Today's ride took me north and then east along the northern part of Iceland. I was expecting rain all day, but only got sprinkled on a few times. There was no wind, so I would've welcomed a bit more rain to cool me down. I'm getting accustomed to the cooler temperatures so 13 degrees feels like a scorcher right now. The bad weather will get me sooner or later, but not today.
I took a short-cut off of Route 1 to save five kilometers, but ended up adding an extra hour of riding because of the choppy gravel road. In my defence, the first ten kilometres of the shortcut was paved, so I didn't know what I was getting into for the last fifty. Anyway, I'm not complaining. It took me through quiet farmland with breathtaking scenery, and the weather was fantastic.
The only issue with this ride was one hill - unavoidable with either route. This hill was a 300 metre ascent over four kilometres, with no flats or descents to break it up. I wasn't sure how difficult this was going to be since I hadn't done one like this in years.
Sticking mostly with my two lowest gears and taking two one minutes breaks along the way, I was able to manage it without too much difficulty. I just needed to check my ego and accept that I'd be crawling up the hill at a snail's pace.
My ride ended at Varmahlíð campground, which is conveniently close to an Olis station so I was able to stock up on some food for tomorrow.
Tomorrow's ride starts with is a steady 600 metre ascent over 50km that feels like it should be similar to my Day 3 ride. We'll see how it goes.
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