Swedish autumn

Riding on trails full of leaves. Dry gravelroads with colourful trees:

Thinking about summer and beaches:

Dreaming about big houses next to a lake:

And having a fika at the best café:

Had a nice autumn ride with Emile yesterday as you can see.

Including the too be famous #EmileShortcut:

We drank a bit too, Etixx you know:

And finally we found the light in the darkness:

We ended up on gravelroads where you just have to push a bit extra. Rode asphalt for the fika and tried how good cyclocross is on rocky trails. The only thing we really missed out was riding on big roads with a lot of traffic. But that’s okey 😉 It took us 1,5h too meet the first car on a road. I’m impressed how good gravelroads there are just outside Stockholm 🙂

Map and stats: Strava

gravel and ferries with a cap

I hope you understand that the Ironmanthing was a joke. Won’t happen.

But what has happened is that I rode gravel with one of my best friends this saturday 😀 and a group of others:

Awesome trails and great people. Was great until I lost 4 chainringbolts in Lindalen going up a climb. With help from my friend Björn I was on the track again and me, Henrik and Michael ended the ride properly. With a fika at Le Mond:

Today it was time for another ride. Haven’t suited before but today I managed to ride with the Basemilepeople. A bunch of good guys that rode together on Basemile Snowdown in January. Coffeestyle today with Cykelcafé Le Mond clothes and matchy Sako7 socks 😉

Did a ride around Vaxholm and with strong riders it went pretty fast. Faster than my legs liked but fun 😀 Even got a part of #sportgrus (gravel for roadbikes)

The saving after 100km was a nice lunch at Pizzeria Istanbul in Vallentuna before riding one of the nicest roads just north of Stockholm. Skålhamra.

Just Awesome, except my legs. Also got a new cycling cap this weekend, Café du Cycliste to match all of my white Specialized helmets 🙂

The ride today: Strava

Trying to look fast instead of being :p

I <3 cycling

Except the way from work yesterday today was the test of my new roadbike:

Maybe the cleanest bike I’ve built for myself, Specialized S-Works Tarmac Disc with the name: Pink Spur. 28mm Specialized All Condition Armadillo Elite tires on to skip punctures in the spring 🙂

It’s the first bike I’ve built, set up and went out riding without fixing a single thing on, the seat position feels just right from the start 😀

Today I met up with a great group of people from Bikecafé Le Mond to ride to Ösmo and back. The spring ride where people are different and where people attacks, wait and attack again, just pure fun magic. Looked like this on the road down:

And a picture from Adam:

Where some parts we went full speed and it was fun even though I’m not the fastest or the strongest. But I rode on my dreambike and it felt good 🙂 And quiet, strange to change from a noisy Tune Kong hub to a quiet Roval CLX40.

Had a great fika at Ösmo with panncakes for me, picture by Kalle:

Usually half of the group take the train home from there but today everyone rode 😀

Heavy legs in the end but all in all a great ride. And my Tarmac worked flawless. Didn’t make so much notice and felt smooth but when I attacked it responded great and the wheels may not be super in any way but they are just what you want when you want all 🙂 The quality feel was there so I look forward to many many kilometers on this bike 😀

Map and stats: Strava

Basemile Snowdown

If you the recipe on a great weekend you will get it here:

• Gather 15-20 great cyclists
• Rent a castle (or a house next to it) somewhere in the middle of nowhere
• Arrange a car to take the cyclists bags to the castle
• Buy food, cyclists like food
• Go ride there on friday, a nice ride on saturday, back home on sunday

CK Barriär and Velonode did this with some help from Rapha and Oatly this weekend. It was white, was magic, really fun and sometimes like you thought ”what am I doing here”. When it comes to the end, riding bikes and spend time with friends and great people far away from stress and big citylife is awesome. Thanks Hagen and Emil for this!!!

Started in Södertälje 2 days ago:

Rode to Rockelstad castle in fading sun:

The place we stayed at:

An epic shortened ride yesterday, takes time to ride in snow and sun goes down a bit to early:

And then we went back home:

The tourguide and my best German friend, Hagen:

Except beans and my frozen cassette today this is the best way to spend a winter weekend on. Everything is never perfect but the it has been fun. If you missed it, check @ckbarriar on Instagram for the weekends best pictures.

Pictures by Rille and Max that includes me:

the beauty of winterriding

After discussing yesterday it ended with cafériding today, uncommon roads with fun people. Me and Emile rode to Brommaplan with some obstacles:

Met up with Jimmie, Isabella, Emil and Karim.

Started in the wrong direction but then we got right on things and headed towards islands, castles, singletrack and white beauty.

But already at Nockeybridge Emil and Karim got problems riding in the snow and turned around. Meanwhile Dan caught us. Isabella and Jimmie got a bit after and Isabella dropped. We took a longer way at one place and Jimmie rode with Isabella after we caught her.

So we ended up with 4 riders, 3 strong ones and me. In a funny winter landscape. Strange weather as our glasses froze so had to take the ice off them at some times and our clothes got icy too. Rode on small roads, found a great singletrack and had a good time laughing at my bike that was collecting all snow, should ride with fenders?

A collection of pictures today:

Back home after a little over 4h of riding and pretty tired. Sara went hard on the back to the mainland so had to suffer a bit. These rides are what builds the hardness towards spring and summer. A ride to remember.

Map and stats: Strava

Tested Velothon

Today I had the opportunity to ride the track of Velothon together with She Rides, a couple from Velothon and some others. Skoda Cycling Team rode at the same time but a bit faster, unfortunately they seemed to have had a crash and went home earlier.

