Ruska 2020 - a travelogue

Suomenkielinen versio

I took part in Ruska cycling event even though I had previously sworn never to do so. Being drawn towards more warmer weather the idea of cycling through Finland in autumn didn't sound lovely at all. I had already enrolled for Miglia 1001 cycling event that was to take place in Italy in August but then the Covid-19 thing happened and pretty much all such events were canceled or postponed. For me the only viable replacement was Ruska close to home. And so the hot nights and pleasant trattorias of Italy were replaced by rather chilly weather of autumnal Finland and gas station food. I didn't do much preparations for the event. I had cycled a couple of 200 km rides during the season and also had a 24h/600km time trial under my belt but during the last couple of weeks I mainly did just commutes and other short rides. I was pretty confident about my fitness though. Two days before the start I also had my left buttock massaged because it had been a bit stiff for some time already and the treatment helped a lot.

I purchased some new stuff for the trip: aerobars, a lightweight sleeping bag and a pad. The new sleeping equipment packed real small and fitted nicely into my handlebar bag. I chose to go with two pairs of bibs. The short ones (Santini) I wore underneath and long ones (Endura, insulated and unpadded) on top. This proved to be a great combination. I felt warm throughout the trip and had zero chafing problems or anything like that down there even though I didn't carry rain pants or such. For upper body I had all kinds of merino wool garments. A long sleeved undershirt, a long sleeved jersey and a short sleeved jersey. I used a combination of those depending on the weather. I did take my merino arm warmers too but used them only to warm my fingers. Most of the time I also wore a hard shell rain jacket (Altura) for blocking the wind and rain. I used road pedals and shoes as always and also had waterproof socks (allegedly so) by Sealskinz and for heavier rain conditions I added overshoes by Castelli. Other equipment consisted mostly of tools, spare parts, hygiene products, power bank, charger and a cafe lock. Most of that stuff traveled inside my trusty Revelate Designs Vizcacha saddle bag. I strapped an Ortlieb dry bag on top of it for storing clothes that I wasn't using at a given time. Sleeping bag, liner and "pajamas" were stuffed inside an Alpkit dry bag which in turn was kept inside an Alpkit handlebar bag. Gear stayed perfectly dry even though rain was plentiful and long lasting. I also had a small stem bag for having fast access to food while riding.

Friday/Saturday Sep 11-12, Helsinki-Ähtäri-Saarijärvi 400km

The event started at Helsinki Senate square at sunset. There was a decent amount of riders' friends and relatives together with cycling enthusiasts gathered on the square. I too had a couple of guys there to say farewells. The event also gathered a record following in social media and made it to national broadcasting company's news and local newspapers. Founder of the event and grand old man of Finnish randonneuring, Mikko Mäkipää gave us a cheerful speech and finally off we went. I headed through Kallio and Vallila to ride along river Vantaa to north. I then followed quiet bike lanes all the way to Tuusula. I deliberately avoided the straighter old highway three because it's kinda boring to ride. Also in general I did my best to keep clear of larger busier roads throughout my journey. I followed small country roads from Jokela to Hämeenlinna via Hausjärvi and Janakkala. It was surprisingly cold in the middle of the fields but bib shorts were still sufficient. I stopped to put on my hard shell jacket in Jokela and apparently managed to lose my other rain glove while doing so. I arrived in Pälkäne (164km) around 3AM and was planning to get some food at local gas station that had advertised to serve 24/7. However that was not the case and it was closed until 5AM so my plan had failed. I realised I had to continue almost 100kms all the way to Ruovesi for next eating opportunity. Kinda depressing to find out but what can you do. At least I managed to fill my bidon from a hose. It started to pour when I arrived in Kangasala. I also started to feel sleepy. I must have had some sleep deficit as I normally can go much longer before drowsiness kicks in. I stopped by a roofed bus stop, added some clothes and napped for an hour or so. That's when I noticed having lost a rain glove, which added to my melancholic state of mind. But once again - despite hunger, rain and sleepiness - there was no other option than to keep on keeping on and so I continued forward. It rained all day. I passed Tampere from the east cycling via Teisko trying not to fall asleep until I finally reached Ruovesi. I bought plenty of food which I ate with great appetite. I immediately started to feel better. I took another short break at a gas station in Virrat and had a nice chat with two other participants. Route 66 was pretty unpleasant to ride, lots of traffic and cars passing close. Ähtäri zoo (336km) was control point number one and I arrived there before 3PM. I didn't hang around for long and soon continued towards Central Finland. The road to Saarijärvi saw the terrain become a lot hillier. I liked the change and actually had fun riding after so many flattish sections. A car drove beside me and the driver cheered me through open window, it's always nice when such happens. I did a glorious gravel shortcut right before reaching Saarijärvi (400km). I had to start thinking about my next steps. It was almost 7PM, I was soaking wet and tired, the rain was predicted to last overnight and there were few lean-tos nearby so I indulged into booking a cabin located in a nearby camping site. It even included a sauna so I was a happy camper that night. I practically had a full reset - got all my gear dried, slept for ten hours and felt reborn in the morning.

