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One of the downsides with being home from work too long is that you am checking everything you like on internet twice. And a throwback Tuesday I’m thinking of mtb like this one:

Racing in a speedsuit:

Every cyclist should have a mtb. No matter if you race or just want to get out in the nature. Just going out for an after work ride with friends without stress is so nice. No matter if you got a fast friend and pushing it or not so fast and just enjoying the trails it is something different compared to asphalt or gravel. In Stockholm you can have an average speed of 10km/h in Hellas as it’s pretty technical but it’s great training.

Keep it fun 😀

#lifegoals

Big mountains, small cyclists, awesome trails. Been riding mtb in Sweden, Norway and Germany but nothing has been as good as in Canada. On a rental bike with an ugly helmet.

A thing that really is on my bucket list of cycling is BC Bike Race. A stage race in British Columbia as in the best trails in the world. Watch this video from this years race and see for yourself:

I would prefer a bit less rain in the beginning but what a race. Have had it in mind for several years but never done anything to get there. Don’t think I will for 2018 either but for 2019 on a new Specialized Camber it may be the seasons biggest goal 😀

Soon racing time

Memories from old and not so old times gets back to you when it’s time to race some awesome races again. The 13th May is it time for the XCM Långa Billingeracet again, didn’t race it last year as I failed but this picture is from 2015. A sunny day where I did a good race and met a lot of old friends and nice people, a day I still remember. Have been riding 30000km since that day, hopefully I will be a bit faster 🙂 And my Epic is a couple of kilos lighter than the Camber was, but with less comfort.

The day after it’s the Nordic XC Championships for Masters and an UCI race for the fast guys in Vårgårda. I did the race latest in 2010. Started in front of the 2016 U23 World Champion Jenny Rissveds:

But she passed me pretty fast in the mud, like most of the others 😉 Thomas Rissveds got another good picture of me then too:

Looking forward 😀

Spring is coming, I promise

Friends are starting to take out their roadbikes, it’s a pure spring sign 😉 And I’m in mtbmode, so motivated and want to ride more, more and more.

It all started a morning last week when me and Oliwer rode a Camber and after my failing with roadpedals we took the road back to Vivels:

Today it was time for a new try. Candy 2Ti pedals and S-Works XC shoes to keep fails to a minimum. Also got company by John 🙂 Went better and was really fun, and hard for my roadbike arms :p

I’m not as fast as Oliwer or John but it is getting better and better and nailed a couple of tricky parts today that I usually don’t. Really fun and mostly good in the forest here now, some parts of ice but just to take it easy or go around there. Bikes are just getting dusty 😉

Le Peloton tomorrow and then back on mtb, want to get better and faster until the races begins 😀

Map and stats from today: Strava

Winter wonderland

Do you see my tire? With all the snow today we thought it was better riding mtb, so I borrowed a Camber Comp Carbon:

Then met up with some friends who rode everything, a day for all. 1 gravelbike, 1 adventurebike, 1 touringbike, 1 XC bike, 2 Trailbikes, 1 All Mountainbike. A great group of people:

The trails were not rideable at all so rode on gravel, asphalt mostly. Beautiful winter and great temperature too:

Nice on the hardpacked snow and awesome without slush 🙂 The ride: Strava. Ended with a fika and rolled home again on my Sequoia:

let light be light again

How light is a light bike? Last year I built a Specialized Camber Elite Carbon just under 10kg:

It was light as an S-Works Epic WC without bottle cage and pedals. But is 10kg light? I’ve been racing Grenserittet (my best time) on a bike that was 6,9kg. And I still got memories from racing with that bike with damping fork, my Merida:

Around 7,5kg all season with a bit different parts on. single chainring and tubular wheels (had 2 pair). That was light.

Now I’ve learnt that 26″ isn’t fast and that 580mm handlebar isn’t good. The development goes forward but has it to be so heavy? I want new school geometry, wide bars, single chainring and right sized cassette with 50+ tires that are good. I’m on full planning to build maybe the smartest built bike I’ve ever built and it will be raced on for 2017 😀

What do you have for mtb race plans for 2017?

Specialized LEVO

There are things I don’t understand. Electrical mountainbikes is such a thing. Until we got this to work yesterday:

Specialized Turbo LEVO FSR Expert 6Fattie. Specialized’s like long names and like good bikes. It’s a doped Stumpjumper at just 22,9kg with pedals.

