Iceland the hard way – Hong Kong friends cycle country’s coastline for ‘fun’

Pedalling around the country’s rugged, windswept coast demands dedication, focus and fitness – unless you’re the one driving the support vehicle

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A black-sand beach at Vik. Picture: Alamy

Published: 4:15pm, 21 Jul 2017Updated: 4:21pm, 22 Jul 2017

Other than the three cyclists quickly disappearing in my rear-view mirror, their legs pumping and faces grimacing against a blustery headwind, I’ve seen barely another person in two hours. All I’ve had for company are Sigur Ros belting out some incomprehensible gobbledygook from the stereo and a packet of duty-free jelly babies, who are not the best conversationalists.

Oh, and a young German hitchhiker, Nils, who is relaxing in the back of my camper van. Because that’s what happens to people when they visit Iceland: they become helpful and they give lifts to strangers. Although Nils is far from the stranded Icelandic women’s volleyball team I was hoping to run into, he is a geoscience student possessing in-depth understanding of this country’s unique terrain, so he’s paying for his ride with a well-informed commentary.

Sigur Ros “belt out” Isjaki

I’m on the second day of an anti-clockwise journey around Route 1, the road that rings the whole of Iceland, and there’s no denying that I drew the long straw. The camper van is taking me the 1,500km all the way back to Reykjavik; the three mad fools on bicycles that I’ve just passed ... well, they’ve got it much tougher.

On the road from Vik to Skaftafell. Picture: Mark Peters

When Dave “Relentless” Gething (the Hong Kong-based veterinarian who won the 2015 World Marathon Challenge, in which competitors must complete seven marathons in seven days on seven continents) told me about his holiday plans, that his next “fun” challenge in between Ironman races and other multi-mile exertions would be to cycle the circumference of Iceland in less than a week, I quickly put my hand up ... to drive the support vehicle.

I didn’t have the legs, or the desire, to attempt such a feat on a push bike myself, and my wardrobe lacked the necessary Lycra. Providing the riders with a steady supply of sugary pastries and moral support at rest stops, I am obviously playing a minor role, but an important one, I like to think, if the team stands any chance of success.