Lahti sits on the southern shore of Lake Vesijärvi, at the end of a long ridge, and its look was shaped by ice. The ridge is the Salpausselkä, a great curved moraine pushed up at the edge of the retreating glacier about eleven thousand years ago, and it runs across southern Finland like a stone eyebrow. Lahti grew up where the railway and the ridge met, a young city by Finnish standards, officially a town only since 1905, and it has become one of the country's winter sports centres. The big ski-jumping hills dominate the skyline, with the Lahti Ski Games held every winter, and a museum tells the history.
The city has about ninety-eight thousand people, plenty of fuel, shops and services, and a cheerful, practical air. Its greatest building is the Sibelius Hall, a timber-and-glass concert hall on the lakeshore that opened in 2000, with a vast wooden interior, and the harbour has boats in summer and ice in winter. A radio and television museum and a small harbour market round out the sights. Try a Karelian pie, with rice porridge and egg butter, or a bowl of salmon soup, creamy and mild, at the market hall.
The riding in the Finnish Lakeland is slow and meditative, and it should be approached in that spirit. Roads run between lakes, forests of pine and spruce, birch groves and open farmland, with water appearing every few minutes, and the surfaces are generally smooth. Corners are gentle, speed limits are modest, and the police use cameras and patrol cars, so keep to them. The long ridge of the Salpausselkä rolls the road up and down in a pleasant rhythm. Nearby Päijänne, the second-largest lake in Finland, has a long, deep, island-studded shore.
Elk and reindeer cross roads at dusk and dawn, and a collision with one is serious, so watch the verges and slow down in forest. In June and July, the nights are so light that you can ride almost round the clock, though fatigue is a danger. The mosquitoes arrive in July, so keep repellent in your pocket. Summer weather is mild, with occasional rain, and autumn colours in September are splendid. Lahti is a fine place to begin, with a hearty breakfast and a full tank.