Sandvika is the centre of Bærum, the wealthy municipality on Oslo's western edge, and it is a curious mix of shopping mall, fjord town and transport hub. Its heart is the mouth of the Sandvikselva, a short river that tumbles down from the forest and meets the fjord among marinas, footbridges and new apartment blocks, and its biggest building is one of the largest shopping centres in Norway.
As the finish of a ride from the Lysefjord and Suleskar, it marks the end of a long journey. Those roads lie far to the south-west, near Stavanger: the Lysefjord with its sheer granite walls and the famous Pulpit Rock, and the mountain road over Suleskar, a wild, empty route through bare rock and lakes that is closed for much of the year because of snow. Coming back across southern Norway takes the better part of a day, through Setesdal or Telemark, and arriving in Sandvika feels like returning to civilisation.
There are pleasant surprises nearby. Just south, the island of Kalvøya, linked by a bridge, is a green recreation area with beaches, meadows and paths, where Oslo families come to swim and picnic in summer; in the 1970s and 80s it hosted a famous rock festival. A little further along the shore, at Høvikodden, the Henie Onstad Art Centre was founded by the figure skater Sonja Henie and her husband Niels Onstad, and its collection of modern art and its sculpture park on the edge of the fjord are worth a visit if you have time.
The riding here is mostly urban. The E18 runs right past Sandvika, a busy motorway with tunnels and junctions, and the local roads have traffic lights and roundabouts. In the hills above, though, the roads into the Bærum forest, the Marka, climb through spruce and birch to lakes and farms, with quiet curves and views back over the fjord. Watch for cyclists and skiers, depending on the season.
Sandvika has everything you could need: fuel, food, shops and good trains and buses into Oslo. Grab something to eat, walk down to the river mouth and watch the boats in the marina, and let the long journey from the west settle into memory.