First Enduro taste!

I have had some great advice and encouragement from my good friend (and awesome MTBer!) Daniel Hansson over the last month or so while I've been researching about Enduro. He has been racing DH and Enduro for a long while, and is a pretty decent technical rider, who's enthusiasm for MTB (and life!) is infectious. About the same time I also started talking to another mate who I met over here, but is originally from deepest darkest Wales - Paul Jones. Paul is a bit of a DH legend, having been mechanic for world champions, national champions, around the sport since the beginning, and motorbikes before that. So you could say, what he doesn't know, isn't worth knowing!

Both had tipped me about a little group of guys who organise rides and little competitions through a closed Facebook group down here in Skåne. So I got the invite for the group, and then came the invite for a 'timed test event' at the end of Jan. No bike yet, but I managed to borrow a Banshee from John, a work colleague to give the Enduro format a first go! Got the bike the day before, so only really had time to set the suspension sag, adjust saddle height, change the brakes to UK spec, and ride up and down the road. Felt ok so far.

John's Banshee Phantom - 29" wheels, medium frame, 130mm fork and 105mm rear travel

Saturday, off to the secret meeting point bright and early to meet the others, I was met with a glint of sunshine through the trees as I neared my destinaiton..... This looked promising! Then, up and into the cloud for that wet, cold and unfortunately all too familiar winter feeling while we all got changed by the cars. But, the weather gods were actually on our side for a change, and the fog cleared to bright sunshine and blue skies. It was cold, but we were all soon pretty warm after some long climbs on gravel roads. After a good warm-up we reached the first special stage. The trails were pretty greasy and the roots and rocks wet. After a sketchy practice run it was time for my first timed run. Haven't been this nervous for a long time! The first run went ok, I got down unscathed - but it felt pretty slow.

That bright thing in the sky is apparently called 'Sun', or something.....

Some more uphills and on to the second special. Slightly more flowy this time, and not as steep as the first. Some muddy sections added to the fun, and I started to get a feel for the bike.

The third section was blind, no practice. It was short, but super sweet and really allowed us to open up the speed a little more.

Some more climbing, and a few people were now starting to feel the pace as we had climbed a good 700m by now. I was still enjoying the riding, and was pleasantly surprised by the climbing ability of the Banshee. It's obviously heavier than your average XC bike, and the geometry is slightly more biased towards going downhill fast than up. But still, the 29" wheels allow for good grip and a balanced feeling in normal riding too. The bike was set up 1 x 10, and I felt like an 11 speed cassette would have helped to allow a slightly higher cadence on the steeper sections of the climbs.

The fourth and last special stage was, epic..... Jumps, drops, mud, fast corners, slow corners, dry sections, super steep sections, and it was long too. Long enough for me to start feeling tired near the finish.

Prep time, and nervous chatting

After the last stage we all rode back to base nice and easy. Chatting was down to a minimum now as we all were feeling pretty tired. But I think all had a similar experience to me judging by the ear-to-ear smiles. I have to say it was probably the most fun I've had in along time with my clothes on. I must add a huge thanks to the guys who organised the day out.

I have definitely caught the bug for this part of our fantastic sport, and I look forward to some great training and racing with new mates.

Where the fork have you been?.....

Yeah, it's been a while since my last blog post.

I'll be honest, I've struggled a bit with motivation towards the end of last year. With the change in dates for the CX National Champs from November 2017 forward to January 2018, my training plan had to be altered drastically, and all of a sudden holding the form for such a long period seemed like too big a mental and physical task for me to cope with during a Swedish winter. Endless dark, cold, wet rides in mud on a CX bike, in a park. The one and only in Lund being St Hans. I got a bit bored of it all in the end. The end of November and beginning of December saw me longing for a decent long MTB ride on some fun trails with some technical features, and with mates.

