What a weekend we had. A weekend in the green forests of Sweden going hard on gravel and sprinting for countrysigns. 3 days of riding in Dalsland managed by Wenersborgs Racers Club in a way up for the riders to make it good.
We started on Friday in Vänersborg:
Over 100 cyclists rolled out together for an easy 104km spin up to Stora Strand where we should stay for the weekend. 3 cars handled the luggage.
It went fast, but was happy enough to sit pretty high so worked for about 65km where a group got dropped on a gravel section. We chased hard and in the chase I met a friend from Norway, Peter who is one of the strongest cyclists I know. We got back up and I managed to hang on the first group all the way to the place we stayed at:
Map and stats: Strava
Day 2 was 234km for the long one which we had to take to come to Norway 😉
Riders got ready but wasn’t so fast of leaving so we rode away easy me and my roommates Henrik, Tony and Anders.
After a while turning of the main road we stopped for a pi and a 2nd group of like 5 riders caught us including Emile and Magnus. Rode together and started the days first climb:
Tony and Henrik kept the speed high, with Anders in a breakaway:
But on a gravelclimb me and Emile ”attacked”:
Dalsland:
It rolled on pretty well until km 69 where Tony first punctured:
500m before the feed zone:
and then Christian punctured 500m after the feed zone.
That’s all the punctures we got while another group got over 10(!). The pace held high (at least for me) and after around 90-100km the group got split into two. I was in the first and even there the pace got slower except sprinting for the Norway sign and such things 😉 Really nice good people to ride with and great training to ride hard for a long time.
Until 135km where I died, or hit the hammer a bit and got slow for real. Got dropped for a little but Emile waited for me and dragged me to the lunch at 144km 🙂 the 2nd group got there two and we where a big group again. A nice lunch and then rolling for the ferry.
The pace worked first but in the end it got too high for me and some others who got dropped but all together with some others who skipped the lunch at the ferry:
A big climb after the ferry where I tried to hang on but got dropped for real. We gathered a 2nd group who rode all the 70km left together. Pace on the limit but everyone did what they could and nice chatting. Stopped at Coop in Dals Långed for a refuel and then left for ”home”.
The end included the hardest climb of the day and the first time for me on 36-28 (easiest) gear to come up, was hard but nice. A cool descend afterwards where I thought it was pretty awesome to go 57km/h on gravel 😉
Back at the house we ended on the grass eating a bit, drinking a bit and talking about the magic day:
Map and stats: Strava
Day 3
Woke up to rain, a lot of it. The long distance 176km was out of the match and plans was 132 or 104km. The morning subject. After breakfast, packing, finding rainclothes and cleaning it didn’t rain as much. Decided to go for the shortest way in the last minute with heavy legs.
Me, Henrik, Christian and Jonas rode the day together. Passing some guys starting earlier and who took shortcuts. No one was so good (except Henrik maybe) but the pace was good and it all felt like a blur. The kilometers got on and we came closer and closer to Vänersborg. A puncture after 94km was the first and only stop:
Map and stats: Strava
It was maybe a bit too much people to have for such an event but KUDOS to Johan and WRC for arranging this. A weekend we will talk about for at least a year. And my Specialized Diverge with new Specialized Roubaix Pro 30/32mm tires worked flawless all weekend:
I you should have one bike, this is the bike to get. It may not be cheapest but it so awesome it’s worth ever penny 😀
jonas wwBlog 