Text and Photos by Matteo Kozlowski
A friend and I decided to undertake the phenomenal Telemark Canal Loop over a weekend in June. Since I had a gravel bike, but he didn’t, we adapted the route a little to make it a good fit for both of us. I kept the gravel sections between Vrådal and Kviteseid as I rode thispart alone. The route was about 300km with about 4500m of elevation. We spent the night at an open access shelter in Kviteseid that I would highly recommend visiting! Let me take you through this 2 days trip in the gorgeous Telemark region!
Day 1: Porsgrunn – Kviteseid: impromptu bike race encounter, Norwegian Alpe d’Huez and lovely evening…
We left Oslo at dawn by train to start riding around 9am from Porsgrunn. This trainlinedoesn’t offer bike spot reservations and you might have to pay an extra 50% of your ticket price to account for the bike onboard, depending on how packed is the train and how much the guy that will check your ticket likes biking. Regardless, early in the morning, it is very likely that you will be able to take your bike onboard.
Getting out of Porsgrunn, we biked into a peloton of amateur riders that were racing. It was very unexpected, fun and made the first kilometers along the road 36 fly by. We chose to take some parallel roads to avoid traffic. The gravel on those was very smooth and suitable for a road bike. The views along the way are gorgeous and the pavement feels like butter. The major climb occurs after about 90km and is a nice and wide road with several hairpins that takes you up to Vrådal. This is a very cool climb not too steep that feels like a good last push before lunch.
Indeed, Vrådal offers many food options in a pretty location. My friend and I then split apart, as he made his way back down to Kviteseid by crossing the fjord, I kept going all the way to Dalen. The gravel track to get there is very good and includes a fun and twisty downhill to get back down to the fjord. It’s a good time to start thinking about the big boy that’s coming up that I took the freedom of naming the “Norwegian Alpe d’Huez”. I suggest you refuel in Dalen as the biggest challenge of the day is upon you. The 8km climb takes you right away into the highest gradient of the road. Hairpins after hairpins, each ramp is
visually daunting for the first 4km. The gradient averages 12% and you better have the right gear and legs to get you up there. After the steepest part, the climb keeps going for another 4km to take you about 700m higher than where you started. The descent afterwards feels amazing and gives you just enough time to recover before going again but this time on gravel! The gravel section is awesome; the first part is steep and demanding and thedescent fast and technical. Watch out for deer! From there, it’s straight down to Kviteseid!
We stayed at an open access shelter where we met nice people. We slept on wood benches with our inflatable mattresses and sleeping bags after wrapping up the day with a well-deserved barbecue. A long day slightly under 200km very fun and tiring.
GPX file of the route can be downloaded here (we advise not to cycle on Road 36 during busy periods)
Day 2: Kviteseid – Skien: watch out for the punchy climbs!
We stayed on paved roads for the entire day and what a day it was! The ride starts with a smooth and gradual climb to get out of the valley before heading down to a scenic road along the Seljordsvatn. From there, enjoy the views and let it flow! No difficulty, the route is pretty and you cannot get bored. We stopped in Bø to refuel and decided there to finish in Skien instead of Porsgrunn to catch the train earlier. The last 40km is rolling with a few steep and punchy climbs that will take you out of the saddle for sure! We arrived in Skien around 4pm after 102km of scenic biking!
Conclusion and practical remarks:
Beside the climbing section on road and gravel out of Dalen on the first day, this route is very accessible and takes you through wonderful roads with few cars. We kept the highway parts as short as possible but even those often have a bike path alongside. It’s a great weekend loop from Oslo that will cost you a round trip to Porsgrunn if you stay at the same shelter. Some sleeping boxes are available in Bandaksli and Fjågesund and also cute spots to spend the night. Book the train tickets a few days before as prices tend to increase the day before. In a nutshell, go for it, fear nothing but the hotdog prices at the gas station and challenge yourself on the Norwegian Alpe d’Huez!
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