Last year's CX season left me with a taste for more, and my late attempt at the Nationals had me thinking that an attack in 2017 with a proper season leading up to it was an achievable and fun task. Sitting writing this the evening before the CX Nationals in Gothenburg with no plans to race, I've resigned myself to the fact that my 2017/18 CX season is over. I needed to rest, regroup, and focus on 2018 in order to not lose motivation to do what I love best, riding and racing my bike, preferably a Mountain Bike!! :-)

Swedish National Champs 2017 - Bronze Medal

Since July last year I've obviously had time to reflect on my MTB Nationals, leading up to it I thought it was going to be my year, but fate had other ideas. Water under the bridge has allowed me to re-think, and ultimately be satisfied with my MTB season as it was. The Nationals result wasn't the one I wanted, but it was good anyway. Very good when you remember who my main competitors were, and how strong they are as riders. I also enjoyed the rest of the MTB season in a more relaxed and laid-back manner after that race as I knew that all the other races were lower priority in my head. But I still managed to win the Danish National series in Men B (Expert for you Brits), being no Men 30 category in Denmark, that is where I have to race with a Masters license. I took wins in the last two races, in pretty crappy conditions - proving I still had it in the mud and on technical courses. I also rode some pretty cool races including Snapphaneturen, the Musette 6 hour, and a mucky XCup in Malmö, all where I finished the race with a big smile on my face.

Snapphaneturen 2017 - smiles for miles

SRAMLiga Finals in Velje, lead from start to finish

Then, the CX season. The first race weekend was in Rävlanda, near Gothenburg at the end of September. The races went pretty well considering I started from the back of the grid. A tough, but rewarding course, and the first day was a stark reminder that even 50 minute races can hurt like hell if you don't pace it right.

Rävlanda Day 2

Next up in the middle of October was a more local MusetteCross on my arch nemesis course - Sibbarp. Made a great start, and had a fantastic race-long battle with the Icelandic national champ (who lives in Denmark) right up until the last lap, when I dropped my chain to the inside of the cassette. A bit of a panic to the finish then after I spotted a fast closing Björn while I was frantically pulling the chain out. A fall on the last steep climb allowed him to close in, then the overtaking maneuver of the year from him in the last hairpin before the finish left me third. Awesome race! :-)

Still in shorts in October! MusetteCross Nr1

After MusetteCross in Malmö, came, Malmöcrossen, again in October........ What a great CX season for Skåne!! This time we had a CX Trophy on the Saturday, followed by a CX Cup on the Sunday at Holma, close to Mormor Monica. Had a cracking couple of races this time, and felt great throughout both. Got a 4th on the Saturday, and then had a race-long battle with Hans Mård and Mathias Karlsson ending in a sprint for the line where I came out worst, but taking home a 3rd was ok for me.

Malmöcrossen day 2 - Tight finish

Another MusetteCross a couple of weeks later in a now very soggy Sibbarp saw me have mechanical problems from the start. This race was also the start of the end for me, I had trained pretty hard going in, and felt pretty tired during the race, and also took a unusually long time to recover. I limped home to 5th on the day, having to stop every so often to put my chain back on. The doubts had crept in after the race, and I already started to wonder if I should call it a day on this season.

My last CX race was at the beginning of December, and turned out to only be a race start. Lundacrossen (in Lund!) where I was feeling very tired and stressed, and had also been ill for a week before the race. In hindsight it had perhaps have been better to skip the race, but I took the start, and managed a lap before pulling off. Feeling pretty down and miserable, I also managed to make myself ill once again. That is when I decided that the CX season was over for this year. Time to recover, rest and regroup.

During this recovery time we took a trip back to the UK for Xmas, and I squeezed in some cracking MTB rides with mates, and on my own all on my old stomping grounds. Swinley, Yateley Heath, Blackbushe, Minley Manor and Yateley Common. It was a great way to recuperate and get my mojo back ready for some proper training after returning to Sweden. It also gave me that needed time to reflect, and plan. Was fantastic to catch up with family and friends too.

UK trip - Xmas 2017

So obviously, I started thinking about what to do in 2018. British Nationals? Danish series again? Maybe a Swedish series, some XCups? But then my mind started to sway. I've read Singletrack magazine for years and years, and have copies going back to almost the very beginning on a shelf at home. The thing I have noticed for a few years now, is how much focus Enduro riding/racing gets in the UK. It's not as popular here in Southern Sweden. Not wholly due to the fact that we don't have so many hills, but also because the most people ride XC, or XC style riding at least. In the UK when I go back to ride, I see people on big enduro bikes everywhere on the trails. Baggy shorts, long travel, bright colours, and generally riding in groups. Why has it become so popular?

