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 🙂

FMB Sprint2 XL graveltubulars

When I first started to think of the build for my S-Works Diverge I thought of a pair of Roval CLX disc tubulars with 36mm A.Dugast Pipisquallo tubulars on. Later I got a set of clinchers and the plan got changed. Got a set of cheap tubulars from China and a set of Challenge Chicane from a friend.

But yesterday Bikerumor got my mind going again showing this:

a 3T Exploro with 40mm FMB tubulars. Everyone who talked with me about tubulars knows how much I love FMB. Both their roadtires and their cyclocross tires is absolutely the best I’ve tried.

They have made their regular 33mm diamond thread in 40mm, protected them with latex and made the tires of my dreams:

I have to get a pair when they become available and I think you should too if you want to go fast on gravel. Like you can with an Specialized S-Works Diverge or 3T Exploro 😀

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:

CX and Gravel

Today it was a trainingrace in Ursvik and SCS CK joined with 5 riders and me. Me, Patrik and John rode up while the others went by car. I joined the course preview but as my leg isn’t all good I didn’t want to race, stood on the side, took some pictures and cheered a bit instead. And talked to the ones who punctured (many of those).

Detta bildspel kräver JavaScript.

And then we had fika 🙂 Lisa asked if anyone was up for an easy gravelspin afterwards and I joined. Wanted to go on a nice gravelride from the beginning and not so often I ride at Järvafältet and the weather was perfect for autumn 😀 love Swedish sunny autumn with all the colors and smiling people.

A picture from the end of our ride. Riding home from Ursvik I got to know how long time it was since I have ridden over 3h, even with the fika my energylevel dropped and had to eat a couple of bars at work before washing my bike. Closest I’ve been to bonk 😉

Map and stats: Strava

Ending with a nice teampicture, just missing Patrik who escaped home:

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 😀

 

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.

My favorite won!!!

World Championship Individual Time Trial today and it couldn’t have been better:

Annemiek van Vleuten with all the pressure on her made it and won with 12 seconds over Anna van der Breggen. Katrin Garfoot 3rd 19 seconds behind van Vleuten.

Bergen delivers great racing so let’s spread this:

World Championships TTT

The party has started, Road World Championships 2017 in Bergen, Norway.

Racing superfast on famous places like Bryggen. And beating my Strava times to a basement far away 😉

Todays favourites Boels-Dolmans and BMC didn’t make it, nor did Cervelo-Bigla or Quick Step. Today was the day of Team Sunweb:

The winning team of Floortje Mackaij, Lucinda Brand, Ellen van Dijk, Coryn Rivera, Leah Kirchmann and Sabrina Stultiens.

And as you say: Women first. The men took the same spot and made it Double Sunweb!!!

All results: Procyclingstats

#lifegoals

Big mountains, small cyclists, awesome trails. Been riding mtb in Sweden, Norway and Germany but nothing has been as good as in Canada. On a rental bike with an ugly helmet.

A thing that really is on my bucket list of cycling is BC Bike Race. A stage race in British Columbia as in the best trails in the world. Watch this video from this years race and see for yourself:

I would prefer a bit less rain in the beginning but what a race. Have had it in mind for several years but never done anything to get there. Don’t think I will for 2018 either but for 2019 on a new Specialized Camber it may be the seasons biggest goal 😀

UCIWWT Boels Ladies Tour last part

5th stage where I already showed the result but great racing:

And the last stage. My thought of Niewiadoma wasn’t so far off, awesome stage: