Thank you!

Every part of our life comes to an end. Some things ends, other things starts. I’ve been writing this blog for many many years and I honestly miss the weightweenie part more than you can imagine. Instead of buying to many light parts to blog about most parts I buy feel necessary nowadays as I ride more and internetshop less. Not as geeky blog as I wish for and it feels like there is too much on the internet to have time to catch up.

I know you readers got less and less and so has my motivation.

So I’m moving on with the riding and sharing my life on Instagram. And news through Facebook and Twitter. And trying to be like a role model I got and live more irl.

Last post and the end of my blog.

Thank you to you all my readers! 

2017-

Time to look back and see the ups and downs of this year. What to learn from the sad and what to remember as good.

The big things seems to start with Racemile Showdown in the end of January, this year not so cold but really icy as seen on the picture above. My Sequoia came to it’s perfect use with 42mm studded tires:)

A weekend with friends and a big Thank You to Hagen for arranging 😀

Then came a spring with a not so fast Sequoia which didn’t seem to give me any extra leg muscles. Instead it became a dropping time on Le Peloton with a too low handlebar and I felt slow…

It may have seen like many people on the picture here but my thoughts has been Le Peloton is loosing people to other things. Like Morningspins:

Without finding the speed on my roadbike I found it on my superlight Epic ht mtb and cut my PR at Långa Billingeracet with around 20min 🙂

The fastest bike I’ve ever had and super agile. Unfortunately it didn’t have an rear damper and I seem to have been older making my back hurt after like 40-50km Marathon racing. Felt fast uphill, it felt really good downhill singletracks but on on flat singletrack with roots and rocks it felt like I was standing still.

So I ate ice-cream instead:

And I tried to ride with fast people, SUMO style:

Manage to do a Randonneur with these great people in awesome pace 🙂

And according to Strava the one I was riding most with in 2017 is Emil who’s super fast:

A thing I didn’t think was I was going to do Vätternrundan once again. Riding around a boring lake on boring roads with stressed people. But Stefan convinced me to apply and what a team. Known and unknown people having fun going fast for almost 300km 😀

I never thought I would do it at 7h27min, and remembering it as fun. Riding with Henrik, getting to know Glenn, seeing how simple everything seems for Calle and Fredrik. Everything together with Jukka and Karl keeping things together. And the biggest effort by Erik for making it all possible and making us have a calm knowing everything is in control and skipping the stress so many people got for Vätternrundan. Skoda Cycling Team is not just a team effort, it’s like being a pro with everyone trusting you 🙂

The summer passed and the next big event came.

Race Across Skåne. Another friend like Hagen arranging a top notch event. Waking up in Malmö that day not feeling on top was a bit sad as I really longed for being in top shape that day. Got dropped sitting totally wrong in the crosswind pretty early, feeling like on a spring Le Peloton but at a 190km race instead of 40km training. Ending up with meeting my good friend Emil who saved the day. Cruised on this wheel feeling shit the rest of the route:

We had a crash in a group and it started raining. Everything felt just bad so at the last stop I got an ice-cream…

It’s always fun with an ice-cream, always 😀

The day after I felt worse, driving to my mum instead of doing an recovery spin with the rest. Got fever but manage to get good until our adventure trip. Me, Emil and Emile went to Norberg with gravelbikes and target to explore some new roads in the middle of nowhere. I felt slow after my illness but I love new roads and places. I found a straight fast road on a sunny day outside Norberg, or the road maybe found me…

The end of the summer after a stupid crash. But the start of knowing I got so many kind friends always there to help out. So thankful for everyone making my recovery easier. I missed Rapha 12 Hills and many many kilometers of sunny cycling but it could have been worse.

I got back on a bike outside 😀 Have been feeling slow all autumn but I’m riding and no matter of speed cycling is a beautiful sport. And with help from Specialized Nordic and Specialized Concept Store Stockholm I’m more motivated than ever. Got the dreambike which I’m hoping to ride everywhere, all the time and with a smile (when the salt is gone from the roads)

Travelled to Girona for some sun and met some cool people:

So 15437km later the year ends and I’m still not tired of cycling. The best way to explore our beautiful world and meet nice different people from all over the world.

For 2018 I want to go to new places, new countries. Want to enjoy every moment no matter if I ride in sunny Italy or just commuting to work a rainy grey day. Want to be a good friend. Want to watch some proper roadracing and maybe even meet Annemiek van Vleuten. Want to be an ambassador of our beautiful stylish sport without judging people. Because style is important 😀 

So welcome 2018 and good luck having more fun! Let’s enjoy every moment 🙂

Sthlm Cyclocross

Yesterday I was at Stora Skuggan in the Swedish Kings garden cheering on people racing Cyclocross. Bang and John had cameras and the result looks like this:

The national style

Read a blogpost about cycling getting too hip with a lot of do’s and don’ts and with a big step to get into a closed group. Not so familiar if you aren’t correct and not consuming the right things. Things that differ as you sometime should have a clubkit to fit in and sometimes a clubkit is the last thing you should have…

I’ve learnt to appreciate style in different ways. I like when people care about how they dress and look. No matter which style. I like people being different and them selves rather than just following everyone else.

But there is always a certain style and people in different regions/countries dress in certain ways.

My point is I saw some pictures at Café du Cycliste and it really breathes France, not Sweden, not Italy, nor U.K. French style according to me is proper, clean and sometimes a bit old fashioned but straight lines and they aren’t afraid of using soft colors. Not bright screaming like Italy. But like this:

Who would dare to produce bibs in blue, green and purple with matching legwarmers? I like it but not sure if I could hold up a pair of purple bibs, or?

Specialized S-Works Diverge a.ka. Divergett

2 years ago when I sold my Crux and got a Diverge Comp Carbon I felt like I found right. Last year I heard rumors they would come with a new Diverge and as it felt a bit boring to get the exact same bike 2 years in a row I changed to a Sequoia. Bigger tires was a lot of fun but I was missing the roadbike feel of a Diverge.

When they released the new Diverge I knew I had to have one. When I read about it I felt even more that I had to get it. And thanks to Specialized Nordics I got the only (?) S-Works frame in size 52 that is coming to Sweden. Thanks to Specialized Concept Store Stockholm it ended in a top of a line bike that felt awesome from the first pedal stroke:

Specialized S-Works Diverge size 52 frameset

Specialized S-Works SL seatpost

Specialized S-Works Toupe saddle

Specialized S-Works Shallow handlebar

Specialized Trigger 38mm tires

Specialized S-Wrap Cork bar tape (will be changed)

Sram Red Etap HRD levers/brakes with 140mm rotors

Sram Red Etap Wifli rear derailleur with a Wold Tooth Roadlink

Sram XG-1195 10-42 cassette

Sram Red Quarq 170mm BB386 crankset with Ceramic Speed bearings and a 44t Garbaruk chainring

Sram Red22 chain

Challenge latex tubes

Fizik Cyrano R1 110mm -20° stem

Roval CLX32 disc wheels with Enduro Zero Ceramic bearings

Time Xpresso 12 pedals

The Futureshock may look a bit odd but it feels really nice. And the bike in total feels really awesome! Will vary with wheels as I got a set of cheap tubulars too for road mostly. And will probably change for a 3T Bailout cassette when it is released. And am waiting for my Berk saddlecombo from the mtb to come back from repair to have the possibility to save even more weight.

But as it is now it feels really really good. Road it on gravel yesterday and it’s just what I wanted and dreamt about. Can really recommend it to everyone wanting a fast gravelbike suitable for every terrain (except terrain) 🙂

And as everyone asked, the totalt weight as on the picture but with the right cassette which I changed for today: 7,72kg

teaser

It includes a Ceramic Speed hybrid BB386 bottom bracket with a alu sleeve too. 😀

3 Birthdays, 1 win

• I planned to do a nice gravelride with some friends in the morning, change wheels, go home and make a cake for some other friends. Coming to work in the wet and cold as it was the meetingpoint I changed my mind, was way too bad weather for me to ride in I felt so said good luck to Patrik and Ola and skipped the first step and changed wheels before rolling back home…
• In Ronse the World Champ Sanne Cant started the first race in DVV Verzekeringen Trofee cup with the goal to win. But instead of beating Katie Compton she stepped of with stomachpains (too much cake?).
• In the Netherlands it was the National XC (M?) Championships and this years first mtb race for Annemiek van Vleuten. She didn’t fail like me and Cant but won another title instead 😀

Hope van Vleuten and Cant had as good end of their birthdays as I had 😀 And now starts a new year that can be even better 😀

 

New Specialized CX tires

I saw them already last winter, they came on Annika Langvad’s S-Works Crux for this season and now they are released for public. more or less.