So how is it to ride a electrical mtb that is 10kg heavier than usual but with 250W extra up to 25km/h? 

First climb you probably could hear my laughter all over Sickla. 3″ tires with endless of grip and a bike that is just pushing and pushing with suspension eating all big obstacles. Massive is the word. Going downhill felt as regular good FSR bike as long as you didn’t want to jump.

Med up with Fredrich and his Camber:

He rode faster than me on the descents (I haven’t been mtbiking since last summer) but on the climbs I caught him, sitting 😀

Going up on roots, rocks and small obstacles that usually slows you down went without problems. The LEVO is the solution for getting dropped on climbs. Climbs got as flowy as the flats and the geometry made the bike low and stable downhill.

So is the bike just good?

The downsides are if you want to jump over an obstacle it’s heavy, when you loose the grip it’s a lot of weight to stop. It can spin in corners (don’t know if it’s a bad thing or just great fun ;).

But it’s a trailbike with parts made for singletracks and technical cycling. Going on gravel was just boring, you spin out at 25km/h and the bike just feel boring. So keep it on the nice singletracks 😀

A bike for laughter, for training your arms and towards goals you never thought of before.

Maps and some stats (no e-bike segments 😦 Strava

From one side to another, the 2015 recordyear

2015 has been a long year, a year with over 14300km/558h on bikes. It all started with a mtbride with Patrik, Lisa, Jessica and Jaime

that was started with a fika at Magnus Johansson’s bakery in Hammarby Sjöstad:

I’ve been riding in hard conditions for a long time:

I’ve been trying to ride fast and it have really developed my rode riding with Le Peloton:

And I’ve been hanging around what has been voted as the best café in Stockholm, Cykelcafé Le Mond:

I rode some mtbraces with a couple of Keps Cup, Lidingöloppet, Billingeracet and Lida Loop:

I did the middle version of Ronde van Vlaanderen cyclo together with my friends Johan and Magnus:

I’ve been really got to know my best roadbike so far, my Specialized Allez. It’s come to the point where I no matter of feeling or weather just have been jump on it and felt like home.

I’ve got to know many many great people along the roads and coffee shops:

I’ve been riding more than ever with my idol Henrik:

I’ve done the ride of my life, RAAS where I actually felt fast:

I’ve been seen beautiful scenery in the middle of nowhere:

I’ve been learning how to take pictures that get many likes on Instagram, and sock style:

I’ve also been racing my first nationals in Cyclocross:

A small but great evening was the Le Roi de La Montagne, a small hill climb with style and power:

It’s been a magic year. So much fun, so much coffee 😉

It all ended on the other side of the roundabout in Hammarby Sjöstad with a breakfast after yesterdays Le Peloton:

Thank you all who made this year!!! I hope I spread some joy in your year too.

Happy new year and tomorrow I’ll tell you about my plans and dreams for next year 😀 Can it get even better?

Swedish Merry Christmas!

From all of us to all of you a Merry Christmas! With a 2.08kg gift from Sweden to all mtbikers, Öhlins RXF 34:

Le Snooze Birthday party

I’m feeling really blessed to be able to ride with with so many good friends 🙂 Earlier I did Le Peloton on fridays too but now I have the chance to sleep a bit extra and ride with other shopworkers, a group called Enduromorning and I have called the ride Le Snooze. Today I met Patrik and the Kangas brothers at Hammarbyhill at 7.45 for a Le Peloton CXloop ride in fikatempo. Not all out…

We didn’t go as fast as last Friday, the ground was a bit more wet and stickier than last week. So 1h5min instead of 1h3min. And some fast riding as usual when riding with the young guns that can descend and turn fast.

Back on asphalt we met up with 3 more riders who did ”wrong” and rode mtb.

6 Specialized, 1 Kona 😉 As Oliwer had birthday we celebrated at the best café in Hammarby Sjöstad, Vivels 😀

Not doing so much advertisement for other shops 😉

Map and stats: Strava

Ending with a picture of todays outfit 😉 Thought my thin longsleeve jersey from Café du Cycliste should be to cold today but it was perfect, love the windproof front and merino wool 🙂