Keps Cup Rönninge

The ultimate test for a new mtb have to be in a race. If it’s just as you hoped or if something doesn’t work properly.

So today I went with my teammate John to Rönninge and find out if my Epic was as awesome as planned.

A bit cold in the beginning even for me. Testrode a lap which was really nice but with some mud and wet roots. Liked the small gravelsections between the nice singletracks and all in all it seemed great.

Down at the start talking shit with nice fast people. Got a little nervous and then the start went. Full speed with locked fork up the gravel. Got passed by some people and finally up the hole climb and onto the first real singletrack it felt hard:

It just felt like I rode slower and slower but also passed rider after rider who punctured, a lot of punctures today. My bike felt really nice, even better than I imagined. Great stability downhill without any worries when I rode down steep things and super agile uphill which made me smile a bit 😉 Need some finetuning with the fork but worked great, open all the way except on the longer gravelsection where I put it in the middle position.

Not my best shape after a hard week but was so funny being back in the XCO racing, this is the best. Me and my old friend Johan talked and missed the Västgötacup too, need more great races in this country and grow the sport, not just Enduro.

My teammate John won the hole cup (2 races) and got a cap:

He also won the race today, a race which I thought I was last but ended 3rd 🙂 and also last as it was 7 DNF riders behind, people need to get better tires or riding skills…

Map and stats: Strava

all pictures except the last one by Åsa Larsson

Keps Cup Muskö

Should be (and is) a lot of wind today so wasn’t that tempted to ride on road. So instead I asked a friend if he was racing and if he had a place for me in his car. He had 🙂

Then the race. A pretty flat easy course with a lot of muddy sections. With a startclimb that was a bit too long for me 😉 6 laps on a 2,3km course was a great intervall. Chased Magnus for over half of the race and when he did a mistake I got up to him and a bit after that I passed him. Great to race against people you know racing in the same category. Even when they smile and you suffer:

Here is some random pictures from Bengt Grönkvist:

And Tomas who I went there with, fast guy on a nice Epic:

The great service at small free race, washing afterwards. Magnus washing while me and Tomas is waiting:

Don’t know how it went yet but that’s not the most important. The most important is that it was fun and super training. Hard to push yourself as hard as on a race when just training.

Map and stats: Movescount

DNS at Keps Cup

Not the sunday I was hoping for. Was hoping for a fun XC race in Flottsbro on great trails (without rain).

Was raining when we came to Flottsbro and the course was super slippery. A lot of small sharp stones on the startloop and then rocks and roots all over the course. Great course but not for me today. My new shoes haven’t been perfect and tried a few different tweaks and has been almost good some days. Today it was a catastrophe, my right foot was squeezed under my left ankle and every time I lifted my rear wheel over something or standing up I felt it. Really hard the 2-3 times I had to take my foot down. So after riding a test lap I decided not to start. So instead I borrowed my saddle to a friend who broke his and stood on the side watching and taking some pictures.

Testlap here: Movescount

And here are the pictures from the race. If you want to use some, please link to my blog and I will be happy 🙂

And if someone is interested in a pair of Specialized S-Works XC shoes (used 105km) in size 42,5 with brand new inner soles, send me a comment:

Keps Cup in Tullinge

When racing on road just ends in a tragedy like this:

Kwiatkowski and Stybar crashed in the end of Milan – San Remo today and Kristoff got passed in the sprint.

This morning it wasn’t like that. I took the train to Tullinge and entered the first race of this year. A ”small” training race with many fast riders, also my first start in Men 30-39. The course was pretty fast with some technical sections. Pretty flat course but perfect to start with. Had been snowing a little and was cold so the conditions was really good too. No mud and super track.

The race started with I’m getting passed by a friend shouting ”Come on!”, I just laughed as I already was riding fast (if you ask my legs). The race was a bit mental, going full speed 1 lap and then knowing you should ride 4 more can be hard even if it’s so short. Rode with a guy behind me first lap, on the second lap he passed me on the climb and I followed him, like this:

In black with a bit of red today in Specialized clothes 😉 Haven’t got new club clothes yet. The guy in front of me had a problem on the third lap a bit before this and I passed him. A little bit after a friend caught me that I managed to keep behind 😀

Was riding alone until the end of last lap where another guy caught me and I missed we where in the same class. Let him by loosing a spot 😦

So fun to race again and so much training needed my and a friend that gave me lift home talked about. Better to train than to change chainring for a smaller 😉

Map and stats of the race: Movescount

(if you absolutely have to know my result I was around 13th, 3rd last)