Normally, the thought of travelling through the night triggers a somewhat uneasy feeling. It can't really be described. Fear of the dark? Lack of confidence in the bike lights? Or because it simply throws the human rhythm out of sync? There is none of this on this July evening. Quite the opposite. In the starting area for the Saimaa Cycle Tour, the atmosphere can really be described as exuberant.
Every minute, more cyclists roll into the centre of the small town of Imatra. At the moment, it is mainly racing cyclists who tackle the 300-kilometre circuit every five minutes from 7 pm. Well-trained bodies, the finest carbon machines, the smell of massage oil. Matti and I still have two hours until the start of our 85-kilometre loop, which Finnish professional cyclist Jaakko Hänninen has developed especially for touring cyclists and e-bikers. But it's a point of honour that everyone drops by at the official starting signal and gets everyone in the mood...
You can find the complete travel report on Finland with all the information in MYBIKE 2/2022 or as a PDF download below the article.
Cycling tours around Saimaa
The Saimaa Cycle Tour (3 routes) will take place in 2022 on 8-9 July. We recommend the 85-km route for trekking and touring cyclists; e-bikes are also permitted here. www.saimaacycletour.com If you stay longer in the region, you will find more tour options with an adventure factor around the lake.
Tour 1: 69 kilometres, 600 metres in altitude
Puumala - Kotkatsaari (island) - ferry transfer Niinisaari (island) - Lintusalo (island) - ferry transfer Kivisalmi - Hurissalo - Rokansalo - Puumala
The tour starts in Puumala in the north of the lake and follows the breathtaking Archipelago Road across numerous islands. The crossing to Kivisalmi takes 40 minutes. While the (signposted) original route from Hurissalo leads back to Puumala via the main road 62, our GPS track includes two more scenic variants on gravel roads.
Tour 2: 83 kilometres, 700 metres in altitude
Imatra - Ruokolahti - Salonsaari (island) - Äitsaari (island) - Ruokolahti - Imatra
The medium course of the Saimaa Cycle Race was designed by professional cyclist Jaakko Hänninen from Ruokolahti. The highlight is the section across the two islands. Despite the supposedly flat landscape, the hills add up quite nicely at the end.
Tour 3: 290 kilometres, 2,200 metres in altitude
Imatra - Lappeenranta - Savitaipale - Ristiina - Hurissalo - Puumala - Ruokolahti - Imatra
Depending on your requirements, the King's Tour around the lake can be divided into two or three day stages. With the exception of Hurissalo, all the towns in the above list offer overnight accommodation. The numerous hills should not be underestimated! Alternative: from Hurissalo, ferry transfer to Lintusalo, continue on the Archipelago Road towards Puumala.
GPX data
You can download the GPX tracks for the Finland tours download here for free
or find it in the MYBIKE Collection on komoot
You can find the complete travel report on Finland with all the information in MYBIKE 2/2022 or as a PDF download below the article.
