Sram X5/X7 2*9 drive-train into a 1X setup. I changed into Shimano XT 1*10 and extended the standard 11-36 cassette with an E*13 42t extension cog. It worked just fine for a month but one time I was shifting under heavy pressure and bent a tooth (see below). I switched to Sun Race MX3 11-42 cassette, and I'm more than happy with it.

E*13 extended range cog, with a bent tooth.

New Sun Race 11-42 cassette.

In the front I'm relying on Raceface, with Evolve cranks and bottom bracket and a 32t narrow/wide chainring. I ride with flat pedals, but have upgraded to Framed Alaskan pedals.

Raceface Evolve cranks and Framed Alaskan pedals.

All of the above are just cosmetic changes. The one upgrade that really changed my bike for the better was the new Kustomcaps "pain" cap. Oh, and the new red cable housings.

Kustomcaps "pain" and red cable housing (I've now changed the brake cable housings also).

Update 7.1.2017. Winters in Helsinki tend to be icy. Temperatures constantly go from below to above freezing and back. I got a pair of studdable but non-studded 45nrth dillinger 4s from my friend. I ordered 500 Schwalbe Ice Spiker Pro studs and mounted them myself. In principle you don't need glue to keep the studs in place, but LiquiSole also helps in installation. I now have couple of hundred km with the new tires and they are amazing on ice. I couldn't believe the traction I get. But on the other hand, Bud/Vanhelga combo is much better on snow. Most likely will be moving back and forth between the two sets of tires this winter.

At least for now I will keep replacing broken and worn out parts and doing small upgrades rather than buying a new bike. This is my MN 2.0 and I love it.

"How can you smile while your legs are burning?" After 2015 Fatbike Birkie.

Bikepacking across Lapland

For some time now I've wanted to do a solo bikepacking trip in Finnish Lapland. I was on my way already last year but had a mechanical - stick through the derailleur - the first night so that doesn't really count. This June I again packed my fattie and headed up north. I had food supplies for one week and plans for the first two or three days, but otherwise my plan was to play it by the ear and ride until I felt like going home. I ended up pedaling six days, 550 kilometers from the Russian border in the east until to the Swedish border in the west. Here's the story of my ride.

A modern map of my trek. Solid line is paved road, dots are trail or gravel. 

 

Getting there

I live in Helsinki, and Saariselkä where I wanted to begin my bikepacking trip is about 1000 km north from here. I combined work and pleasure and had some meetings in Rovaniemi along the way. Luckily some of my colleagues are also mountain bikers so we could have cycling meetings at the Ounasvaara single tracks. Even though Finland, especially northern Finland, is a land of great distances we have a rather well functioning public transport system. I left home and first took the metro to the railway station in Helsinki. Rovaniemi is way up north, on the Arctic Circle, so I took the night train. Train tickets from Helsinki to Rovaniemi are rather expensive, about 100€ in a couchette, but the bike is only 5€ extra. For the final 300 km you must use the bus, but if you call in advance they usually have room for a bike or two. I left home on Saturday evening, had meetings in Rovaniemi on Sunday and Monday, and was ready to roll from Saariselkä on Monday evening.

Evening 1 (June 13): Saariselkä - Hirvasjoki, 35 km

It felt kind of strange to begin an adventure like this at 9pm. Usually darkness would be an issue, but at 68 North the sun doesn't set between late May and late July (about polar day). I decided I would ride until I felt like camping. I biked only for a couple of hours and hit some familiar spots along the way. Finland is one of the few western countries that still has a conscription army and I served in guerilla forces in Ivalo, just 30 km north from Saariselkä. I rode past Peuravaara where we earned our emblems with a one day 30 km hike in full gear with several tasks along the way. This time I had a lot more fun. I used gravel roads which for the most part were in great shape. Even though I could have pedaled much longer, at midnight I found a nice spot close to the Ivalo - Raja-Jooseppi road and decided to camp there.

