#10: [15-Jul-22]

#8: [01-Feb-17]

#7: [13-Aug-10]

#6: [15-Jan-09]

#5: [18-Nov-06]

#4: [17-Mar-05]

#3: [12-Jun-04]

#2: [18-May-02]

#1: [13-Jan-01]

12-May-2018 -- This is the fourth out of six reports reaching confluence points during a 4-day cycling trip through Sweden (from Stockholm to Stockholm). The story starts at 60°N 18°E and continues from 60°N 16°E.

Three confluence visits on my first cycling day – how many would I reach on the second day? The answer is: none! Yes, something must have went wrong.

Inspired by day #1, I thought – with cockiness – that I could visit 8 confluences on those four days that I had available. So I continued cycling westwards (away from Stockholm) towards the 15^th latitude east. But after 10 km from 60°N 16°E I noticed that a spoke was broken. That had probably occurred earlier while I was pushing my bicycle through the forest. A stick had gotten into my spokes but only now I noticed the broken spoke. Well, I thought as long as the rear wheel doesn’t collapse I should continue, simply because there was no alternative: I had no spare spoke with me and the next bicycle shop was very far away.

But after riding three hours I had a second problem: the tube had oozed out from a hole in my back tyre! Since I didn’t have any spare tyre with me, I had no chance to continue cycling. I needed spare parts.

Unfortunately I was exactly at the pole of inaccessibility with the next bicycle shop 100 km away in Örebro. Actually, I was only 12 km away from 60°N 15°E, but such distance was quite long for walking. When finally after one hour the first car with an elderly couple came, I explained them my situation. They were so nice to take me to the next train station in Kopparberg.

Unfortunately the trains were suspended for this day and above all it began to rain. But then I learned that Swedish trains don’t take bicycles anyways. Suddenly a bus arrived that would take bicycles and bring me directly to Örebro. After 2 hours in the bus, I went to a bicycle shop in Örebro where all repairs could be made.

In the late afternoon I started cycling towards this confluence from the city of Örebro. At 10 PM I reached this confluence, but it was already too dark to take pictures in sufficient quality. Then I realized that this confluence point is the perfect spot for wild camping: it is 100 m from a gravel road in the spruce forest. The ground cover is soft (from the moss).

The next morning I had 500 g cereal with 1 litre of milk as breakfast. Afterwards I dismantled my tent and at 5:24 AM I documented the confluence point.

After the visit I continued riding eastwards along the 59^th latitude.

CP Visit Details:

• Distance from a road: 100 m
• Distance from a track: 20 m
• Distance of bicycle parking: 0 m
• Time to reach the CP from the road: 1 minute
• Time at the CP: 5:24 AM
• Measured height: 73 m
• Minimal distance according to GPS: 0 m
• Position accuracy: 4 m
• Topography: almost flat
• Vegetation: spruce forest.
• Weather: cloudy sky, 13° C (felt temperature)
• Given Name: The Zero Camp Confluence

The story continues at 59°N 17°E.