A week of bikepacking in Iceland

"My frame just broke." "What?" "My frame just cracked and broke next to the little ring". "Oh", I said to Jarrod. That's all that could come out of my mouth in that given moment.

We'd been riding our fatbikes on the F-roads of Iceland for the past 5 days, through rainy, windy and not so friendly conditions, being blown off of our bikes from gusts reaching 80km hour in the highlands. On one occasion we had tucked ourselves next to a giant hydroelectric dam, out of the wind, as this afforded us the only shelter within the surrounding 100km. At another time, we were told that the 'rivers are like oceans' and that we'd never be able to stick to our intended route. We were one of the first of the season to pass through some of the "closed" or "impassable" F-roads.

The typical cycling route to do in Iceland is the Ring Road. It is a 1300km paved trek around the entire country. Having driven the entire ring road, I applaud those who tackle the hardened outer shell of this unforgiving landscape. We, on the other hand, decided to tackle its tricky innards. We wanted rough double track, black sand beaches, bubbling hot springs, glacier stripped mountains and cold river crossings and we got that. 

The following is a series of photos, mostly in chronological order that show and describe our bikepacking trip throughout the southern portion of the Highlands.

Packed up with two fatbikes, one carry-on duffle (extra $60) and a small pack each. WOW air got us there and back for $590CDN, including the bikes. 

I was told I had to have one of these while in Reykjavik. No comment.

That big church at the top of the hill in Reykjavik. You will pass many pubs on your way to this church. 

When you pass this pub (Den Danske Kro), be sure to pass by at 4pm and stay until at least 7pm, for their Happy Hour. A fantastic vibe and the +Lauf Forks  guys are just above! How convenient....

A couple of the first LAUF prototypes. LAUF Cycles is located in Reykjavik, run a great crew of locals guys who are obsessively passionate about riding gravel. 

The set-up. What I wouldn't take next time: sun sleeves or as much sunscreen. Favorite gear I did bring: neoprene socks paired with 3 season riding shoes and Dollarama pre-cooked bacon. 

Dollarama pre-cooked bacon and the type of foods we brought from Canada. It was well worth it to pay $60 at the airport for the extra bag and have all our own food as prices for dehydrated meals were around $20/meal at the stores in Reykjavik! 

This bus, leaving from Mjoll bus station will get you to Vik. See www.bsi.is 

In Vik, putting the bags back on the bike, getting ready to roll out. 

Rolling out, heading East on the black beach from Vik. We rode a few kms on the beach then had to do our first stream crossing to get back on to hwy #1, in order to connect up with the 208. Unreal beach ride, don't swim here, deadly waves and water! 

The black sand beaches near Vik. 

Jarrod getting friendly with the giant crashing waves on Vik . 

As we left Vik and began riding northeast, we hooked up with the 208 and so started some full-on climbing in the rain and wind. We ride for 6 hours, reaching a campground that is part of the Highlands Centers, named Hólaskjól-Higlandcenter. We were the first to arrive for the season, as the lady in charge had just arrived now that the road was open to get there. We paid about $50/each to stay the night inside their bunkhouse. It was worth it after the day we had in the elementst!

Just a few kms before reaching the Highland Center, which we didn't really know was there, let alone actually open yet for the season.

Wait, this picture better depicts the conditions we rode in for the day.

Arriving at the Highland Center after day 1 of riding 80km. Happy to get dry! 

So, it turns out that some of the senior Highland staff and rangers were also staying at this spot and they found out what we were hoping to accomplish, that is, continue north on F208 towards Landmanalaugar. Little did we know they were there in hopes of opening the road up, because...it wasn't yet passable, by vehicle that is....
In short, we were told that we could not continue as it was deemed "closed". Some back and forth went on between us and in the end, at 8am the next morning, the lead ranger said "let them try" and so we did....As it turns out, we were likely the first to pass through from the south part of the F208 and get into Landmanalauger. Not without earning it though. 

There were river crossings. About 12 in total on this day. All rideable except one.

This river crossing wasn't passable due to a massive culvert that was washed out. All other crossings were quite fun. It is worth noting that scouting each crossing was done, as were trying to find the shallowest parts. The water was always moving and very cold, so a conservative decision had to be made each time in order to stay dry and warm. 

After some more serious climbing, we reached a high point both in elevation and stokeness! It was incredible riding up here, empty landscapes, snow patches dotting the peaks that surrounded us as we rode alone for hours on end. 

And we only encountered one muddy patch on the entire trip, on day 2, as we were making our way to Landmanalauger on the F208, travelling North from Vik. 

River crossing #100

The landscape will blow your mind.

We arrived in Landmanalauger camp around 4pm. We had no set plan from this point on. We could of and perhaps (in retrospect) should of stayed here for the night but after a soak in the natural hot pool and a bite to eat, we decided to press on, not knowing that the weather would deteriate once again and that suitable camping was next to none for many, many kilometers away. 

Landmannalauger and the camp sites taken from the hot pools. 

This is the landscape some 20km after Landmannalauger dams, towards and past the motel that refused us a place to pitch our tent. 

We left Landmannalauger at 5:30pm, knowing that we had endless light to use to our advantage however, with strong winds and 10 hours later, we arrived at a motel at 11pm. All rooms were full and the manager refused to let us camp on the lee side of the building. The landscape in this area (heading west of F26) is barren, undulating topography with car sized boulders littering the landscape.
The massive super jeep was part of a Nissan Rogue film crew who were shooting video for a new commercial. We asked to sleep in or under the jeep...the driver just laughed. 