Well, the more you think and read about it, the more obvious it becomes. It's like riding with your mates...... You ride your bike around, and then get your race head on to do a descent, then you chill for a bit and talk about that near miss, or that jump, or that slippery root that caught you out, then you ride some more, and repeat. I've just described how I used to ride with mates before I started training as structured as I do now, with intervals, and tempo rides, and late nights on the trainer, and so on. But, I've also just described an Enduro race...... For those reasons it appeals to me. That and the idea of a new challenge, something to scare you a little. Somewhere to be mediocre but have a great laugh. It's not that I don't love XC, and CX for that matter, and the training regime that goes with them. But I do feel like something else in the mix would help me get back a real love of just riding my bike, in the woods, with mates (and scaring myself). So, that's part of my plans for 2018. Some XC, some Enduro in Sweden, and then CX again going into the Autumn, hopefully with a nationals attack in November.

The plan is still to ride with Musette on a BMC, at least in XC. Being a bit of a test year with Enduro, I might go second-hand for the Enduro whip. I'll ride with POC helmets, Fizik shoes, Vittoria tyres, and hopefully with a smile on my face. Oh, and I'll race in Elite... Well, why not. If I was racing in Denmark and had won Men B, they would want me to move up to Elite (Men A). One year left until I'm 40 and will move into Veterans, one more year to pretend I'm still young, a year with a new challenge. So I won't be hassling for podium positions at most races, but I will be challenging myself, racing others, and hopefully enjoying myself. That is why we do this after all, right? ;-)

Last of the MTB races

My last MTB race of 2017 was to be the last round of the Danish National series (SRAM Liga) in Vejle. I'd been to the venue in 2016, but didn't race due to illness, but was at least aware of the course layout. We drove over on Saturday afternoon with Sandra from Singletrack Sisters who would be racing the Elite race just after me on Sunday. It's a great venue (especially when not raining!), with lots going on around the arena.

No Albert, it's not a giant marshmallow......

Upon arrival we were buoyed by the dryness of the roads and tracks and the forecast was for dry, although cloudy weather both Saturday and Sunday. We arrived in good time to collect our number boards, pin them on and out on the track for official practice. The course was damp in some areas, but generally in very good condition, especially the areas that must be part of a permanent MTB track, which were properly prepared for all weathers.

Back to the hotel, food in the hotel restaurant and then into bed nice and early. Wow, this doesn't normally happen! Both kids in bed and asleep before 2100, in a hotel! Wii Hoo!

Sunday morning the sun was actually shining for a change as we made our way to breakfast. The clouds soon rolled in, but we had still positive feelings and looked forward to a dry race for a change! I headed out for a good warm-up with plenty of time to spare, and the weather seemed ok, albeit a little on the chilly side. The legs felt pretty good, although I did feel quite nervous for this race knowing that I went in with a slim 16 point lead over number 2 in the series! I wasn't really sure how far behind number 3 was in points, but my aim before the race was to stay ahead of numbers 502 and 503 at all costs into the finish (I was number 501, so our seeding numbers are series positions). On the start-line I had 502-505 lined up beside me, and the pulse felt high. Nobody spoke or looked at each other at this race. I wanted to get a good start today, as I knew there was a tree in the middle of the trail, with a hop down, and up a curb just before it, so I wanted to lead into there in order to avoid any problems. Then ideally I would let somebody else do the work after that tight spot. But then, thoughts changed to..... rain.... FFS. AGAIN!?!? First pretty lightly, then a little heavier. No matter I thought, focus on the start!

Nerves on edge on the start-line!

The gun went and I got away well, foot in pedal and some good powerful strokes so I lead into the first section as planned. Not at all to plan was that nobody came by after the tree, so I lead the field into the singletrack too. Already at the first downhill section with switchbacks after a couple of minutes riding I could see that only one other rider had stayed close. So I settled in to my own pace and let him sit on my wheel, all the time thinking I would stick close if he came past. By now the rain had become pretty heavy, and during the first lap it got heavier and heavier! By the end of the lap the course and me were sodden. My clothes felt heavy, and I actually felt cold despite the effort level. But, I had pulled a gap of 10-20 seconds to the rider in 2nd place without really realising it. So, now it was solo riding for the rest of the race. All the while due to the course layout I could see 2nd place and knew I had pulled a few more seconds each lap.