Sunday Sep 13, Saarijärvi-Siilinjärvi-Koli 340km

The joy of having dry clothes turned out short-lived. As soon as I went off the rain I thought had ceased found some new strength. It poured like never before as I rode to Viitasaari. The road went through Pyhä-Häkki national park and had a 20km section of gravel. Rain had softened the surface and dirt flew all over the place. I was becoming irritated again. I had a burger meal at Viitasaari (475km) and now the rain actually did stop after having lasted for some 32 hours. I had to do a short section of busy highway four but then I got to turn towards east and everything changed for the better. There was tailwind and more importantly sunshine, finally. Feeling cheerful I rode straight to Siilinjärvi (593km) via Maaninka. Had a short break there and continued further east to Juuka (695km) via Lastukoski. Last 40 kms or so were in pretty bad shape and not necessarily in the safest condition for night time cycling but I had seen worse. I reached Juuka just in time before the local gas station closed. There I met Mr. Mäkipää and it turned out that we were the only ones taking this northern route and riding the parcour from north to south. I decided to continue to Koli and spend the night there as I knew there was a lean-to located in the nearby ski resort. I took the quiet highway six and made it to top of Ukko-Koli (740km). The last section of the climb allegedly has a gradient of 20% so my single speed gear ratio of 46/18 proved insufficient for the task and I had to walk some to get to the top. I then quickly descended back, located the lean-to and soon went to sleep. 

Monday Sep 14, Koli-Ahveninen-Lieksa-Lentiira 250km

I hit the road around 8:30AM. Ahead of me was the mandatory gravel parcour along the shores of Lake Pielinen. It included some epic climbs and unfortunately some unpleasant road works too but I made it to control number two. It was finally time to properly start going towards north. Road to Lieksa (835km) was pretty nice but I had one frightening moment with a driver that passed me in opposite direction from a meter's distance while taking over another car. Didn't even see it coming as I was totally tucked into aero position and had my eyes pointed downwards. I passed Mr. Mäkipää on the way and stopped for a proper greasy pizza with lots of mayonnaise. Next destination was Kuhmo some 100 kms to the north with almost zero population en route. Actually the whole stretch between Lieksa and Kuusamo was mostly desolate wilderness, which was great of course. I really enjoyed the road and the sceneries. Autumn foliage was becoming visible too. I arrived in Kuhmo around 7PM and had some gas station dinner. Also met a fellow rider whom I chatted with for a bit. I started to look for accommodation alternatives and found out about a place called Takkatupa (literally: fireplace hut) some 45kms north. That sounded promising so I bought some sausages and two beers and took off. I arrived around 9:30PM and found out that I was not alone. A bunch of merry fishermen had parked their RV nearby and were sitting and drinking by the fireplace. That was totally fine though, the guys were nice, had lit the fireplace for me and even served mustard for my sausages. I had a good chat with them and by the time I said I was going to sleep they kindly went to their car so they wouldn't bother me. Real nice experience :) 