By 2am, we had found a suitable home for the night. Not ideal, but this dam would provide some shelter and it sure beat our other options. After another warm meal and some ridiculousness of laughing for no reason at all, except for being awake the last 16 hours and riding a bike in less than ideal conditions, we hit the concrete and dozed off. 

Morning after the endless day. Jarrod getting ready to ride while I watched and got nothing ready. 

Lunch on route to Fludir. Found a little trail system on the way to Fludir. The trails were next to a campground and a small river. Beauty of a spot for spending the night, but we pressed on. 

Rolling countryside as we make our way northwest, towards Fludir. 

Finally a gas station/restaurant. Time for a pint or two and a burger and fries. 

Arriving at Fludir. A great campground right in town for only $15/person, with showers. 

By far the nicest weather as of yet, on day 5. We left Fludir in search of F-road 337. A quick morning break at this N1 gas station for some pastries and javas. 

N1 gas station pastry selection.  

Blowing off some steam. How the locals heat up their homes and water.  

Climbing back into the highlands, up the F337 at an average grade of 15% for a few kilometers....

And then Jarrod's frame broke

And then he fixed it by shaving down a tire lever and smashing it into the two ends of the cracked frame. He then used a spare shifter cable and some zip ties to bind the frame together and then twisted the cable tight with his spare spokes to create tension. 

Frame fixed! time to ride again. 

Then we continued on F337 towards the flat top mountain, as we knew of a cabin that was there. Incredible riding on all sorts of terrain, from steep rocky descents to flat sand, surrounded by mountains. 

We were running low on water and nothing was flowing this high up, so we resorted to gathering snow, in hopes of melting it with our stoves once at the cabin. 

Made it to the cabin, but we could not get in to the entranc as the main quarters were locked up and no key to be found. 

While Jarrod spent hours trying to fix the water pump situation, I tried to crack the code of key box. 

Once we both gave up on our fixation to get water and crack the key code, we discovered an old bucket full of rain water that is used to water the sheep and goats that are brought up here to feed. Fresh water! sort of....

Home for the night. Cozy, dry and a view like no other. 

A beautiful sunset yet we woke to more rain and wind. 

Jarrod doing something on his phone.

Leaving our warm and dry cabin, we made the decision to head West and to exit the southern portion of this highland region, since Jarrod's frame was unstable. The only person we saw, the backhoe driver, told us of a trail that exists onto the road taking you into Pingvellir, and that it should be in good conditions for our fatbikes. So we pressed onward. 

Pingvellir is pretty cool. It's where the European and North American plates meet. There's a campground there and the old parliament buildings, a beautiful waterfall with trails abound, and a small restaurant. 

The small 'restaurant' in Pingvellir sells croissants for $5, sandwhiches for $15 and beer for $12. This meal was $50, USD. 

Leaving Pingvellir, it would be our last day of riding. We were about 60km from Reykjavik. Jarrod, pictured here, it soaking in the rain, getting ready to ride his wobbly bike on the main highway back into the capital city. We rode pretty much non-stop until we reached the intricate bike path system in Reykjavik and we ended up at an Olis Gas station for a bite to eat and a coffee. The main roads in Iceland are busy with tourist traffic but most vehicles are good to give some space, when space is there. With the many large tourist buses on the main roads, it can be a really tight squeeze at some areas. 

That afternoon, back in Reykjavik, we rallied up our gear and headed to the Lauf Cycles office were we encountered their new and not yet released LAUF True Grit gravel bike, pictured below. 

Sidenote, the Olis Gas Stations (green and yellow) provide free coffee for tourists. They also provide a discount card for a small percentage off of your fuel. 

We spent the night at the LAUF office, camped out on the floor, eyes fixated on this fabulous looking bike. It accepts up to 700x45 size tires and comes stock with the LAUF Grit gravel fork.  Stock on the True Grit bike is a bottle cap opener, for those rides that finish (or start) with a "cold one" nearby and it will be located just above the front derailleur.

We spent the night at the LAUF office, camped out on the floor, eyes fixated on this fabulous looking bike. It accepts up to 700x45 size tires and comes stock with the LAUF Grit gravel fork.  Stock on the True Grit bike is a bottle cap opener, for those rides that finish (or start) with a "cold one" nearby and it will be located just above the front derailleur. 

A must restaurant to eat at in Reykjavik is the Bergsson Mathús (https://goo.gl/maps/Yr31YhYVYft). This meal was had 3 times while in Iceland. For 60 USD, two people can dine in style on a baked cod dish with three sides of your choice and baked veggies alongside the fish. This was our favorite and only place we ate out.

Cheers Jarrod! 

To conclude, Iceland is a must, be it on a bike or by foot, car, etc... As a sea kayaker, I would love to go back and paddle some of the Westfjords, combining the paddling with some riding up there too. It is expensive but with the right mindset, that is to bring food and to be ready to camp out, one can pedal in Iceland on a budget. I'd go back in a second and am going back next week with a group of students from Algonquin College's Outdoor Adventure programs. We'll be fatbiking in the Southwest region, with a focus on the geology and landforms of Iceland. 

I'd like to thank Jarrod for a fantastic bikepacking adventure. His positive attitude and willing to push-on, despite rain and wind for 5 out of our 7 days and a broken frame! 
"Malbic Endar"