The long and winding road
that leads to your door
Will never disappear
I've seen that road before...
It has now been twice in a row we've been to Porkkala. The long ride is always a special trip in Sub24 events. The longest distance of all Sub24s (40 km from Bemböle), along one of the finest riding roads in Uusimaa to the peninsula reaching far in the Baltic.
Featuring outstanding sceneries, the closest spot to Estonia from mainland Finland is also rich in History, having seen its inhabitants relocated shortly after WWII to accommodate a Soviet settlement that would last 12 years. Many remains can be spotted in the Peninsula, and road names still reflects times gone-by. In particular, Lentotie comes to mind, a narrow section of asphalt leading to apparently nowhere in the countryside, but suggests that a nearby airfield could once be found there.
With many regulars away it's a team of three that gathered in Bemböle with riders from Germany, Spain and France. Following the well-trodden Kuninkaantie another rider from Poland came along and ultimately 2 more riders from Germany and China!
A then strong group of 6 cyclists pushed towards south along Porkkalantie all the way to the campsite, meeting a moose crossing the road right in front of their wheels shortly before arrival to the campsite. Fortunately at this time of year the sun does not set until late, and a vibrant sunshine on the horizon greeted our fellow cyclists in a surprisingly non windy weather.
The usual display of a wide range of food quickly followed, with abundance of sausages, pasta, grilled mushrooms and the very first Finnish strawberries.
Given the relative absence of the wind, few cyclists-turned campers ventured as far as setting their sleeping arrangements right by the sea, with Florian experimenting with hammock set-up.
An uneventful ride back led way to the weekend with nice memories from somewhere south where sea meets land.
But still they lead me back
To the long winding road
You left me standing here
A long long time ago...
