My group and me came quickly to a decision where we wanted to go during this trip. We wanted to go to the most Southern lighthouse in Lindesnes. We decided that we would go first at the coast and after inland. We planned our whole route with the site ‘Komoot’. On this website you get a detailed route description, get to see the height meters and get to see the surface, you bike on. The rest was also really fast prepared. We divided the equipment and the food and we were ready to begin our trip. On the first day, Sunday, we left around 12’o clock, because someone of our group still had something planned in the morning. Our ultimate end destination for tonight was the lighthouse, what was 100 km away from Kristiansand. After some short breaks and one long break, we made it to the lighthouse, where we slept around 9 pm. Monday morning we decided to change our route a bit, because we were afraid that it was maybe a bit too long and too hilly. Today we wanted to do the two big hills that were still on our route. These hills were from around zero meters to 200-250 meters height. The first one was the most exhausting. It started really steep and it was also an unpaved path, where you lost a lot of speed because of all the loose little stones and sand. The second one was less steep and also on asphalt. After these hills we started looking for a sleeping spot, but we couldn’t find any place, so biked and biked until we already did 80 kilometers. We decided to sleep on a spot, where we passed on our bike daytrip, 20 kilometers away from Kristiansand. The next day we biked the last kilometers back to Kristiansand.

The group dynamics were really good. Everything went really smoothly when we were preparing the trip. A reason for that could be that we already did a bike daytrip together and already knew everyone’s strengths and weaknesses on a bike. We could make a route, that was for everyone possible and nice. We also all wanted the same thing, to see some nice things during the bike trip, like the lighthouse. Also when we changed the route a bit on Monday, everyone was agreeing. It felt like we were already in a good norming/performing phase, because we did the storming/norming phase a bit when we were on our bike daytrip. Also the fact that one of us still had something planned the day that we left was for no one a problem, because we also left on Sunday, a weekend day.  During the bike ride we all motivated each other to keep going, especially the first day, where we made a lot of kilometers and the second day on the hills. During the biking we saw again, like on the bike daytrip, that two people where a bit stronger than the two others. This wasn’t a problem, because we all tried to stay together and waited for each other. We also switched up partners, who you were biking next to, a lot, so everyone had a chance to get to know every member of the group better. I also had my little music box with me. This also helped with motivation. It was nice to bike on music and bike on the beat and focus on the music and not on the hill.

I learnt a couple of things during this bike ride, mostly around motivation:

• Everyone can bike, but not everyone can push themselves to do such a multi day biking trip
• music can really be an external motivator to keep going
• including nice spots in your route is also a good external motivator (or spots where you make a stop for some nice food)
• group dynamics during the bike ride is important for motivating each other
• it’s not always easy to find a sleeping spot (also not in Norway)
• friluftsliv is everywhere and can be experienced in different settings (walking, biking…)
• People can push themselves further with motivation (internal and external)

What I learnt during this trip about group dynamics and motivation can I for sure use in my future carrier. I could also organise such a trip there. I really enjoyed this trip. It was also my first time doing a multi day biking trip.