One of the many steep climbs - Denmark ain't flat!

The last lap was pretty mucky, and the course had become much more slippy due to all the tyres churning the mud. I managed to keep it on two wheels, and even had time to take the last couple of kms a little easier into the finish where I won with 50 seconds to spare. Race win and series win! A great feeling, and after the tough start to the season it felt good to get it done, especially with a win!

Over the line, wet and mucky!

Raceday podium

Series standings after 5 races - a late surge!

On to the CX season full-time now. No more MTB races until next spring. First CX race is already next weekend in Rävlanda (west of Gothenburg). It will be exciting to see how I fair in the Men A class against riders of all ages and levels, not just the 30-year-olds!

August - and the summer that never was summer

Bit of a dodgy summer this year. It can be summed up as, grey and lukewarm. Trails never totally dried out, never really hot. Just very 'lagom'. You English speakers will have to look up that very Swedish of words.

After the weekend of the national champs we had a break from everyday life, and from training. For me it was by choice, for Malin it was enforced due to her crash. A week on Gotland allowed us to chill and spend time with the kids. It felt like it was much needed for the motivation to return too after the challenging weekend before.

Unstructured training on the quiet roads of Gotland

Back home to Lund and time for some testing, then onto the CX training in earnest as the season begins already in September. Race dates for the national series, local series and the National champs have all been released, and so the cross season is now planned!

- 23-24/9 - Rävlanda CX trophy and cup races
- 15/10 - MusetteCross
- 28-29/10 - Malmö CX trophy and cup races
- 19/11 - MusetteCross
- 9-10/12 - Lund and Helsingborg CX trophy races
- 31/12 - MusetteCross
- 13-14/1 - National CX Champs in Gothenburg!!

As for MTB races since the National champs I've had some great results and great fun events. The inaugural Musette 6-hour took place on 12/8, and was a great success. The day after was round 4 of the Danish national series in Silkeborg. A marathon race fairly local to home called Snapphaneturen was on the 20/8, then round 6 of XCup was in Malmö on the Rainbow Track on the 27/8. So actually a fairly intense few weeks!

Musette's inaugural 6-Hour race: The smile says it all!

The form left from the Nationals meant that I've had some good results too. First came a closely fought win as a team of 3 with my good friends Tobias Olsson and Phille Nilsson in the Musette 6-hour. When I say close, I mean close.... 5 seconds after 6 hours of racing! Tobias and I did the early work as both needed to leave early due to other commitments, meaning Phille would be riding the last hour on his own! So as it was, Tobbe and I missed all the excitement of the last few laps where the Musette team hauled us in to finish within spitting distance at the line. The race was a fairly small affair for the first test of the event which Musette hope will grow, but the atmosphere was superb, friendly and fun racing on an ever changing course as the weather went from rain to sun several times. I rode my new training bike in this race, a BMC TeamElite 01, which is new for me as I've been riding fully suspended for the last 2 1/2 years. The softtail is a great comprimise of weight, comfort and speed. I really enjoyed riding this bike, with it's sharp handling and quick response. It's nice to be back on a hardtail too, feels like you have to work for your speed a little more. But I also think you become a better rider when training on a hardtail.

The new TeamElite - a rather nice 'Training' bike

The same day we drove to Silkeborg with Sandra from Malins team in order to test the course for SRAMLiga (Danish National Series) the following day. We had read all the forecasts and were prepared for a nice warm, dry Denmark. How wrong we were! On arrival we realised that the area has received a lot of rain both in the days leading up to the weekend, and also on Saturday. When Sandra and I finally arrived at the venue (after some sightseeing in Silkeborg courtesy of her phone GPS! ;-) ) we were greeted with a mud bath! Even the start/finish area was tricky to move around in. The lap was tough to say the least. I counted at least two places where I'd probably be off and running if the ground didn't dry out by Sunday. This would be the first outing for my new 2018 race bike. A BMC FourStroke 01 One, and boy what a debut for that bike!

