Tag: svensk klassiker

Vasaloppet classic skiing race or how to ski 90km in a day

Leave a comment

The end of an intense and beautiful journey, like hundreds of thousands skiers before us.

In June 2016 I started my journey to complete a Swedish classic. Nine months later, on a dark morning of February, I was on the starting line of Vasaloppet, a 90km journey where thousands of participants aim to reach Mora from Sälen on nordic skis in one of the most famous classic skiing race in the world. In this article I am sharing my journey to completing Vasaloppet, from beginner to {spoiler alert!} crossing the finish line, along with tips I picked on the way.

Skiing the 90km of Vasaloppet is considered an integral part of being a Swede. It is usually said that either you have completed Vasaloppet, either you are training for it or you think about doing it one day. Since its the first edition in 1922, 550.000 skiers have taken the journey from Salen to Mora, along a 90km trail. located in the middle of Sweden. Cross country skiing is usually regarded as one of the most intense endurance sport and powering yourself on skis for 90km is quite a challenge.

 

Continue reading →

A beginner’s guide to cycling your first sportive

4 Comments
It’s decided: this year, you will cycle with your first “sportive” – the official term used to define a non competitive (not a race) long distance cycling event, a cycling challenge over the 100km or mile mark.
Just like Alice falling down the rabbit hole, you probably have no idea what you are in for. This article will introduce with with humour to the wonderful world of cycling, full of MAMILs – Middle Age Men In Lycra– fanatic amateur cyclists, or, as the Oxford dictionary defines the word since its entry in 2014 “A middle-aged man who is a very keen road cyclist, typically one who rides an expensive bike and wears the type of clothing associated with professional cyclists“.

Sportive Tour d Essex 2016

When I set myself to complete, Vatternrundan, the largest sportive in the world (30.000 participants biking a 300km loop around a lake, somewhere in the middle of nowhere in Sweden), my knowledge of biking was limited to the occasional tourist exploration and the standing bike of the spinning class. In this article, I am bursting myths and whispering inadmissible secrets – this is all I wished I had known when I signed up for my first long distance race plus a few funny anecdotes about my journey from newbie to collecting enough knowledge to write this how to guide.

Table of contents:

1. How to choose your sportive
2. Cycling gear:
– Bike and Equipment
– What to wear when cycling
3. Training for your first sportive:
– Setting up a training planning
– Other tips
4. Getting ready for race day:
– Last week before the race
– Don’t show up uninformed
– Race day: getting to the finish line
Continue reading →

From newbie to cycling a 300km sportive in 6 months

Leave a comment
vatternrundan_medalI woke up wondering if I had been dreaming. Did I really finished the long sportive that I had been training for? Was it all over? The medal on the bedside table, shinning under the morning sun, was leaving no doubt. I did it!
For me, Vätternrundan was not a 300km recreational ride around a big lake in Sweden, it was a 6 months race that required more than 1500km of riding and total of 90h on the bike.

Continue reading →

Completing a Swedish Classic – “En Svensk Klassiker”

2 Comments

Biking 300 km, swimming 3km in a river, running for 30km, and skiing across 90km. 4 disciplines, 4 competitions across Sweden. One goal, one year.

I always love the moment you contemplate a challenge and just think “whoooo… that’s crazy” and the second that follows when you think “I should totally try this“. And then, as quickly as that, you are set. And I was. This was in fall 2015, and I found out what will keep me busy for the next 15 months!

What is “A Swedish Classic”?

It is a scary, exciting and fun challenge: four competitions to complete within 12 months that test your endurance at proper viking standards. The “Swedish Classic” (Svensk klassiker) is all about pushing yourself and doing so by completing 4 swedish classic competitions within a year. Continue reading →