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 🙂

The winter arrived, in a beautiful way

Riding on dry snowy white roads is a luxury that makes it worth riding in the winter in Sweden. Stod hearing the sound of studded tires and the world becomes quiet, and light. It’s all beautiful.

Today Emil planned a route down to Gnesta and then to Södertälje and the pendel home, a really nice route with a couple of new exceptional roads 😀

And with a lot of happy great people 😀 The tempo was pretty easy but as it should be with cafécycling there are different opinions on how easy is and gaps became a usual thing, as people always wait for the slowest ones it feels like a fun way to ride. And always when we are so many riding far there are many people having their plans and leaving the group at different places.

I may not have attacked any time but my Diverge feels really nice and sometimes I get the feeling of pushing on with Rille and try to feel fast 😉 Had a bit cold hands in the beginning and after the fika but after a while I took out my innergloves and just rode with my Specialized Deflect H20, layering is a key and to not have to tight gloves so you can get some warm air around your hands 🙂 Café du cycliste winter bibs and legwarmers was the thing today together with my lovely Yolande jersey and a great Skoda vest with backpockets for my phone and innergloves 🙂

And more white roads 😉

A lot of great instatimes with the lovely sun getting through the trees and onto the white roads:

And ending with the important part, fika. Pepparkaka was an obvious choice for today, happy face 🙂

Map and stats of a route I can recommend: Strava

Did I mention every ride that includes fika/food in Gnesta is a success? The centre of beautiful roads.

The RAAS video

Almost a month since the Race Across Skåne but still time to remember the great moments of the wet and intense ride where this years peak went over and my form just went down from that…

I’m in it, with socks and riding 😉

You’re joining next year? More crosswinds, more gravel, more fika, more friendships and a relaxed atmosphere where I hope everyone feels welcome 🙂

Le Peloton #168

This morning I held a speech for 40 cyclists. It wasn’t long, well prepared or loud but it was. Then we rode fast, a bit too fast for me for a part in the middle. Like this video:

I took a shortcut, a KOM and a friendly cold breakfast at Le Mond.

Map and stats: Strava

Le Peloton du nord

Sumo Cycling did Le Peloton du nord today which meant an early morning, too early. The alarm went off 4.25 and when I met the others at SCS at 5.15 I felt a sleep still 😉

Emil, Anders, Michael and I rode through a dead Stockholm, met up with Christian and headed north to Enebyberg. 26,5km from my door.

Marcus joined to so 6 Sumo’s including the new Christian who hasn’t got a jersey yet. Other fast riders from different teams met up and 6.10 we rolled out for a ride I didn’t knew so much about. Asked how long it was and heard around 35km.

Felt really hard in the beginning with a fast commute there and tired body, went fast. The kilometers went and when we came to Skålhamravägen I recognized me and thought it wasn’t so far left. Changed to attack mode and rode a bit more active. On that small twisting road with the speed we had my Tarmac came to its right. The bike got me to smile and ride even faster, didn’t think about how fast the others were 😉 The last climb became a bit too long for everyone I think and it felt good when we hit the finishline.

At Le Peloton you usually ride slow with heavy legs after the finish, here it felt fast and far to the café. My legs died once more and I ended in my own tempo down to Gateau:

My view after the ride:

Map and stats: Strava

Then back to Stockholm and the known places again. The others rode fast, I got dropped… But me, Emil and Anders rode the last part together and ended the all in a great way. With the years first (for me) bath:

Happy ending so to speak and the water felt warm 🙂 Then I tried to survive at work, but that’s another story 😉

Morningspins

A bit of a strange week this week. Maybe the first one 2017 without any Le Peloton. To tired on Wednesday and am trying to not ride too much now when Vätternrundan is getting close.

