...and we didn't even cry!

Zuzanna and Charles' farewell Sub24 was hardly an emotional cry-fest (we're just too tough for that, right Beast?) but it was quite a send-off.


First of all, we enjoyed the company of 3 new Sub24ers: Immi, Céline and Siert. It was great to have you guys and we hope our silliness hasn't put you off joining again in the future! That meant there were 10 of us actually cycling, a record!


We also enjoyed beyond any doubt the most amazing culinary experience in the history of Sub24! This included:

Champagne 

Swiss Cheese Fondue (thanks Olivier)

 Banana and Chocolate dessert (Thanks Florian and Elsa)

And Céline and Siert also brought lovely saucisson and French wine. Phew... we were full!


In other news, he's some of the wisdom that we learnt during the trip:

Zuzanna brushes her teeth in a really silly way

Lee is grumpy. Xavier is cheerful

Immi likes makkara

Ten bikes in the forest look cool

The wonky road is still our favourite

Xavier's bike (far left) must have been VERY heavy!

Halkolampi has maybe the best area for camping that we've tried out

Finland is mighty beautiful

So thanks again for all the memories guys, not just from this edition but all the previous Sub24s. It's definitely one of the hardest things for me to leave behind as I start my new life in France. However I do look forward to following your future adventures on this blog and Zuzanna and I will try and join again when we visit. Try not to miss us too much!

Charles

Charles and Zuzanna's farewell

Warning! Soft of heart keep away!


The June edition of Sub24 may get a tad emotional as co-founder Charles (yours truly) and Zuzanna are moving to France at the end of the month, making this their last Sub24 (at least for a while)! So champagne will definitely be my luxury item (if that doesn't convince you to join us)!

As a one-off occasion (to make sure Zuzanna can attend), we'll be breaking away from our "first Friday of the month" rule and instead we'll be going on the first Saturday of the month, which is June 2nd. Last year, the June edition was among our best ever, owing to the weather and amount of light. 


So, here goes for the details this time around:

• Meet at Bemböle Shell station at 16:30.
• We'll head to Kaitalampi/ Halkolampi via Velskolantie, since it's such a beautiful ride.
• Those who want to join without a bike have an easy job of it as it's easily served by bus 345 from Rautatientori. The stop name is "Kaitalampi".

Any questions, feel free to use the comments section .In the meantime, I'll try not to cry!

...and don't forget your toothbrush!

First Friday of the month meant Sub24 and this time it was a male only affair, but there was more variety when it came to nationalities. We had an Australian, a Russian, a Swiss, two and a half Brits and one and a half Frenchmen. 

The ride was beautiful, first riding up the length of Bodominjärvi, before taking the riders' heaven that is Velskolantie. 

Ok so Robin's bike did have the odd technical issue, but it's part of the fun and made for some excellent pictures!

In the end we made it to our camping spot in Halkolampi. A big group of scouts had claimed the grilling area at the far end of the lake so we thought we'd be safe on the near side. Time would prove us wrong...

After calling the Finns a primitive and brutal species, Florian and Olivier (French and Swiss) decided to go and swim in the very cold lake naked with only a hand towel for warmth afterwards. Primitive. Brutal.

It's always nice to see what people bring on these trips and Florian's taste for (ultra) minimalism was the talk of the evening. Who needs tents? In fact, who needs sporks, when you have a toothbrush?

It serves as a brush to clean it afterwards too. Genius! May in Finland should not be confused for warm and sunny, and soon we were chilly enough (and curious enough) to decide to take a twilight walk around our little lake.

It was all going so well, but then who should show up? No, not the devil, but close! A group of breakaway scouts who obviously got bored with the rest of the group and decided to set up camp right next to us. And talk very loudly. Until past 3 in the morning, by the time the rest of us had of course gone to bed a long time ago. Brutal. Primitive. The rain was also pounding all night so it certainly wasn't a quiet night. 


But it's ok, we got our revenge (on the scouts at least) in the morning, as we guiltlessly started having (loud) breakfast at 7.30! 


We then left in 3 groups. Robin's family duties called and he left first. And an hour or so later, we split into two groups to take our respective scenic routes back home.


So thanks to Lee, Florian, Nick, Robin, Olivier and Dima for another great outing. Remember, the June edition will exceptionally be moved to the first Saturday of the month. That's Saturday 2nd June!


Charles

Back on your bikes!

Right then, spring has well and truly arrived in Helsinki, so it's back to the good old-fashioned traditions of Sub-24 by bike (none of this metro business this time)!

Meeting point: The Bemböle Shell Station
When: Friday 4th May, 5.30pm
Heading to: Either Halkolampi (via Velskolantie) or Pirttimäki, depending on time, weather and energy!


If you cannot be there on time, let us know. We can either wait for you, or meet you somewhere else. It's always a good idea to have one of our phone numbers so please do leave a comment if you need that.


Here's the list of things you may want to bring and remember, the wood may be too wet to make a fire, so ensure you have warm enough clothes!


Have a great Vappu and see you on Friday!

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.

View Larger Map

• Others: 16.30 outside main entrance of Rautatientori.

View Larger Map

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