As it turned out, the course did improve. But only slightly! More rain overnight had not helped, but sun in the morning had helped to make a small difference. I decided to go out fairly easy and see how the legs felt after the previous day's efforts and settled in to 2nd place with the series leader just behind. Onto the second lap I caught the leader and had pulled away from third place, then with some good old British mud riding I pulled a gap for the rest of the race in the slippy conditions as the others struggled to find grip. On race day there was only one climb that wasn't rideable, and the CX training helped me to gain time even there. The legs were shot by the end of the race, but I was relieved to take the win, and also move into the series lead with one round left to go! The new bike felt pretty similar to the 2017 one (good for me having not ridden it before this weekend!) apart from the small changes in suspension, brakes and gears. But I have to say the biggest difference to the hardtail ridden on Saturday was the wheels. I had my Amaton race wheels on the fully, and boy what a difference to the original DT Swiss wheels. So light, stiff and sharp. They really helps to make the bike feel fast and responsive, even if it is a fully!

A win in Silkeborg, and now the series lead with one race left

The following weekend I hadn't really planned to race, but after some persuasion by Magnus I agreed to accompany him to Snapphaneturen, but decided to only ride the open class instead of senior men racing category. The race organised by Hässleholms Cykelklubb is a tough one, and although ONLY 60km, is mainly singletrack, and pretty tough trails. Not a high average speed, and not so many spots to rest on. We took an easy start and I had agreed with Magnus that he would try to stay with me as long as he was comfortable. The start loop was pretty hectic, with riders taking lines all over the place, and lots of traffic and stopping, so already there we lost sight of each other. From there out I just rode to have fun and enjoy the trails. The legs felt good, and the new TeamElite and I had become good friends so I really enjoyed chucking it about on the tough singletrack. With about 15km to go I still felt pretty fresh so decided to push on to the finish at a higher pace. I'd already been passing a lot of riders, but in those last 15km the pace of those being passed had increased and I'd also caught a lot of the race classes. The last 1km was pretty cool as I caught and then out-sprinted 2 riders in to the finish, not realising at all that I'd actually worked my way up to 3rd place in open! My time was ok too, and would have given me a top 30 in the race category. I almost wished I'd raced and tried a bit harder. But still, I had a great time, and I can highly recommend this fantastic event.

Some of the Musette MTB crew after Snapphaneturen

The last of 3 weekends in a row was XCup, again on the Rainbow track in Malmö. This time we had some pretty bad weather, and during the race the race the course went from wet, to wetter, to bog! Luckily for me I love those conditions, so I took the win from my Musette team-mate Philip after taking the lead early on the start loop. It was a really tough race due to the conditions, and during the last lap I had a minimum of 4 fairly heavy crashes into thorn bushes or trees. The bruises, scratches and masses of mud in my eyes took a good few days to get over! Contact lenses and muddy races are never easy going!

The glasses lasted about a lap, then it was 'safety-squint' time. Mud-fest!

BMC and Musette were also at the XCup race showing the new 2018 bikes and in particular the new Agonist that I had a go on round the now drying track. First impressions were very positive, and I especially liked the new geometry of this bike and the stable feeling it gave. The suspension wasn't set up for my weight, but initial feelings were good with good small bump response and a plush feeling. I look forward to trying one in anger at a later date! Could be the XC race weapon of choice if XC courses keep developing the way they have over the last few years with technical sections, jumps and rock-gardens. Thanks to Musette for the 'proper' coffee after the race to warm my hands. A great addition to have those guys there at an already great XCup event.

Me and Philip with our espressos after the finish at XCup in Malmö

The new Agonist that I tried on the Rainbow track. Really loving the smooth lines and clean finish

The last MTB race of the year for me is the SRAMLiga in Vejle on 17/9. Then it's full-speed-ahead for the CX season!

Race Report from SM (National Champs)

Well that was a pretty mental National Champs week/weekend.... mechanicals, late night driving, crashes, hospital visits. No offence to Värnamo but I don't want to go back for a while. ;-)

Malin and I drove up as early as Tuesday (Malin raced sprint on Thursday) so that she could try both the XCE and XCO courses. I stuck to my plan and did an interval session on Tuesday, a very easy spin on Wednesday. Only riding the course again on Thursday morning I took my last lap as my race prep session after Malin's qualifying run in the XCE.

