På sykkel i Oslo Marka

På sykkel i Oslo Marka - with the bike in the Oslo forest.

Nope, I did not bike with my road bike through the Marka - I bought myself a new mountain bike!! The first mountain bike that I own, and anyways, the first proper bike at all (ok, since my childhood... .). It's new, nothing is broken, the breaks work, the gears work, it's light, it's stable, its a lot of fun!!

I tested my skills during a couple of trips through the Oslo forest. The forest surrounding Oslo, called "Marka", is the perfect area for bike riding. From easy gravel roads, to steep rocky climbs, or wet mud paths - there is everything in the Marka. Even decent downhill tracks. But so far I just crossed them accidentally... . Unfortunately, I feel like a terrible beginner on such tracks. I thought I learned biking as a kid. But I learned it on a road, and that's a different kind of biking. Biking on uneven paths requires a lot more balance, technique, and also a good portion of strength (not so much in the legs, but in the back!). Not to forget, it also requires some courage - as the trails that a mountain bike wants to travel are rarely flat. :)

First picture of the brand-new bike.	Coffee and waffle stop in the Marka.	The trees start to turn yellow.. .
Idyllic lake in the Marka.	Coffee and boller.	Proud of the bike!

After testing the bike on some shorter trips, we decided to explore the Oslo Marka somewhat further. On a nice sunny autumn Sunday, we did a very Norwegian trip - cycling deep into the Normarka to a hut where they serve food and drinks, and enjoying coffee and boller in the sun :) In total we cycled 70 km on that day - and I could feel every single muscle afterwards!! But I assume, it was a good training :)

Last warming sun rays.

Practicing to jump!

View of a colored Oslo.

I am really enjoying that bike, and I am already looking forward to the next tour!