Did Morningspins yesterday with really bad legs yesterday, was dead last. Was thinking if I should do Le Peloton or Morningspins today. Thought Le Peloton would be a little hard for a long time while Morningspins is more about speed but short distance and time to rest in between. Great to get some speed for Sundays Lida Loop XCM 🙂

A lot of riders today as you can see

Some very fast, some like me and more or less a cool group of riders 🙂 The first loop got was really fast and I was dropped, but not as early as yesterday. Yesterdays KOM got smashed too so says a bit. The 2nd lap wasn’t as fast which was really good for me. Found some legs and was able to hang on and make a new PR 😀

3rd lap started as an Instalap:

But then HRT attacked and some people followed, went fast again and I missed the train a bit. No worries as I was happy with the mornings training. Got some speed, felt a little bit fast and built some confidence 🙂 Great to have a positive feeling when it’s racetime.

Me and Peter matched in our Danger Speedsuits too 😀

Map and stats: Strava

Norrort

After racing with commuters, talking about 20 million SEK houses, team time trailing, ridden on a beautiful little road and doing some sportgrus. Then it was nice with some ice-cream in the sun 😀

Joined Emil on a great Tuesday ride with his friend Simon today and it had it all (except rain). Some new areas and roads for me which is what I wanted and some fast pacing in the middle.

Many cyclists say it’s the freedom that is the best thing with cycling. It sure is but exploring can’t be forgotten as you ride on roads you will never go with a car or by bus 🙂

Ended the ride with a good lunch in the sun with a friend:

Map and stats: Strava

Morningspins and breakfast with a view

This is how it all begins. A bridge, a sunrise and then a lot of cool fast people. Did Morningspins on Djurgården this morning and I couldn’t picked a better morning. Blame on my wide tires and heavy legs from yesterday that I couldn’t keep up all the way around the 3 laps but it was great training 🙂 Looked a bit like this by Hagen, Klas and Jacob:

Pure magic. And a great fika afterwards:

Compared to Le Peloton Morningspins is over faster and just after 8 I got to Hammarby Sjöstad and almost work. But Patrik asked me yesterday if I wanted to join for breakfast so called him, just on his way out so we met up and did go on an adventure ride for a proper Sequoia breakfast 😉 Rode gravel, singletrack, crossed some ice and rode (Patrik) endurolines downhil.

Then we climbed a mountain and had breakfast watching out over a lake like this:

A super morning all over the place. Like this: Strava

Headwind vs. Tailwind

This is Sweden in March.

This weekend a couple of years ago I rode my roadbike with a big group to Ösmo. Today we had studded tires and fenders, not because it was needed so much but because it’s still winter.

But instead of headwind at usual we had tailwind to Ösmo and I had the wheel of Emile so it sometimes went really fast. Got faster times on some sections today than on Velothon 2015 😉

Headwind also means higher speed and hard pushing as it’s fun to go faster so down at Ösmo Plantshop we all were pretty cooked and happy to get some food. Instead of my usual panncakes I was serious and ordered a nice sandwich which Madde took a picture of 😉

Full of food it was time for the Headwind part, it was hard.

No one took the train back but the riding got a bit messy with many heavy legs and our small group ended in smaller groups with some gatherings along the road. And after Handen it was a matter of surviving, not so much speaking and people tried just to go as fast as they could. It may have been hard and the bodies may have been tired but as much as I like the grey late winter weather it’s something special when people just keep on pedaling instead of just give up. The only thing that gave up was the battery in my watch so had to log the last part on my phone 😉

Back at Le Mond I got a nice carrot cake that Kalle put on scale

It helped me all the 11km home 😀

Thanks all for a great day in the saddle. And Emile for the pictures on me. There are so many beautiful things about cycling and things can be beautiful even when it’s hard and you’re suffering. While some was suffering from the harsh cold today I was warm, with my lovely Café du Cycliste wool socks:

Map and stats: Strava 1st part, Strava 2nd part

Sunday instaride

This weekend has God showed us a glimpse of why Sweden is the best country with its 4 seasons. My legs got dropped yesterday but had to ride today too and with Emile as pathfinder I knew it would be epic, awesome and a real test for me Sequoia handling all sorts of terrain. Today was the first ride we talked about getting dropper seatposts on our all terrain bikes for example 😉

Rode to Gladö Kvarn, had a fika at Rosenhill (my first time there) and met a running race in Lida before we went home along the water.

Living the biggest city in Sweden with so close to gravel, small roads and great trails is a luxury worth a lot. Now selected pictures from us:

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Map and stats and recommended route: Strava