Tuesday Sep 15, Lentiira-Hossa-Kuusamo-Sallatunturi 333km

Morning was misty and chilly. The weather had taken a cold turn and wind felt less pleasant. It took me some time until my body warmed up properly. Headwind was in the mix too. Wilderness-like surroundings were ever present. I had a sandwich with coffee at Raate Museum (1062km). I met a guy I had acquainted with during last year's Paris-Brest-Paris. He was on a vacation with his wife and they were dot-watching the riders while traveling north. It was fun chatting. I continued to a grocery in Ruhtinaansalmi (1123km) for some snacks and drinks. Route went further north to Kuusamo via Hossa national park. I passed two riders on my way. I stopped in Kuusamo for burgers and coffee and decided to keep pushing for hundred more kms of night riding. There were some rain showers but it was nothing annoying. I arrived in Sallatunturi around 1AM. There was supposed to be a lean-to located a mere 150 meters from the road and a path was supposed to take me there. There was a path alright but it went over an extremely steep ridge and was filled with huge rocks. I had to ditch my bike in the forest and continue by foot. Still it felt somewhat dangerous crossing wet and slippery rocks in the dark with carbon soled road shoes. I finally managed to find the place. I lit up a fire and had a nice night's sleep afterwards.

Wednesday Sep 16, Sallatunturi-Savukoski-Lokka-Tankavaara 254km

Morning was cloudy and a bit chilly. I headed off to Salla where I had some coffee and a doughnut in a run-down gas station. Route took me to Kelloselkä where there were some magnificent fell sceneries towards Russian side of the border. Road was quiet and pleasantly flat while I continued to Savukoski (1418km) to do some massive grocery shopping as the next opportunity wouldn't be until Saariselkä some 200kms away. Roads kept getting narrower as I rode to Lokka reservoir's shore via Värriö and Tanhua. View over the lake was fascinating despite the reservoir being a man made structure. Spent some time at control point three with the lovely "control hostess" and enjoyed the warmth of open fire. Had to keep going as the next stretch would be a gravel section of 50kms in the middle of nowhere and I wanted to ride it in daylight. There wasn't even cell phone coverage at least on parts of that section as I noticed later. It was surprisingly fun to ride. Maybe even too much fun as I probably rode too fast and managed to hit a pothole or something. As a consequence I got a rather large hole in my rear wheel's sidewall and tubeless sealant was spectacularly cascading through it. Real annoying stuff. I installed an inner tube but it looked to bulge a bit through the sidewall hole which is never a good sign. Sun went down long before I reached highway four but I still made it there. It was real cold with some showers and magnificent northern lights in the sky. I was feeling a bit cold but continued to Tankavaara (1577km) where there should be a shelter along a short hiking path. The walk-a-bike there was a bit rough but I made it. I noticed some people in the vicinity sitting by an outdoor fireplace and for a moment I thought that the shelter was reserved. Luckily the people were just some guys doing maintenance work of the hiking path and said that they're spending the night elsewhere in proper beds. Shelter was decent and I quickly fell asleep. Next morning in daylight I noticed that there was also a lean-to right next to main road, next time I'll prefer that one :)

Thursday Sep 17, Tankavaara-Nuorgam 261km

It was still cold, maybe 1-2 celsius with headwind from the north. Had a bit of a low mood as I slowly progressed along highway four up to Saariselkä (1608km). I was craving for warm food and went straight into a pizzeria to get myself a smoked reindeer pizza and pint of beer. That helped a lot. I realised the last time I had warm food was in Kuusamo about a day and a half ago. From Saariselkä there was a nice descent to Ivalo where I visited a gas station to eat some more. As I was leaving I noticed the rear tyre being flat. More careful examination revealed that the inner tube had broken right where there was this bulge. I was really worried about being able to finish the event with my tyre and I didn't have a replacement. Also there appeared to be no bike shops or anything like that anywhere near where I could get myself a new one. As a last resort fix I made a tyre boot out of some carton paper and installed my last spare inner tube.  Good that I was on a gas station because I could use an air compressor to inflate the tyre. I continued towards Inari with slight symptoms of paranoia constantly keeping an eye on rear tyre pressure. As it seemed to stay ok I gradually started to feel more relaxed about it and subsequently I was again able to ride care-free. Ivalo-Inari stretch has nice sceneries of lakes and all kinds of rock formations. I stopped in Inari (1678km) for some more food. Even that wasn't enough and I stopped again at a restaurant in Kaamanen (1708km) where I had a terrific (and large) portion of sautéed reindeer with a pint of beer. Now I finally felt prepared for riding to Utsjoki (1803km) in the dark. This was yet another total wilderness section. Riding it after sunset felt a bit unreal with noises of nearby streams flowing, starlit sky, foggy vales and long but gentle ascents and descents. I reached Utsjoki around 11PM but as I was in such a good mood and rain was in the forecast for morning I decided to keep going until Nuorgam. I had looked up a lean-to there and was able to find it after some stumbling in the dark. It was situated right on the bank of river Teno and was more than decent.

