Gravel cycling is the format of riding unpaved or mixed-surface roads - forest tracks, mountain service roads, old post roads, the long inland gravel routes - on a drop-handlebar bike with wider tyres than a standard road bike. The standard gravel bike has tyres in the 38-50 mm range (versus 25-28 mm on a road bike), more relaxed geometry for long days in the saddle, and gearing wide enough for sustained climbs on loose surfaces. The format has redefined what is rideable in Norway over the past decade.
Norway is unusually well-suited to the discipline. The country has a dense network of unpaved mountain roads (seterveger and old farm tracks), three of which are now signed as named cycling routes - the Mjølkevegen across Valdres, the Peer Gynt road through the Gudbrandsdalen highlands, and the UNESCO route from Røros to Trondheim. All three are classic multi-day gravel rides with daily hotel accommodation and are the backbone of our gravel through the highlands program.
Most international gravel riders bring their own bike to Norway; the country's airline luggage allowance for boxed bikes is reasonable and the assembly rooms at major airports (Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim) handle bike boxes routinely. For travelers who prefer to rent, several of the cycling operators we work with stock proper gravel bikes in the 32-42 mm tyre range. Rental quality is generally good. We send a detailed kit list with every booking.