August 1, 2020
Day 14 - Bike boxes, a sneaky sleeping spot, and the FA Cup Final
Reykjavik to Keflavík Airport
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Day 14 - Reykjavik to Keflavík Airport - 33 miles
Of course it had to be raining on the very last day of putting my tent away! I had already decided that I would stay the night at the airport, preferably in the bike assembly area, so wouldn't be needing it again. Leaving Reykjavik seemed so much easier that getting in by bike, and the routefinder on my app took me a much more simple way this time following long stretches of straight cycle path rather than winding incomprehensibly through residential areas. I was trying to eat meals so that I would have no food left in my panniers for flying home at all, so this meant another cheeky Subway on the outskirts. Really need to have more discipline with 'luxury' purchases if I go on some planned longer tours in the future.
Unfortunately, getting back to the airport meant cycling the same boring 30 mile road that I came in on. The cheap Strætó buses that normally all take bicycles don't allow them on this airport route for some reason, and there was no way I was paying the £30/40 which the dedicated tourist shuttles and coaches were asking for. With headphones blaring a stream of motivational music into my ears, the ride wasn't too bad at all with the exception of the last few miles which seemed to go on forever once the headwind picked up. At least it wasn't still raining.
Now the reason I'd left Reykjavik early when I actually had the whole day free, was that I was worried that the discarded bike boxes might have been cleared out of the container. There are lots of pictures online of a the place cleaned completely bare, so I assume someone comes round to sort it out when they start to build up. If this was the case, I needed to allow myself time to get back into Reykjavik and run around the bike shops looking for one. I would've had to book into the nearest campsite and caught a bus on foot, because they is no chance of me cycling 30 windy miles with that under my arm. I've managed 5 miles to Verona and Marrakech airport before, but even on calm days, you can feel the box acting like a giant parachute trying to pull you off the bike.
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In the end, I needn't have worried because the container was still jammed full of empties and even the awkwardly tiny box I flew out with was still there. Some of the cartons were absolutely massive, almost twice the size of others, and I can't imagine what sort of monster bike belonged in there. There was no rush so I lazily set about to disassemble the bike while drying out my tent, and coincidentally the Polish group that I met here on the start of my trip showed up too! Other cyclists came and went throughout the day and I got chatting to yet more Polish people- this time a guy and girl who were around my age. We spoke for a while about our favourite countries to visit and where is next on our respective bucket lists. They highly recommended Japan and Myanmar.
It was the English FA Cup final tonight and I really didn't want to miss that considering I'm an Arsenal fan. I grabbed a book and the last of my snacks, and sat myself down on a chair in the airport to make the most of the free WiFi. The connection wasn't great, but I managed to watch all of the match with minimal freezes... and what a game it was! People around me must've wondered what on earth was going on because I had my headphones in listening while punching the air and celebrating as Arsenal claimed their 13th FA Cup victory. I needed a drink by the end because all my water bottles had run dry, but it was almost impossible to find any water in the airport. The shops and restaurants were all closed due to Covid concerns, the lone vending machine was out of order, and there wasn't a single fountain anywhere. My only option was the warm water that came out of the toilet taps. Unappealing, but it would have to do.
Right at the end of the day as I was getting my stuff ready for a not-so-stealthy night in the bike containder, a Dutch cyclist came in with the same intentions. To be honest I just wanted to read my book and fall asleep, but it felt rude to just ignore him, so started chatting away. Turns out he's been all over the world to almost every cycling destination imaginable, so hopefully that can be me one day. I eventually drifted off to sleep at about 11:30, once he'd finished packaging his bike up.
Today's ride: 33 miles (53 km)
Total: 741 miles (1,193 km)
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