Team tents for Musette/BMC and the Singletrack Sisters!

All felt good and I was looking forward to the next day. Until.... my Di2 decided it didn't want to play anymore. The system shut down on two separate occasions and I couldn't find anyone with the necessary equipment to do diagnostics during the afternoon. So, decision to change to Tobias' spare bike's mechanical SRAM group was made early evening, but while Malin was still racing nothing could be done till 21:00. After some time faffing, Tobias and I realised the rear mech hanger was direct mount, and his rear mech was standard. The extra hangers I had with me were also direct mount. So at 23:00, after some convincing/pep-talk by Tobbe (I have to admit with everything I'd put into this event, I was pretty distraught) we drove back to Lund to take the mech hanger from my spare bike.

2 hours in the car.... same hanger/problem again. In the car with the bike as a last resort, and a call to Christian who opened Musette for me at 1am, to get a hanger! Luckily like me he's used to no sleep with small children in the house. ;-) Hanger in hand Tobbe drove me back to Värnamo. In bed by 4:00. Up early the next morning I built the bike up again with the new hanger and the mechanical system. Now with a gripshift SRAM shifter, not ridden gripshift since 1995! The system worked great during the car park test though, and I didn't think I'd have any problems adjusting. 

The BMC FS01, now with mechanical gears - and with 90's throwback Gripshift! Sexy Amaton wheels!

10:00, bike ready, race is just after 12:00. Time to mix drinks, sort kit, get dressed and then ride up to the venue for my warm-up. Only now did I really start to reflect on the manic 12-18 hours and was just glad to be able to make it to the start line. Even if all my usual, and planned pre-race rituals both the night before and morning before had been missed completely or disrupted. The first silly mistake then came when I missed where I was supposed to come in to the start. I rode up to the start area twice, but saw nobody. So rode away again. Only on my last visit did I realise that I'd been checking the wrong place, and all my rivals stood on the start line already! NO! Missed call-up. Was seeded No. 3, but was therefore demoted to the last row. Seemed I wasn't the only one as seeded No. 2 Johan ('Limpan') was also on the last row. 

Now I was feeling stressed, and angry. I had to keep myself in check to not explode and ruin my race before it even started. 

Away almost last - then silly watts - Photo: Malin

The gun went, and I got hemmed in against the fencing on the right-side. Away dead last into the first corner. After the corner was a long wide gravel road. Here I rode like an idiot from last to first place. Haven't checked the power figures, but safe to say it was way over how I had planned to start and I was in the red by the time we reached the first singletrack. Just before entering the singletrack Jokke came by and stretched his legs. If there was more gravel road he would have disappeared but luckily the fast flowing trail suits me and I could close in before the first technical section was reached. He set a fast early pace and I sat on his wheel studying where he was fast and slow. I heard tyres behind me the whole time, and heard people cheering Johan. So Limpan also got a good start and was with us.

The first lap was over in a flash, and for both laps 1 and 2 Jokke and I shared the lead, but I was riding like it was the last lap. Overtaking and attacking in silly places, and wasting energy. Being so angry I felt like I had something to prove and could ride away from everybody. How wrong I was.

Pushing the pace on Liftgatan on lap 2 - way too hard too early - Photo: Lucas Axelsson

Lap 3 and Limpan came by to take the lead, my attacks had helped pull a gap to Jokke, although I later found out that he had also dropped his chain at some point. I sat on Johan's wheel for lap 3, and could ride his pace, although the legs were starting to feel a but strained already.

Lap 3 - Johan's turn to push the pace - Photo: Lucas Axelsson

Lap 3 - Johan still leading and a gap to Jokke - Photo: Lucas Axelsson

Out onto lap 4 and into the first singletrack I was close on the wheel still, perhaps too close as I clipped a tree with my left-hand and ended up sideways across the trail with both feet un-clipped. CRAMP! Ah! Left leg completely locked as my hamstring cramped up. Johan heard and saw that I had stopped so put in a strong attack and got 15-20s straight away as I struggled to straighten bike and body. I tried the best I could to stretch my leg, but the course is so demanding and technical that I just had to keep pushing as hard as possible without over-stretching and cramping again. The penultimate ascent of the long 'Liftgatan' climb was pretty painful with the cramping leg, and I remember letting out a scream at the top as I stood up to try to keep the speed up - all the while friends and family are screaming at me from the side of the trail.