Friday Sep 18, Nuorgam-Vardø 171km

As a matter of fact I would've ridden all the way to finish line that night but I had to visit post office in Nuorgam in the morning to pick up a bag containing civilian clothes to wear after the event. Went to the office right when they opened, picked up my bag and had a doughnut with coffee. It started to rain but I didn't mind at this point as I would be crossing the goal line in a matter of hours. I put the bag in my back and headed off to Norway across the border. There was a warning of high winds in Varanger area that day and indeed the wind was quite strong. First it was an unpleasant crosswind but after Vadsø (1932km) the road turned and I got to enjoy a storm-like tailwind. It poured and my toes started to freeze a bit but I didn't bother stopping anymore and rode non-stop all the way to Vardø. The ocean scenery was magnificent and I could smell sea salt in the air. There's also always something special in riding abroad. Couple of times I had to slow down for good as sheep were blocking the road. Right before Vardø there was a hill of 120 elevation meters called Domen. Then it was all downhill straight into Vardø tunnel that reaches a depth of 90 meters below sea level. The tunnel ride was a rather unpleasant experience with all the noise and surprisingly steep gradients and I felt relieved coming back to daylight. A few more turns and I was at the finish. There was a welcoming crew of riders already finished. Among those were Mr. Mäkipää who had passed me in Nuorgam while I was sleeping and Mr. Myllykoski who had arrived just minutes earlier. Oh well, I wasn't racing so such a close "defeat" didn't bother me one bit :) I warmed my hands over the burning chair monument for a while and soon left for confinements of the guest house (sauna, shower, clean casual clothes). I was in good shape both physically and mentally - no fatigue or anything like that. I had spent 6 days and 19 hours on the ride, which is quite close to what I had in mind before departure.

Afterthoughts

My plan was to have a nice, more of a bikepacking-like experience rather than pursue for a fast time riding large roads with little sleep. And yes, it did make my ride a rather comfortable one. My pacing worked well and stayed constant throughout the ride. In a single day I would generally spend 6 hours for sleeping, 2 hours for other maintenance work and 16 hours for riding and eating hard. My body worked like a machine. It did everything I asked as long as I provided it energy to do so. Couldn't be happier. Aerobars were a novel thing for me. I can't see taking any longer rides without them now. The relief they give to my hands and wrists was clearly visible and my hands felt like I hadn't been riding at all. Also there's the aerodynamic performance gain as a bonus. Feels much more efficient pushing into headwind and downhills while being positioned on aerobars. I didn't have that much stuff with me, but I feel like I had almost everything I needed. Also I can hardly single out items that were totally useless to have. Well, my leg warmers saw no use but that was because of the weather and there's no predicting it before you leave. What I missed having is: a headlamp or similar for campsite visibility (I was gonna take one but I noticed that it had broken and had to live without), a replacement tyre or proper tyre boots and the rain gloves I lost :)

It was strange to notice how I started to perceive distances differently while the ride progressed. Normally you'd think of something like 50kms as a long stretch of continuous travel but suddenly you notice that you regularly ride distances over twice as long with nothing special to it - even in darkness. Now that I've successfully done my first event of this kind I can't help thinking about participating in similar events or races abroad but if there are real mountains involved I probably have to think about getting a geared bike :D I bet that this kind of thing is even more fun and less hassle in warmer weather though even though I do love the autumn colors.

Lastly I'd like to thank Mikko Mäkipää for organising the event and all the other riders and people involved for awesome company and great spirit. Also the support I got from social media meant a lot to me, thanks.