This is the longest leg of the route, more than 90 km/56 miles in order to arrive at Køge which is practically on the outskirts of Copenhagen, hardly more than 30 km/19 miles from its center. The reason is I was unable to find a hotel before Køge, and let’s face it, it would not be so bad if the last leg were a little shorter.
I leave Sakskøbing at 8:30 am; I need to cross from the island of Lolland to that of Sjælland [Zealand]; there is only one alternative that is accessible to bicycles, other than the bridge that carries the superhighway, and that is the Storstrømsbroen bridge, 3.5 km/ 2.2 miles long. I come to the bridge shortly before 10:00 am: the bridge appears somewhat old and in a poor state of repair and part of it is occupied by a construction site; the middle section is a very narrow road, on the right there is a single train track, on the left a narrow bike lane but still quite workable.
Once over the bridge one arrives in Vordingborg where route 151 begins which for the most part is a straight road that takes one directly to Køge. Unfortunately, it does not have a bike lane, just a narrow side lane, so I try to follow cycle route (cykelrute) 56 suggested on the 1:500,000 bike route map that I purchased the day before in a card shop in Sakskøbing.
Pedaling along hilly roads I come to the village of Praestø in a lagoon area; the road continues, now flat, along the lagoon and then leaves the lagoon and ends up on continuously rolling roads, small elevation changes, and shallow grades. Notwithstanding the good signage I manage to lose cykelrute 56, ending up on another route with a similar number and with continuous ups and downs; at a certain point I look at the GPS to discover I am very close to route 151, which I had not expected.
Joining up with route 151, I note that there are two bike lanes along the sides, and that the traffic is greatly reduced; the die is cast, to turn back to find route 56 would be too long and tiring, I shall continue to Køge on 151.
The remainder of the trip segment is rather monotonous, long straight roads with a bit of pedaling up and down, and eventually a long descent into Køge, where I arrive around 3:00 pm, slightly ahead of schedule.
The Hotel Hvide Hus is the most expensive of all those I booked on this trip, more than 90 Euros for a single room, and that is a discounted price, but it’s also the best hotel; the room is very spacious, more like a mini-apartment with a sitting area, large oversized bed, a dressing area and a large bathroom; there is also a small balcony overlooking a garden. The breakfast is excellent and abundant, but that is nothing new.
In the evening a brief tour of the center of Køge: it is Saturday, almost all the stores are closed and there are very few people to be seen; a trip to the harbor and to the historic center; the city is very old, there is a museum (also closed) housed in a medieval building which is among the oldest in the city.