Lap 4 seemed to take an eternity, I could see Johan just ahead in some sections, and seemingly a long way ahead in others. But I just could not push any harder. The beginning of the last lap, and the last climb were pure will power, my body had already called it a day. I knew now that it was going to be a fight to finish on the podium at all. I tried to keep my speed up as much as possible, but with the nature of the course it was tough to not lose time to Jokke, who caught and passed me with about 2km to go - like I was stationary I might add.....

Riding alone on lap 4/5, trying to keep the pace up - Photo: Lucas Axelsson

The last 2km to the finish I was looking behind more than ahead, not knowing who was there and how far back. Over the line. Finished, both mentally and physically. Jokke had even caught a fading Johan near the end, finishing only 10s back, with me a further 40s behind. Donaldh Andersson took a fantastic 4th behind me (good to see him getting back to form!).

Over the finish line - shoulders down by my knees

So, what have I learned from this race/weekend?

1. Know your equipment. I had no idea what to do when the Di2 had a fault. I know now.... But it's too late now.

2. Take spares with you (in this case the spare bike could have saved a lot of hassle, e.g. change of control box).

3. Respect your rivals. No matter how strong you feel, how well you think you've trained, the others have worked hard too. You can't just ride away from people at this level. A better tactical race had maybe seen a different result.

4. Be prepared, and have a mental list of your pre-race checks. E.g. Where is the start?!?!

Tomorrow is another day, next year is another SM. After Malin's crash (which she will blog about), my race was all but forgotten by Saturday afternoon, and racing didn't seem to matter as I stood by her in the hospital waiting for x-ray results while she was strapped to the back-board. 

Finished - where is my beer? - Photo: Malin

Podium Pic! - Photo: Malin

Weekends like this also really bring home why I love cycling and specifically mountain biking. The people. What fantastic friends we have from this amazing sport. Without Tobias and Christian I wouldn't have been on the start-line come Friday morning. Without Caroline, Felicia, Joakim, Carina, Amanda, Jens, Hannes and Felix, and Sandra's parents looking after the kids, tents, bikes, etc, Malin's crash would have been even more of a nightmare than it already was. A huge THANK YOU to all of you once again!

Well done Daddy - Photo: Malin

Another huge thank you too all my sponsors and supporters! Musette Malmö, BMC Switzerland, Fizik, POC, Tete de la Course, Amaton.

Mid summer testing

A fair amount has happened since my last post. Some great training, some cool races, and lots of family time.

Firstly, training. I've had some tough weeks planned, and coach Rob has had me pushing hard. We had a B-race during week 24 which had a few days taper, but other than that it's been full-packed weeks.

Highlights have been the nice sunny days when I've been able to get out with Albert in the trailer on my own, or rides with Malin if we've had babysitters. Then more recently the family rides with both kids in the trailers and a 'fika' or cafe stop thrown in. We also had a lovely weekend away with some great friends the Nilssons and Tobias & Neo in Värnamo for Swedish Midsommar (eat lots of good food, drink lots of snaps, celebrate summer and the longest day, usually in the rain). Why Värnamo? That's where the Swedish National Champs are going to be held in the third week of July. So, yes we celebrated midsommar and drank a few beers, but we also trained on the course both Saturday and Sunday. It's gonna be tough! The course is very tricky, with lots of technical sections, rough singletrack with roots and rocks, and seemingly endless climbs! The downhills are fun, but don't allow any time to recover, so it's going to be a very hard race for all. I didn't really find a good place to take a drink, which is normally a sure-fire sign of a tough course!

Jonas and me before the first day's ride in Värnamo

Race spec on the Fourstroke - other than new tyres before race day. New Vittoria Peyote in stock at Musette Malmö!

