Oslo Cycling — Nesodden Loop

I've ridden Nesodden rundt more times than I can count — it's one of those routes that always delivers, whatever the season. My advice: start early. Traffic builds quickly on the roads around Nesodden, and with the tarmac to yourself in the morning light it's a different ride altogether.

Before Rundvollbakken there's a warm-up hill. A sign warns of 10%, and it takes two or three minutes — just enough to get the heart rate up. Then a short descent, and from there you go straight into Rundvollbakken. It's just as hard every time: 1.7 kilometres long, at an average gradient of 7.9%. It comes early, while the legs are still fresh, and it's the only real climb of the day.

Over the top it turns rolling, with several short, steep ramps. On the steepest of them the cycle path is worth taking — it follows the road along much of the east side, and it helps when traffic is heavy too. Once the worst ramps are behind you the road runs well out towards Nesoddtangen: flat and gently downhill, with Bunnefjorden on your right.

At Nesoddtangen you can drop all the way down to the pier. You have to climb back up the same way — around 150 metres of climbing in under four kilometres — but the reward is the kiosk and the view from the harbour. It's my favourite stop on the whole loop. Get something to drink and a snack, sit down and look back at the Oslo you rode out of.

Back up top, the view opens across the fjord towards Hurumlandet. From here south the west side is properly rolling — you're going up or down almost the whole time, with hardly any flat. Svestadbakken sits between Fjellstrand and Fagerstrand, the toughest ramp on this side, and from km 69 comes the last climb of the day, up through Havsjødalen and off the peninsula.

From there it drops to Bunnefjorden and heads north for home, the same way you came out. Kiosken på Nesset sits at km 77, the last stop before the flat miles back to the Opera House.