Our goal was to try the course and Milla from Velothon should check it out and wanted company. With an average of 27-29km/h. Easy through Stockholm:

Mattias, our guide and the Event Director:

Down to Ösmo we had a much lower average than planned and while sitting in the front all the time it felt a bit too easy but we rode all together and it was a couple of riders who wheren’t as fast. In Ösmo we got ”fika” or pit stop by the great Maria Kullberg:

Then we split our 11 riders in two groups. We where 7 riders who went a bit faster, the others also stopped for lunch in Nynäshamn. We just stopped in Sorunda for filling up water and ate while riding.

I was still in front, wanted to get some training too 😉

After some time we got the ”big” climb of Velothon. Kessiakoffs Climb. I should get up first but Mattias was hanging on my wheel. It was steep for a short part in the beginning (think full speed with 52-14) and then it flattens out and even goes downwards before it goes up again. Not so steep but pretty long. Felt like waste in the last part and had to gear down a couple of gears and thought Mattias would pass. I stood up and pushed as hard as I can we he tried too and got the win 😀

After that Linda and Amira started to sprint in the small climbs, felt a bit crispy for a while but went okey. It’s hard to change rhythm from easy to hard while riding I think, so much easier to go fast if you done it all the ride.

I didn’t take all sprints but sat in front all ride and felt good. Good ride for the confidence and it was really fun 🙂 And a great course

Map and stats: Strava

Ended with a coffee and carrot cake at bikecafé Le Mond with Linda:

a little sunday ride

It will never be perfect, we aren’t perfect and the world isn’t perfect but sometimes it can be pretty close. Rode with the great group cafériding Le Mond today and the short way around the lake Mälaren.

Weather was perfect, company was great, my bike flawless and we looked pretty good. We also had power enough to go in proper speed all the time. No breakdowns to write about. We also had good food in Enköping (but not the best coke).

The only downside was the roads, was big and pretty boring:

Emil, Johan, Peter and Oscar did the best thing of it. by Oscar:

Café du Cycliste kit today again, really like their style and fit 🙂

The best food today was in Turinge:

All in all a great day in the sun 🙂 Feels like I got a bit better tan too.

Map and stats: Strava

Now it’s time to see the Men Elite XCO World Cup from Windham. redbull.tv for live coverage. Missed the women race so have to see it later.

Saturday ride (with sun)

New day, new people and new roads. Adding a bit of sun and you’ll get a good start of a ”summer” saturday. Rode a lap north of Mullsjö today up to Hökensås with Anders:

Sporting POC club kit 🙂

Felt like I had a bit heavy legs but it may come from my front brake too. It’s been touching the rim as it had to have the wire in perfect position. Can’t really recommend KCNCbrakes to anyone. But really like the Sram Red 22 levers working with them on the Caad10 🙂

76,76km today and another nice ride to the account.

Map and stats if still don’t follow me on Strava: Movescount

Alp de Skarpabacken

At my dad this weekend celebrating Swedish Midsummer and cycling with my strong friend Henrik. Today we met up at Piren in Jönköping, me, Henrik and Christer who joined us for the first part. Me and Henrik went on the small roads up to Gränna and the soon famous Skarpabacken, a 2,3km climb with 6,6% average ending with a bit of gravel. Hard time for me but managed to come up 🙂

Henrik was fast and strong as usual on his SuperX. Great guy to ride with who always finds new nice roads 🙂

On the way back we got a nice view down to Kaxholmen and found a cow that didn’t want to hang out with me

Then back to Jönköping again. 3h20min on the cyclingaccount later. Great ride and happy to have missed the rain 🙂

The bike for the weekend. A Cannondale Caad10 with Sram Red and Zipp 202 from Öster Cykel:

Le Peloton #30 and the elite

I really like Le Peloton. To be able to go as hard as you can on training and to meet great people and being social.

Many fast riders today:

The thing is you can be dropped just thinking of it so important to not think about it. Today up Ektorp and then up Hellas it felt pretty good and I didn’t even think about dropping. Up the hill at Lindalen after Älta stayed at around same place and hanged on even after the top. Then it was a guy 4-5 guys in front of me who dropped. A couple of guys chased and it worked out. Through the 2 roundabouts and then it was just full sprint. Usually it’s easy to give up there, but I gave more and managed to get back to a wheel.

On the Flatenroad it felt good too and sat in a good position into Skarpnäck. Had a problem with a bus that stopped the peloton a bit so it was hard afterwards. Out on the long last straight I was far back but found Emile’s wheel and he is fast. Hanged on the wheel without even thinking about anything except keeping it. Tried to sprint before the sign but couldn’t give more.

Super hard morning but my mind starts to not think about giving up. 🙂 All for a great breakfast at Le Mond:

Today with company of the fast PRO Sara Penton:

And yes, my glasses is cool. Love Oakley Jawbreaker on road, so big view 🙂

7th best time on Le Peloton unofficial 2015 route today total with an average of over 40km/h 😀 Super happy seeing PR on Strava and high speeds.

A picture from Le Peloton on Facebook:

So happy my bike got new brake wires, hoods and bar tape 🙂

And after a day at work it was time to ride again. We at Specialized Concept Store Stockholm where invited to ride with CK Valhall’s elite team together with the others who sponsor the team. A soft evening ride out to Älgö with some sprints and with a bit of rain in the end 😦 Knowing I got a bit left until I’m fast for real 😉

A blurry picture from that until I found the good ones: