Buenas Noches

The Twin Cities has more cycling industry than meets the eye. Aside from Quality Bike Products, WCP, Surly, and a few others, Castelli’s US distributer is located in the the Cities. Several years ago I purchased a winter jacket and some winter tights at one of their outlet sales. If you have ever been to one of these events, you know how shady their operation appears. They advertise using an email list, and you just sort of have to know where and when these warehouse sales occur. You follow a series of hand-written signs down a series of hallways to a makeshift sales floor. Castelli is based in Italy, and they make some insanely expensive bike clothing, perhaps second only to Assos.

I never understood “winter” bike clothes when I lived in Minneapolis. They were never warm enough for a true Minnesota winter day. I always felt they were for winter in a warmer locale, like maybe Kansas City. Today I discovered they are perfect for winter in Stavanger. Now that I have lived here over a month, I realize that this isn’t midwestern America, where the temperature can drop ten degrees in one ride. I do not need to be prepared for every possible change in the weather. Today I rode in only a long sleeve base layer, the Castelli jacket, the Castelli tights, two pairs of socks, and my regular summer gloves. I was very comfortable as I rode out to Hafrsfjord and back- maybe an hour and a half round trip. I finally decoded the mystery regarding where to catch the Hafrsfjordruta, which also ties in to the Madlaruta. I was riding at the perfect temperature. The air temperature was around 40. The roads were wet, but not soaked.

I have a tendency to overdress fo the winter- perhaps in part because Norway sounds colder than it really is. The trouble with overdressing is that I sweat and then become cold. If I am not cold when I begin a ride, it means I will probably overheat during the ride. Of course the ride itself introduces its own windchill to the mix. It can be a real guessing game determining what to wear, but I am figuring out how to beat the Norwegian weather. It certainly is better than the sub-zero Minnesota temperatures the past few days. Everything is still green. It felt wonderful to be outside, and not in a dark, tiny gym.

After my ride I met Lise and her family at Kvadrat, which I believe is the largest mall in Norway. You can safely assume people don’t fly in from Japan to shop there. Since there is no wasted space anywhere in this country, the mall is no exception. Lacking any large open space, the mall is constructed like a labyrinth. I am instantly lost when I step inside, since no matter where I am, I have no point of reference. There is no Camp Snoopy or food court to give me bearings. Actually, I even managed to lose myself driving there. I know how to bike there, but not drive. I had to call Lise’s brother to reorient myself. We ate dinner at a Mexican restaurant. The problem with Mexican restaurants in Norway is simple: there are no Mexicans in Norway. I haven’t heard or seen one word of Spanish since we arrived.

¡Adiós! Hasta luego.