The Trigger made for gravel and commuting more or less so no more Trigger tubulars and maybe not even new rubber.

Tracer get’s faster and with Gripton compound. No both in 33 and 38mm:

Terra get’s bigger and a bit different studs. More for mud than before and the other end of the lineup compared to Tracer:

Both tires available in tubular too of course. And as the customers want, tan sidewalls:

Read more and get more info about these on: CX Magazine

Norco Search XR

Norco has searched in their other frames, they searched by other brands and in the end they came up with a bike made for everything, working with everything and is for everyone. A new gravelbike so to speak with space 45mm 700c tires or 27,5×2,1″. With 2 chainrings and a roadbike group, or why not a Shimano mtb Di2 group? With or without dropper post, with or without fenders.

Just your imagination that set the stop for how to build it. Or if you buy it complete. You can even get it in steel… Just listen to what they have to say:

No matter how you build it, buy it. Get a proper fit so the bike isn’t getting to big like for the guy on the steelbike, or too small.

Conclusion: I think it’s too much everything and a bit too much small special parts, including the big Das Boot seatclamp. Sounds like a Kia if Open U.P is BMW, you get everything with a Kia but you will always be wanting the BMW…

What do you think?

World Championships in Bergen

My old hometown hosted this years World Championships in Road Cycling. And after chatting with the Swedish Champ Sara Penton I booked a ticket. Who doesn’t want to see all Bergen and many more cheer on your friend:

I’ve been on the Women’s World Cup in Vårgårda and seen a few XCO World Cups but this was something extra. So much people and so many riders I followed just on internet before.

While I always hope Annemiek van Vleuten will win I was happy to see the Netherlands teamwork work out and with Chantal Blaak soloing to the finish. A women with style and that will wear the most beautiful cycling jersey in a correct way:

Happy to see that finish. But as for Kristoff the finishline came to far away for the 2nd group. Annemiek van Vleuten was first in the group when they passed me with 70m to go. 70m for Katrin Garfoot and Amalie Dideriksen to pass

Fully crowded as you can see. Going to the podium at Torgallmenningen was even more crowded. More people than on 17th May, thought for a while I wouldn’t get in on the square:

1. Chantal Blaak – The Netherlands
2. Katron Garfoot – Australia
3. Amalie Dideriksen – Denmark
4. Annemiek van Vleuten – The Netherlands

3rd year Boels-Dolmans take the World Champion win on a Specialized S-Works, 2 earlier on Amira, now on the New Tarmac.

Yesterday time for the men and the crowds grew. I met a polish guy that had come with ferry and bus to watch Kwiato. Dedication. And the crowds was happy seeing Odd Christian Eiking from Bergen in the 2nd breakaway:

A lot of people including a peloton:

The guy to the left had understood that we where there for the atmosphere and to cheer on our favorites live, not just following the race. Which is best in a sofa in front of the TV, but not as fun.

Alaphilipe and Moscon on the last lap, including the VideoMC that lost it’s connection some seconds after as the power got down on Fløyen. The other view of this:

Including me in blue in the red circle taking the picture above 😀

Just after the chasers/winners came:

I was hoping for the third guy here, Matteo Trentin but he did as van Vleuten and ended 4th.

If you missed the last 5km they are here from the helicopter:

Peter Sagan covering some gaps and attacks when people try to get rid of the sprinters. I’m not the biggest fan of Peter Sagan but he is incredible and clever being in the right place in the right time. It’s impressive and it was a clean sprint just like the way we want to see it.

1. Peter Sagan – Slovakia
2. Alexander Kristoff – Norway
3. Michael Matthews – Australia
4. Matteo Trentin – Italy

Peter Sagans 3rd World Champ title in 3 years. And he did it on Specialized S-Works Tarmac 😉

Peter Sagan does it alone what Boels-Dolmans do together. Both on Specializeds. For me I think Sagans win in Richmond was his best and Chantal Blaaks in Bergen the best in Boels-Dolmans. Coming in solo to the finish in the Worlds biggest road race is making the win even bigger, dropping the best riders in the world.