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 🙂

Le Peloton #177

Today I wasn’t first to Urban Deli. Petter came first, then me and then Martin.

When the clock showed 5.59 Peter came so 4 today. Rode together in the beginning with Peter being the strongest on studs, I took a turn on Järnvägspizza (the hole one), no one passed. Until we turned into the ”climb” and Petter attacked with Peter on his wheel, and they rode away from us without studs… Martin was strong up the climb but then he mostly hang on to my wheel. Took the shortcut in Älta and a PR. Martin took a turn on Flatenvägen and then it was just to keep it as fast as possible until the finishline. Thought I would blow up a couple of times today but kept it together and even with being dropped it was a great morning effort 🙂

Breakfast alone at Magnus Johanssons bakery:

Until Peter came who had been waiting a bit after the finish if we where behind. So ended up being just 2 at the breakfast

Good food and really close to work afterwards. And my body felt a bit tired until lunch, just like it should be after a Le Peloton 🙂 And heavy legs on the way home 😉

Map and stats: Strava

Le Peloton #175

Like usual Stuart was a bit late so just 7 on the picture plus me taking it 😉 3 rode short and 5 of us rode the the standard short Le Peloton roadloop trying to hang onto Nils wheel. In the beginning it was Nils, Magnus, me, Sebastian and Oskar. I made a gap up to Magnus on the top at Nacka Forum which I covered down to Storängen where I dropped again and Sebastian and Oskar passed me. I tried to get back and was on Oskar’s wheel half of the Järnvägspizza until the corner and climb came and they disappeared…

Short version is that I was weak today. Rode alone and took the shortcut in Älta. On Flatenvägen Nils and Sebastian caught me and I hanged onto the small uphill before the sprint, good 2nd effort for me.

It’s hard pushing all you got and feeling it’s nothing and everyone sailing away, maybe need to go to the gym a bit…

But we all got breakfast and smiled again 😀

Map and stats: Strava

After work I heard about the opposite, good legs but no air. My friend Eva rode up a mountain in Himalaya earlier this year with 3 others and Skoda and they made a video about it:

Got to see it this evening and hear the story behind it. All thanks to Skoda 🙂 How it is to ride with such thin air that made it hard to breath. Also met a lot of nice friends and people making me motivated to explore more of the beautiful world we live in 😀

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.

Le Peloton #174 and The Road Book

Today it came, think it’s the best photobook I got so far. Pictures and some short highlights from this years Women’s road racing. Super pictures by Balint Hamvas (the man behind Cyclephotos) and Sean Robinson. It’s been a big year with many exciting races and some new rockets starting to shine. No matter if you know every women pro cyclists or doesn’t have a clue, if you like road racing and beautiful pictures on stylish cyclists I can recommend you to get your own copy: Velofocus

Not so pro, and not so warm was my morning today, doing Le Peloton, with others:

Sure, it was just 3 of the 8 starting (Stuart missing on the pictures) riding together but we got to ride our bikes for an hour and ending with a cozy breakfast talking about victories and cheese. 😀

Map and stats of my changed shortest loop, was so icy at some places so took the asphalt back: Strava

What a beautiful morning

A cold morning in the suburbs of Stockholm seeing the queues grow and the sun rise. There is something special with extending the commute and get some air and time in the saddle before start working, a little time to think, to breath and just to spin by the carpeople. Ending up on a quiet dry hardpack gravelroad thinking of animals instead of cars and starting to think of that you can turn your lights off as it’s so light

Riding the last part on roads I used to commute on remembering old times (last month) and got passed by a stressed commuter…

Map and stats: Strava

Last ride this year with roadshoes, now was a day too late to switch to mtbpedals and shoes as the roadshoes sucks when walking in mud and snow 😉 Welcome mtbshoes:

and new wheels, I’m spoiled and can’t help liking good parts 😉 The rear wheel I’m not sure about but Roval SLX 24 disc is a must have, best allround wheels to have.

Funny I keep on thinking I want to change those boring mechanical discbrakes to good hydraulic ones but the Sora gearing works too good to be changed :p

Sunshine rider

When it looks like this after you cancelled the first plan and slept 20min longer than the 2nd plan you don’t regret getting out. Around 0° C today but so beautiful and just perfect for riding a bike along the water. Rode out to Älgö and around before work and just enjoyed, not so fast and just me and my Diverge, and the sun 😀

I can really recommend getting out when the sun is out, and absorb all the d-vitamins when it’s mostly just dark.

Map and stats: Strava

Le Peloton #170

”The biggest influence in enjoying your ride, or not, is your state of mind. Some days you can’t wait to fight the elements, other days you just want to hide under your duvet. We all know how it works.” – I R I S

Got that in an e-mail today and it felt so perfect to describe this morning.

It was wet, was raining a little from the side and my motivation floated away on a leaf. I had a plan of riding easy with Emil and after going full gas up the first climb he waited for me and we rode together more or less to Erstaviksvägen. Stopped for fixing our handlebars and I decided to once again go for the shorter loop, Emil went on with the full loop.

It was such a day I wanted to ride in one way but my mind didn’t. I may not be overwhelmed by the result but it hopefully made my mind a little stronger going out and I would have regret if I didn’t go. I hope for a dry ride next one 😉

Map and stats: Strava

Then we had breakfast and all mistakes was gone 😉 And I did something strange while Kalle took a picture of us and a bottle of parts:

Making progress

Today was Velothon Stockholm. A race both for elite and amateurs on closed home roads outside Stockholm with a finish and start on Södermalm. Have done it twice before and it’s really cool to ride on closed roads where it’s always cars other days and be able to ride on the left side, right side or in the middle without any thoughts of a car.

As I couldn’t ride this year and it felt really boring to just sit home and see Strava and Instagram get filled by nice rides by a lot of friend annoyed me a bit, didn’t want to miss such an event.

So as I’m in the best team this year, Skoda Cycling Team I sent a text and I got a place in their car going behind the Skoda group.

Or in front at the maststart:

One got dropped, one dropped with illness but the rest rode really strong. They caught a big racegroup that started ahead and passed it, got a huge group hanging on for 110km or something like that.

A great morning even without riding 🙂 And seemed great with different groups as there was very few crashes today compared to last year. Awesome organisation 😀

So what about progress?

After being at Velothon, coming home watching the first big CX race of the season, watching the women’s race in Madrid and seeing that the men’s last Vuelta stage would take a lot of time. I got up on my Colnago a.k.a. trainerbike and pedaled a bit too, almost faster than the pro’s at the Vuelta but for a short time. Started with trainer yesterday and even that my left leg is a bit stiff it feels awesome to get some pedalstrokes and feels like a step forward. A step closer to ride outside with great friends and get back to the life I want to have. But still a bit to go as you can see on my Strava: progresstraining

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