Peuravaara selfie

Camping at Hirvasjoki

 

 Day 1 (June 14): Hirvasjoki - Anterinmuka, 66 + 6 km

Stop by the Lutto river

"Fuck the [sic!] Russia"

The main destination for my trek was Anteri in the Urho Kekkonen National Park (UKK-Park). So called every-man's rights allow you to bike where ever you want in Finland, but national parks have some restrictions. At the moment, cycling is permitted only on few trails in the UKK-Park (this should change for the better for 2017) and one of them is an old border guard maintenance and patrol road that runs 25 km south from Raja-Jooseppi to Anteri. There are only few roads in the area and I couldn't use some of the possible trails due to early summer high waters so I had to use the paved road for about 30 km to get to Raja-Jooseppi. When I got to Raja-Jooseppi, I stopped at the border station (there were couple of full-suspension mountain bikes in front of the building) to ask about trail conditions and advice on routes after I had visited Anteri. After some good advice I took the trail south.

"Border zone: No entry without a special permit." The trail runs by the border zone and you don't need special permits to ride it.

Suspension bridge across the Lutto river.

The trail from Raja-Jooseppi to Anteri runs along the border zone, about two kilometers from the actual border. You enter the national park by a suspension bridge across the Lutto river. The trail can be driven with ATVs and is actively used by border guards, park rangers and reindeer herders. Spring waters had caused some erosion on the trail and there were loads of loose fist sized rocks that required your full attention but overall the trail was great for fat-tire bikepacking. Heading south you get kilometers long gently sloping uphills with 100-150 meters elevation followed by short and steep descents. With a fully loaded fatbike the trail took about three hours. I had to leave my bike at the Anteri Bike Park at the end of the trail. The name is kind of misleading since there isn't really any place where you can store your bike. I made some room in the woodshed for my bike and extra gear, took my sleeping bag, backpack and one pannier with me, and begun my hike to the Anterinmukka wilderness hut.

I would not call this a bike park.

High waters in Anteri.

Park rangers and reindeer herders drive ATVs on the trail and 90% of it was fully rideable, but rules are rules so I walked the final 6 km to Anterinmukka. Waters were high and I had to take my shoes off twice and my shoes and pants off once to cross the creeks. I got to Anterinmukka early in the evening. In addition to the hut there are couple of fire places and cooking shelters and, most importantly, a sauna by the Anteri river. There were seven other hikers but the hut has room for at least a dozen so we all fit in just fine. I always enjoy a sauna but after a long day of cycling and hiking it is particularly enjoyable. Anteri river was perfect for cold therapy for my legs. I also had one beer. That was by far the toughest packing decision before my trip: if I will take one beer all the way to Anterinmukka, which one will it be? It had to be a small can so that it would be lighter and easy to carry into/out of the park. From the Finnish government monopoly liquor store Alko, Brewdog's Jackhammer IPA was my choice and I was more than happy with it. After the sauna I went to bed before 10 pm and had almost 10 hours of sleep, the most I had had in ages.

Sauna, Anteri river and beer

Anteri river cold therapy.

Day 2: Anterinmukka - Nangujärvi, 6 + 86 km

The morning in Anteri was rainy but it seemed that it will clear in a bit. I had a slow morning and begun my hike back to my bike at around 10 am. I packed all my gear and started heading north towards Raja-Jooseppi at noon. The trail is much easier and faster going back since you have steep but short climbs and then can enjoy long easy-rolling downhills. The Raja-Jooseppi - Anteri trail is in the wilderness area of the national park so in principle it is not marked. In practice it is pretty difficult not to see the old border guard patrolling road in otherwise untouched area. And the trail runs along the border zone, which is damn well marked. I had a lunch break at one of the campfire sites, but the ride back took only little over two hours of moving time.

The "unmarked" Raja-Jooseppi - Anteri trail. Most of the trail is not this smooth, some sections are actually pretty difficult due to loose rocks, but all of it is rideable with a regular mountainbike.

