Vätternrundan 2023

I've done this twice now and I can easily say it's turned into one of my favourite things. It's a 315 kilometre long bike race around a lake. At a maximum you have 28 hours and 30 minutes to finish. From 7:30 pm on the Friday throughout the night and into the Saturday morning you have groups of riders starting every two minutes and the cut off for the finish-line is midnight Saturday. So depending on how long you think it will take you pick a starting time when you sign up and then you do your best. This year I started a little after 5 am and finished ten minutes past 7 pm.

I’m trying to distil down into words what it is about this that I love so much and it’s not one simple thing, it’s that combination of several really cool things. From a purely personal point of view I fucking love the challenge. It is a long fucking distance to cycle in one go and it’s a pretty challenging course. After you’ve done around 200 kilometres there is a stretch of around 50 kilometres that is pretty much a continuous uphill and that is both so incredibly challenging mentally and physically. If you haven’t kept up with nutrition and hydration throughout the first sections then those hills will kick your butt so fucking hard. This year it was pretty warm throughout the entire night/day and I think it reached around 28 degrees Celsius. That shit took it’s toll on your body, it was hard to get as much liquid and salts into you that you needed (I made the mistake of wearing an all black cycling kit, I looked like a zebra due to all the salt stains when I finished). And then there’s the mental side, because when you got to those sections there were so many people who either got off their bikes, or were resting by the side of the road waiting to be picked up by the support cars because they simply didn’t have it in them to finish. That fucks with you, because if they can stop, why shouldn’t you? You’re hurting and it’s hard, so why shouldn’t you too get off your bike and just stop? But somehow there is such a fucking kick in getting those devil horns of yours out and keep pushing, just keep fucking pedalling. There are loads of spectators all along the course and they usually do the whole “you can do it!” and “you’re looking strong!” etc, but my absolute favourite was an old man in a beach chair in a very relaxed and reassuring voice as we were mid-through some of the worst climbs simply telling us “it’s good, you’re grinding, keep grinding”. There was just something about his tone that hit perfectly, no big rah-rah, just keep grinding and you’ll get there. And I did.

That’s the other part I love about it though, the spectators. Last year we started around 4 am and it was pouring down rain, still even then there were people along the road cheering us on and it’s...it’s kinda of cool. This year the weather was so much better and I lost count of the number of houses and farms you rode past where they’d pulled out tables and chairs and were having parties alongside the road, blasting music and cheering the riders on. There’s a Hallelujah hill with some church holding sermons and then there’s Karaoke farm where they keep blasting Eurovision songs and singing along loudly and off key. It’s just a mad fucking trip across the countryside and it’s – mad and fun.

But the thing that really gets under my skin and makes me a little high are the people doing the race. Because this is not something that is locked behind some kind of elitist mindset. This is a “race” for everyone (I keep calling it a race, but it isn’t, it doesn’t have a winner, there’s no price money, it’s just for fun). There are professionals for sure, but then there is every other kind of person you can think of to. A staple of the race has become an old man who now is in his seventies who’s ridden, I think every year, the race has been on, and he rides in a pair of worn jeans, on an old bike with 3 gears and in the front basket he’s got a old school boombox for company.

At the last stop I chatted away with a group doing a charity ride, at that point I was fucking pooped and had been going at it for almost 13 hours, but it got put into perspective as I heard about their journey and how they were closing in on 24 hours on the go. But my favourite thing was that the thing they thought was hardest was going to the portaloos in the middle of the night with no lights in them, trying to wrestle in and out of bike clothes. That mentality, I fucking love it.

It might sound mad, but I love it so much even though parts of it are really hard mentally and physically. I already know I’m going to sign up for next year again (that was something decided as the day after we finished). It didn’t matter that my knees felt like those of a geriatric and that my hands were well blistered or my left butt cheek suffered some serious chaffing - I was ready to start training for next year.

The feeling of accomplishment, happiness and knowing you will take on and finish a challenge – yeah, I might not be doing this in my seventies, but I get that man. I really do. And who knows, one year at a time I guess.

