An urban experience

Question: What do you get if you make a Sub24 destination easily reachable by public transport?


Answer: S*** loads of people!


This was by far our best attended Sub24 ever, with 15 people in total. Lee, Simo and Charles even rode their bikes there (well it was a Sub24 after all), braving a typical spring wet snowfall on their way. 

The cabins of the Rastila campsite felt like a real luxury compared to our tents (and the temperature must have been a shock for the survivors). But the addition of sauna was very welcome and fitted in to the spirit of Sub24 ever so well!

The proximity of shops meant that food and drinks top-ups were easy. And during such a trip, Dima, Brannon, Zuzanna and Charles witnessed a stunning sunset.

Later in the evening, the last Sub24ers joined and they were dedicated since some of them had only landed from Paris at 19.30 in Vantaa! They came straight there and introduced us to such delicacies as fire-melted camembert. That was a BIG hit and surely an early contender for luxury item of the year!

The rest of the evening produced some epic conversations, including how African American women move their neck (amazing impression by Brannon), group vocal exercises that involved all of us doing a child's motorbike noise, mono-tities (don't ask), and the hugely disturbing Russian children's tale of the baby bull walking to his certain death (Dima, take a bow).

The following morning, everyone went their separate way and the riders enjoyed a beautiful (if a tad fresh) ride through the back roads of Itäkeskus, Viiki, and Oulunkylä, crossing the river Vantaa on their way.

All in all a very different kind of Sub24, but very enjoyable in its own way. Next month, it's back to nature, tents and lakes. Hopefully some of the new-comers will join again! So thank you once again to Lee, Florian, Elsa, Zuzanna, Charles, Dima, Brannon, Simo, Matthieu, Stu, Céleste, Lucille, Antoine, Martin and Laurent for making this the biggest Sub24 ever!

Rastila - Easter Friday

Welcome to the April edition of Sub24. We are going to rent a cabin in Rastila this time so if you are interested in coming please tell us QUICK because we're going to book it on Monday! The price for the accommodation (and sauna) will be around €30 per person. 

Some of us will cycle there and others will take the metro. It's worth noting that the cycling takes us past most metro stations on the way so if you're not sure whether you can handle the ride, it will be easy to cop out any time!


The cabins have have linen and towels included. I may bring my own towel for sauna though. There is also a kitchen but in the spirit of Sub24, it may be more fun to freeze outside huddled around a small grilling place! Our usual list of things to bring may not be that relevant to the luxury of a cabin but you could take a look anyway if it's your first sub24 with us.


Now here's where and when we're going to meet:

• Cyclists: 16.00 outside the main entrance of Pasila station.

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• Others: 16.30 outside main entrance of Rautatientori.

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I know some of you are coming much later, which is of course fine. See you guys in Rastila!

Winter sports: snowshoeing versus cycling... plus Rastila news

Now I've finally recovered from last weekend's sub-24 action (that's a joke, I'm strong as an ox), I'd like to make some observations about winter cycling and say something about our first experience with snowshoeing. 

I've ridden at least once a week this winter and I think I've ridden in every conceivable winter weather. Apart from one occasion when the snow drifts were too high to negotiate, I would say that cycling is quicker and easier than other forms of transport - walking is too slow, public transport causes the shivering-sweating routine and I'll happily admit that brushing the snow from my car four times in one day is no fun at all. 

This one particular day, the thaw and refreeze had created some interesting shapes in the ice all along the 10 km ride from home to Oittaa. As well as being bumpy, the grooves where more than a little terrifying. Everyone tells me to ride faster, "Speed is your friend", they say. Not on this day, it wasn't. My only consolation for riding slowly was the fact that my body was still in one piece when I arrived to pick up the snowshoes.

 

The greatest gift of snowshoe walking is the fact that you can go anywhere. On a bicycle, you can't just ride anywhere. In the forest, walking in shoes is impossible in winter (on the right is Florian without snowshoes) and also restricted in summer too - bushes are too thick, swamps too deep, cliffs too steep. Snowshoes allow you to go anywhere. You can aim in a certain direction - for example, towards to sun - and you never really need to deviate from that direction. We were assisted by quite firm snow, but still the shoes should stop you sinking in every condition and the crampons allow you to climb and descend better than in normal walking shoes in summer.

Oittaa is hardly wild, and there were crosscountry ski tracks throughout the forest, but we were able to avoid society as much as possible, so much so that we soon scoffed at the designated snowshoe route, and aimed for the harshest climbs in the remotest parts of the forest. This allowed us to come across and completely deserted field and tracks that we assume were that of a lynx (apparently they have been seen in the area).

I should add that the service from the hire shop was excellent and the price was not too bad either.  By the time I write this, an excited Florian has probably invested in his own pair. That, and the picture of Elsa below... what better endoresment for snowshoeing!


























After a few hours on the snowshoes, my ride home over the bumpy ice paths was not looking too enticing. But after some leftover marzipan, the 15 km long way home along Kuninkaantie and smaller asphalt roads was perfect. Only the dust thrown up by the cars is worth mentioning, making me wish I was back in the forest again.

On a brighter note, the cabins (and sauna) in Rastila are free on Good Friday, that's 6th April. Send us an email to sub24helsinki@gmail.com if you want to come. It shouldn't cost more than 30e each including sauna. 4-person and 6-person cottages are available, so the nice man told me. Or you can bring your tent...

