Stretching from the icy Arctic in the north to the temperate fjords in the south, Norway’s breathtaking landscape is defined by towering mountains, cascading waterfalls, lush forests, and the iconic fjords that carve deep into the coastline. At least that’s what the adverts say, but is it true? And what about the trails? For former EWS-pro Scotty Laughland and Slopestyle legend Martin Söderström, seeking the answer to these two questions resulted in the mountain bike road trip of a lifetime.
From adventuring out into the remote wilderness of the Norwegian mountains to exploring the trails right outside of Oslo. From mountain tops to fjords to ferry crossings and from resort living to camping underneath the stars. From hardpack jump lines and massive rock slabs to technical back country trails and lush Scandinavian forests – this trip truly had it all. Follow along as Scotty and Martin head on an epic road trip through breathtaking Norway in search of adventure, hero dirt, stunning views, Skolebrod, cinnamon buns and the next best-trail-ever.
Exploring Norway has been on my bucket list for a while now and at the start of the year, I really started planning what my dream trip could look like. The scale of the country is so vast, and I decided that the best way to explore as much as possible in a short time would be on a road trip. I needed a partner to share the experience with and wanted someone to join me who would perhaps be a little out of their comfort zone. I’ve watched Martin and idolized him as a mountain biker and thought, being Scandinavian, he could be the perfect fit.
Scotty Laughland
From the get-go, he was keen on the idea! I planned on spending the majority of the trip deep in big, fairly remote terrain so we settled on taking Light E-Bikes to maximize our riding time which turned out to be the best decision we could have made. Thanks to the assist of the TQ-System, we were able to explore deeper, discover more and simply ride further without the noise of an e-bike on the way up or the weight of an e-bike on the way down. It worked out perfectly and it was a trip of a lifetime.
What Makes the TQ-HPR50 System So Special
In essence, the TQ-HPR50 creates mountain bikes that let riders clock more downhills without a massive weight penalty. It creates Light E-Bikes like the Scott Voltage that are sleek, lightweight and let you explore deeper. E-Bikes that let you climb higher without weighing you down. E-Bikes that look, feel and sound like normal bikes but take you further. E-Bikes that enable riders like Scotty and Martin to go on bigger adventures, discover new trails and have more fun doing it.
Further information on TQ and the technology behind the HPR50 be found on tq-ebike.com.
About TQ-Group
TQ-Group was formed in the foothills of the Bavarian Alps, Germany, in 1994. The letters TQ stand for Technologie in Qualität – simply translated: Technology in Quality. Over the past 30 years, TQ has grown from a two-man shop into an internationally leading tech company with more than 2.200 employees. TQ’s original background is in electronical engineering and manufacturing services which has seen the company develop and produce electronics for global market leaders for more than 30 years and counting. In 2008, TQ first embarked on the e-bike journey.
TQ-Drives is a part of the TQ-Group which focusses on market-leading drive systems. The development of groundbreaking drive technologies started more than 10 years ago with a cooperation with the German Aerospace Center. Since then, TQ has reset the boundaries of the industrial application of frameless motors and created the drive systems with the highest torque density in the world. TQ-Drives taped into the knowledge gained from years of applying the company’s drive technology in fields like robotics, space travel, medical robots and automation to create the best possible, innovative and technologically-advanced products specifically tailored to cyclist’s wants and needs.
Official website: tq-ebike.com
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