And if you're contemplating doing mad shit like this come talk to me and I'll persuade you it's absolutely something you have to do.

Sex mil runt Västerdalälven

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going on a funtime tent sleepover adventure with the besties at our absolutely horrendous local beach (its like 20c outside)

Minuter kvar... (på/i Vätternrundan) https://www.instagram.com/p/Ce6pO8dIhL_/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#historicsite #monestary #thyme #summer #aroundthelake #vätternrundan (på/i Alvastra Kloster)

Skön tur! 👊🏻 #järvsö #landsvägscykling #järvsölvc #järvsöcyklist #scottbikes #kalvstigen #vätternrundan #vr2020 #corona #hålldighemma (på/i Järvsö, Sweden) https://www.instagram.com/p/CA0wEeRpSO0/?igshid=160r4hy953w

Då var Vätternrundan slut för i år supernöjd med lagkamrater väder och resultat. #vätternrundan2019 #vsälsub9 #vätternrundan #polarv650 #rosecrs3000 #rosebikessverige #sirocotech (på/i Roslingstigen 41) https://www.instagram.com/p/ByveoFFCrHGWwOEvxg0wScFCl5o1U8_4xxRw980/?igshid=j74gotczhlli

#Vätternrundan #blockheadenergyswe We are here. Ask us for a sample. LYCKA TILL to all the riders. #300km (at Vätternrundan) https://www.instagram.com/p/BytDTskIXZC/?igshid=xwvjn1e7q08n

Från utvecklingsdag till uppstart inför Vätternrundan och speakerjobb. Startar med asgrymma@mackor😋@motala_sjostad #motala @vatternrundans #vätternrundan #mackor #awesome (på/i Vätternrundan) https://www.instagram.com/p/ByAw-cNofuV/?igshid=1duiwnlblutvh

#Repost @louisesuber ・・・ Snart dags för Vätternrundan.. bara 30 mil med start fredag kväll. Har lagt ner distanspassen på både cykel och i skogen, transportcykling till och från jobbet får räcka. Nu blir det lättare träning och fokus på uppbyggnad, bra mat och sömn. Soon time for 300 km cycling..! Better spend the time in the gym and rest! #running #runninggirl #maraton #triathlon #trailrun #strength #cycling #trispot #suunto #ensvenskklassiker #vätternrundan #

Skodacyclingteam

HUSBILSRESOR & ÄVENTYR cyklar för flickor i Bangladesh

I maj börjar våren – så skulle det kunna vara även hos oss i Sälen men just idag snöar det. Vi har gjort i ordning våra cyklar och det är hög tid att börja med cykelträningen och få lite mil i benen inför Vätternrundan 2023. I år cyklar vi dessa 315 km av en alldeles speciell anledning. Tillsammans med Stephan Wilsson och ytterligare 197 cyklister kommer vi delta i ett projekt till förmån för…

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The ladies in @kungsbackack is preparing for #tjejvättern #vätternrundan #kungsbackack #cycling #cyclinggirl #cyclingphotography #strava #teamwork

#park #centre #summer #aroundthelake #vätternrundan (på/i Stadsparken I Motala)

Uppladdningen inför Vätternrundan går åt rätt håll ☝🏻🚴🏻‍♂️ @vatternrundans #vätternrundan #scottbikes #stravasummit #fitness #training #zwift #mtb #cycling (på/i Järvsö, Sweden) https://www.instagram.com/p/B-6l37YJHbt/?igshid=93qy10a5c68i

Kanske börjar benen vakna till liv till slut. #vätternrundan #vsälsub9 #visomälskarlandsvägscykling #polarv650 #continentalgp5000 #rosecrs3000 #rosebikessverige #halvvättern (på/i Roslingstigen 41) https://www.instagram.com/p/ByTHKGsiqSeguuBFRhx5zXRTh_qclYqipYk9Eg0/?igshid=1eqv73yxdfe0a