- Area Dombås
- Distance 38.1 km
- Difficulty Hard
- Terrain Climbing
- Underlay 40 per cent asphalt, 60 per cent gravel
- Bicycle type Suitable for all types except road bikes
- Trip from Øyvind Wold Experienced touring cyclist
This stage of the signposted multi-day “Tour de Dovre” has it all: valley terrain and dirt mountains, tarmac and gravel, cultural landscapes and wilderness, viewpoints and various old barns along the way.
In addition, it has one of the toughest hills in Eastern Norway: The climb from the village of Dovre to Vegaskillet. There’s a mile of climbing here, with the toughest section ranging from 11 to 18 kilometres, where the gradient is mostly between 6 and 11 percent. If you don’t have an electric bike, many people will probably choose to roll their bikes on parts of this hill.
Before you’ve got that far, there’s a very nice ride south from Dombås, along Øverbygdsvegen in the valley side, partly high above the E6 motorway and its heavy traffic. The views from Øverbygdsvegen are so good that they alone are worth the trip.
Towards the top of Vegaskillet, the road becomes slower, and then there is a long hill down into the dramatic valley that leads towards Verkjesetri and Grimsdalen. When the valley flattens out at Storberget, the valley opens up and the road towards Grimsdalshytta is almost completely flat. Look out for animals grazing along the road.
In terms of traffic, the first two kilometres are on a separate cycle path alongside the E6, the rest of the trip is on roads with almost no traffic.
The tour is suitable for electric cyclists and adults used to cycling, as it is quite demanding with many metres of ascent.
Del