Helen, Tobias and me before day 2 on course

The course has a few really nice sections, some drops, drop-offs, double jumps, and nice flowy corners. Here's a few pics Helen took on day 2:

Bermed corner over the bridge, then another climb up to a super steep drop-off

The second of the big drops with a fairly steep landing

The family rides have been a really nice way to break up the training weeks, and apart from the wind a couple of times we've had some nice weather for those rides too. I take Hilda, and Malin takes Albert, not sure how long that will last as he's catching up with her in weight pretty quickly!! :-O

Out in the sun with the trailers

Rude not to stop and fill the tank!

As for races there have been two since my last post. The first was the planned B-race at SRAM Liga (Danish national series) round 3 in Varde on the 18th June, and the second just yesterday (4th July) at Vallåsen with a 2 hour team race where Malin and I raced in the mixed pairs category. 

The SRAM Liga course was really nice as usual for the Danes, although this one is pretty flat (rode here in 2014 too), so it doesn't really suit me so well. That said I had a really good start and felt strong for the whole of the first lap, even pulling out a 10-15 second gap at the front until roughly halfway round the second lap where a group of riders working together caught me. They sat behind until the end of the third where two passed by while I grabbed a bottle from Malin in the feed zone. I hopped on the wheel and sat in 3rd place going into the first flowy singletrack section. The lead rider had a technical before we'd left the woods and I momentarily got slowed as he moved to my side of the course. The leader got a 5 second gap, which I first closed, but then unfortunately the gap grew again for the next couple of kilometres as I struggled to match his fast pace.

Another two riders were still behind me and we rode in a group for around half of lap 4 until one guy said he'd had enough and allowed the other guy past. He passed me too just before a tricky little singletrack section, but I managed to hold his wheel pretty well until I made a silly little mistake when he braked harder than I anticipated, a foot down for me and.....whack! CRAMP! My right hamstring locked out and I struggled to get pedalling again. Not the best spot for it to happen with some short-sharp climbs with tricky step-ups coming up. I struggled on and then managed to stretch out a bit as we came to the second feed zone on a fire-road. At the end of the fire-road the cramp had all but gone and I could start to push on again. But 2nd place was now around 20-30 seconds up the road. I pushed as hard as I could muster for the rest of the lap, and the whole of the last (fifth) lap, but finished still 30 seconds down in third place, with roughly 50 seconds back to fourth. The leader had put in two amazing laps and finished over a minute up. Still pretty happy with my performance, and the form felt good after just a short taper of a few days. This was my first race on the new Amaton wheels, and they felt absolutely amazing. So fast and stiff, they have really transformed the handling of the bike. Luckily they seem to be able to take a bashing too, as the course had quite a few jumps and drops!

One of many drops in Varde - SRAM Liga Rd 3

Bit of a flat landing on this jump, no problem for my BMC Fourstroke though

Soft landing in sand, this is where stiff, responsive wheels really help with control!

The team relay race as part of Båstad Bike Week was supposed to be a training ride for Malin and I. I had planned to do a 90min tempo ride, and Malin was to do 2 x 20 min intervals. However, we hadn't read the rules properly, and our plans of riding our training straight were scuppered when we read rule No. 3. Each rider may only ride 2 laps in succession! DOH! Plan B then was to allow Malin to ride a little shorter, and me a little longer (and slower) by me doing 2 laps, and her 1 before a swap. It worked pretty well apart from the 'slow' bit. We both pushed pretty hard as the red mist fell and we led the mixed pair race from the first lap. Our 2:1 plan also made for a faster overall race time compared to our competitors who rode 1:1. Perhaps in hindsight we'd have had more fun doing that too. But still, it was still cool to race in the middle of the week, and also great to have friends on the podium with us at the end! Well done to Ulrika & Daniel, and Helen & Jonas who took home 3rd and 2nd places respectively. We will definitely be back for more next year, we hope for big things from this race. A well organised, although small race with a really nice laid back atmosphere. Who can argue with the venue too, an arse-kicking climb, followed by a DH course descent.... Win win win!

Podium from Mixed pairs race

Super fun course!! :-)

Only 2 1/2 weeks left until the National Champs now. Getting excited already! This weekend we have a local XCup race at one of my favourite venues - Hovdala castle in Hässleholm. Then two weeks of taper before we drag the house on wheels up to Värnamo once again. Fingers crossed for a beautiful Swedish summer week!