After Raja-Jooseppi I had to use the paved road again for about 20 km. I had asked a border guard for route advise before heading to Anteri and he recommended staying on the logging roads because it would be difficult to cross some of the creeks without bridges. After Raja-Jooseppi I decided that I would camp by Nangujärvi (Lake Nangu) north of the Ivalo - Raja-Jooseppi road. As I was approaching the lake I realized that my legs are not at all tired. I had hiked 6 km in the morning and already ridden about 80 km with a fully loaded fatbike, but I was still going strong. I had to pinch my legs to make sure they aren't numb and accelerate a couple of time to see whether there's really any power left, and to my surprise I wasn't just imagining it. Again I could have continued for a couple of more hours, but I followed my plan and camped by the lake. I had a good nights sleep in the tent, which was briefly interrupted around 2 am by warm and bright midnight sun.

Nangujärvi in late evening sunshine

Nangujärvi. Photo taken at midnight facing north.

Day 3: Nangujärvi - Inari, 65 km

The third day was by far the most boring riding terrain-wise. I could use gravel roads for only the first five kilometers and had to stick to paved roads otherwise. In the morning I rode to Ivalo where I had a lunch break at Hotel Kultahippu. After couple of days of add-hot-water-and-stir meals, fried Lake Inari white fish was so tasty I almost cried. I wasn't in a hurry since I had only 40 km to go for the afternoon. The county road from Ivalo to Inari has a bit more traffic, but still enough room for a bike-packer. I hit a brief thunderstorm just 10 km before Inari and got thoroughly wet before I changed into my rain gear. It didn't really matter since I wasn't cold and my Uncle had a hot sauna waiting for me. Inari was the final destination of my planned trek. Both the rider and the gear were still in great shape so I was certain I was going to continue somewhere after Inari.

Lake Inari white fish at Hotel Kultahippu

At my Uncle's in Inari

Day 4: Work, rest and maintenance in Inari, 10 km

Dosentti having a beer.

I was again able to combine work and pleasure and had some meetings at the Sami Parliament. I rode my bike to the meetings and it felt great to hit some trails along the way without the camping gear on the bike. After the meetings I went to a bar to check my email and watch a football (not hand-egg, but real football) world championship game. There I learned that I had been awarded the title of Docent of International Relations by the University of Lapland. I celebrated with couple of beers and rode back to my Uncle's to watch some more football and do some maintenance. I also made plans for the rest of the trip and decided to head south-west towards  Levi, Kittilä the next morning.

Day 5: Inari - Köngäs (Kittilä), 191 km

On the road again.

I had done a few metric century rides on a fattie before, but never a full century ride. By county road the trip from Inari to Levi is about 190 km with 2/3 paved and 1/3 gravel. I decided to give it a shot. Before hitting the road I flipped my front tire. Surly's Bud can be set up either way. One way is for cornering and the other for propulsion. I immediately noticed the difference. Much less resistance and vibration. After some 30 km one of the spokes in the rear wheel snapped. The wheel continued to work just fine and luckily that was the only mechanical I had during my whole trek. I enjoyed a little tail wind and beautiful scenery. After little over 100 km I stopped for supper and a beer in legendary Tieva Bar in Pokka. I had to make my own camping meal because their kitchen was closed for June, which is off-season in this region. But I was able to get a beer with the food, and coffee and a doughnut for dessert. 

One beer and supper at Tieva bar.

The paved road ends in Tieva but the gravel road was in great shape. Only problem was that I needed to take a 10-15 km D-tour due to bridge reconstruction along the way. I decided to use a smaller logging road instead of the advised and guided D-tour. I was full of energy after the meal and a beer, and I had a little tail wind. I was moving so fast that I missed my turn and realized it only about 3 km later, after a nice long downhill. When I turned around it started to rain and I had to climb up the hill again. This would have been the perfect time to break down, but I was only slightly irritated by my mistake. I took a very narrow logging road which was still ok for a fattie. When the road crossed a marsh I saw a western capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus) standing in the middle of the road. Those birds are at times extremely territorial and nasty, but there was no way around it so I had to just keep pedaling and hope that the cock would not stand its ground (haha). When I got to less than 5 meters from the bird it flew away without a fight. Phew! After the encounter I soon got back to the county road. My friend's father-in-law runs a small motel close to Levi. For some reason I preferred having a sauna and sleeping in a bed over camping in the rain. I ended up with 191 km on Strava in 12h30min total time (10h moving time). My first barbaric (as opposed to metric) century ride!