Sub-24, March and April

SNOWSHOEING: SUNDAY 4TH MARCH, OITTA, 11:20 AM (that's when the bus arrives).
Cyclists can meet at the Shell in Bemböle at 10:45. If you have any doubts, have a look at this. Further infortmation is below. I'll bring stuff for coffee, Florian will bring the stove?! See you there...


I've been meaning to put my ideas here for ages and now I noticed next weekend is sub-24 weekend, so...

Rather than a repeat of last month's minus-degrees-sleeping-bag adventure, something different: get up, have breakfast, bike to Oittaa (also bus 86 runs from Espoon keskus station), hire some snowshoes, walk off into the forest for a while, get the stoves out, make some coffee/tea/porridge/noodles/etc., walk back, return the snowshoes, back on the bikes, home for dinner. Keep moving - keep warm. Whoever is interested is invited. Sub-24 Saturday is this coming Saturday, 3rd March, but also Sunday is fine with me - or suggest a different date in March for negotiation in the comments below.

April 6th is Good Friday, so perhaps not the best weekend for sub-24. How about Friday 30th March for a trip to Rastila? I mentioned it in a post earlier - a city ride (on asphalt even?) followed by a night in a cottage, sauna, swimming (although I might have been misled about the bar). Saturday 31st is also possible if someone prefers. Prices for cottages are here. I'll book as soon as anyone tells me thay want to come. Assuming they have free cabin. Remember, the fast eat the slow.

The picture is from Nuuksio on April 9th last year. Roll on the summer... says Lee.

It's Oscar season...

...so we are proud to present:

The 2012 Sub-24 Oscars

1. The award for best presentation goes to... Lee!

A man constantly in search of the most stylish yet practical solutions, whether it comes to his bike itself, its accessories, clothing and even his blog posts!

(Sorry Lee, the above pictures are not that convincing, are they? If you have better ones, please add/replace!)

2. The Sisu award goes to... Robin, Hubert, Lee and Florian

Cycling and camping by -10, now that's hard!

3. The hangover award goes to... Xavier!

This one needs only a picture as an explanation...

4. The luxury item award goes to... Charles!

Items included saucisson, foie gras, Polish honey vodka... and Zuzanna!

5. The most-fun-section-of-road-to-ride-on award goes to... Kunnarlantie

6. The most creative conversation topics award goes to... Dima!

Topics included submarines that run on potatoes, Chilean banana choppers, and his mother's ability to give the same word a 100 different meanings through creative use of intonations.

7. The Jeannie Longo award to recognise female cycling goes to... Sonja and Zuzanna!

So far, the only two women to be tough (stupid?) enough to join us!

8. The Billy Ocean award goes to... Florian (aka The Beast)!

Never before has the famous line "When the going gets tough, the tough get going" applied more suitably than to this half-man half-creature. 

So that's it for this year folks. I fully expect acceptance speeches during your next appearance at a Sub-24! 

Do you think there's a glaring omission in this list? Want to suggest your own award? Please do use the comment section to that effect!

Survivors

If you are a disgruntled Pirttimäki cross-country skier, please stop reading now. It wasn't us.

Four brave (read: stupid) riders met at Bemböle last Friday. For Hubert, this sub-24 was to be his last in Finland. For Robin, this weekend was a strange choice for his first experience of overnight bicycle riding and camping. Strange because of the temperature: a chilly -5 at the best of times.

The ride to Pirttimäki went very smoothly, especially when we realised that the asphalt on the road was a much easier surface than the bumpy snow on the cycle path. At Pirttimäki we got our first look at the forest paths that stretched 3 km to our camping place. The recently ploughed ski tracks were beautiful. Until four men and eight wheels started ripping them up. It was impossible to ride on the soft snow in between so we set our bike wheels in the tracks and started pushing, discovering a new form of hardcore exercise in the process. Despite Hubert realising, somewhat amusingly, that the ditch-side snow was soft enough to sink one's entire body into, we managed to make it to the cabin at Sulalampi unscathed only to find three cross-country skiers already there. Luckily, they took the hint and disappeared off to camp elsewhere and we all hope they didn't fall too hard from the new tracks made by our wheels.

Well, despite some inspired frozen wood chopping by Florian, some newspaper and some ethanol, this was the largest flame we could muster. We realised that some hot food from the gas stove and our 5 or more layers of clothes would have to be enough as the temperature dropped further and the smoke and fumes sent us fleeing from the cabin.

Brownish water with mysterious little blobs is the result of melting snow. However, it is possible to heat a can of beans directly on the gas stove.

Who knew?



On a brighter note we went for a walk to keep warm and thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful surroundings. If only the pictures did them justice.

In another crazy bid to keep moving, Florian and Hubert decided to put up their tents. This led to the inevitable: they decided to forgo the cabin (strangely no warmer inside than outside!) and rough it on a bed made of snow. Perhaps they might comment below whether this was actually a good idea. Well, we did survive the night, with varying amounts of sleep. (I strongly endorse sleeping in just underwear, by the way). But the cold encouraged us to get up and out earlier rather than later - someone could hear their own bed calling... 

The interesting thing about winter sub-24ing is that the evening ride happens in the dark. When you ride home the next morning, beautiful surprises might await you. Our nicest surprise was the fact that we managed to escape the ski tracks without bumping into any angry skiers. Oh, and the sunrise.

Honestly, I think that one night of -10 might be enough for me for one winter. But something different might be in store for the first weekend in March. How about a trip across the city to Rastila campsite? A modern cottage, sauna and ice-swimming. And a bar! That would be a different experience indeed...