Who did a century ride on a loaded fattie? This guy.

Day 6: Köngäs - Äkäsjokisuu, 91 km

On the trail again. Kätkätunturi, Kittilä.

Surprisingly enough, I didn't feel the century ride in my body when I woke up. I had some breakfast and decided to head to the Finnish - Swedish border river in Kolari. This way I would end up biking across Finnish Lapland from the Russian to the Swedish border. I had not planned this when I began my adventure, but it felt like a nice way to end this trip. Public transport south from Kolari is minimal so I called my parents who live relatively close if they could pick me up. They had nothing better to do so they said they will drive the 300 km to meet me in Kolari.The last day of my journey would be approximately 90 km. I first rode to Levi to get some supplies and then took the Levi-Ylläs MTB route. Last year I went to the grand opening of the trail so I knew that the first half on the 50 km route is mostly easy, running on skiing trails. Parts of the trail were extremely wet, but it was still all rideable. I had a little break at Aakenusjärvi and then took the road towards Äkäslompolo. The second half of the MTB trail is much more challenging with endless rock gardens. I would not have enjoyed it with a loaded bike and I had to look out for my rear wheel that was missing a spoke. It was raining a bit and I was all the time riding into head wind with tired legs. My progress was really slow. I thought I would get to Äkäslompolo much earlier so I had not had a proper lunch. When I finally got there all the restaurants seemed to be closed. Luckily I saw a guy at the local MTB rental getting ready to close the place for the day and hit the trails. He pointed me to Restaurant Rouhe, which is open all year round. I ordered a pizza and felt reborn after the first slice. You can't ride the whole day with snacks and energy gels only. Soon I was ready to hit the road for the final leg of my trek.

I originally planned to go to Kolari where you can cross the Muonio River to Sweden, but my dad suggested that if I only want to get to the border river without crossing it, I could also do it at Äkäsjokisuu which is a bit closer. Riding 30 km instead of 40 sounded tempting. Now I had much more energy, a bit of tail wind and was slowly descending towards the river. The first half was paved but it was great to end the trek with 10 km of gravel. My parents were waiting for me about a kilometer from the river. I had done the final 30 km in about 1,5 hours and felt that it would be difficult to get moving again if I stopped, so I kept pedaling towards the river. And there it was. Six days and 550 km later I was ready to finish my first bikepacking trip to Lapland which had taken me from border to border. 

"I made it!"

There it is, Sweden.

Packing the bike after bikepacking.

All in all, this was a great adventure. I had done full day rides and one overnight bikepacking trip before, but this was the first time I did a longer trek. I was prepared for all kinds of mechanicals but had none except for the snapped spoke, which didn't really affect my riding. I've spent a lot of time in Lapland, including a 12 month military service, but this was a new way to enjoy the area. When you are riding you actually don't see the scenery as well as when you're hiking or even driving. You need to keep your eyes on the road/trail even more compared to driving.If you want to admire the scenery, you must stop. But you feel, hear, smell and occasionally even taste (dirt and mosquitos) your environment much better when you're not inside a car. And I enjoyed the trek with all my senses. I want to go back next year. Maybe with a friend rather than riding solo. Maybe riding more trails instead of covering long distances. Finnish Lapland is a land of great opportunities for bikepacking. I hope that National Park administrators also realize that and support it to the fullest in the future. Now it seems that at least the UKK-park is moving forward in supporting bikepacking.

This was my 2016 bikepacking trek across Lapland. It was a pleasure. The end.