Swedish XCM Championships 2021 - Bronze medal

Result: 3rd place

Equipment: BMC Fourstroke with Maxxis Aspen 2.2" tires

Type of race: XCM, 80 kilometers

The Swedish Marathon Championships were hosted by a yearly race called Alliansloppet on the west coast. I had never raced it before or even cycled in the area and so I knew nothing about the terrain or what kind of trails I could expect. I really wanted to test ride the course in advance in order to know what to expect but had no opportunity to do so.

I turned out to be a really technical race. Or rather, the first third of the track (we did two laps), was really technical, and then the last two thirds were really easy on gravel and asphalt roads. However that first third was rooty and rocky and wet and muddy. Not my favorite. Again, I had no idea about this... until the race actually started. But I'm getting ahead of myself...

The race started and we started up a long asphalt climb which stretched the field out. I like this kind of a start. But then, as soon as we got into the forest, I got my nasty surprise: Really tricky terrain with roots and rocks. And it was all wet and muddy. When I saw this my hopes of a good finish fell.

I decided not to lose all hope and just tried to hold it together without crashing and still not losing too much time. There were quite a few riders who did overtake me in this first third of the track.

But then we got to the second part of the race and all of a sudden there were quick jogging trails, gravel roads, and asphalt. I got a good couple of riders to hang with and all of a sudden things were looking more positive again.

As the second lap started we got back into that messy stuff and I tried to play it safe again. It actually went better than the first time around. The last part of the lap, until the finish, I rode mostly by myself. It felt good and I was able to hold the watts up.

I finished the race and was told that I had come in third place. I didn't really believe this as the terrain didn't really at all suite me. But I waited around for the official results which came about an hour later and yes, I had actually gotten bronze in the M50 category. My first ever medal in a championships. It seems however that I had been a bit lucky because to of my main competitors, who were ahead of me, had crashed out of the race.

(This article was written a loooong time after the race. It's actually December and I'm in Thailand writing it :) )

DGI MTB Cup race #2

XC Race. 68 minutes + the lap (5.5km per lap)

Result: 3rd place (https://www.sportstiming.dk/event/8657/results?round=40479)
Equipment: BMC Fourstroke with Maxxis Aspen 2.2" tires

Finally back to racing in Denmark. These races have been few and far between since Covid started. Last one was in the autumn of 2020. That was also the only Danish race in 2020.

I love the Danish races because they usually have very nice and flowy tracks. And so was this one. It was a mix of gravel roads and quite fast singletrack. There were some technical elements (roots and short downhills) but it all flowed nicely.

An interesting thing in this race is that my category, M50, had their own start. And more interestingly there were more than 50 of us!

I had my pals Stefan Methander and Stefan Hellberg also racing. We all lined up at the front of the grid. As the race started we got on the start loop which was a double track/gravel road. I had Methander next to me and we both each had a rider in front of us. This felt like a good position for me but just as the start loop and gravel road ended and we made a sharp left onto singletrack one rider took the inside line and cut me off. He had to brake in order to make the turn and we lost a few meters to Methander and three other Danish riders (Hellberg was on my wheel at this point) who formed a group ahead of us.

I got behind the guy who cut in front of me but he immediately started losing ground to the four riders ahead of us and I understood that I had to get around him as quickly as I could or I would lose the lead group. I tried to pass him a couple of times but as soon as I got next to him he sped up. Then I finally managed to get around him in a short but steep climb. So now I'm in fifth place.

I could see the group of four riders ahead of me, no more than some 50 meters. But they were cooperating well. As soon as we got out on a gravel road segment and I pushed 400+ watts I could see them team time trailing.

Towards the end of the first lap I noticed that the fourth rider of the group has lost ground to the other three and I was catching up with him. Just as we went out for the second lap I overtook him and again started hunting the three riders in the lead group. Alright, I'm in fourth place. Just one place short of the podium.

On the second lap I could see the lead group ahead of me, but again, as soon as we got to a gravel road section and I tried to speed up to catch up I saw that they were cooperating and drafting so I was not able to gain ground on them. Towards the end of the second lap I understood I had to give up or blow up. I start looking behind at this point, I've been solo for two laps so far, and notice that I have a group of three riders hunting me down who are not all that far behind.

I realize that I will get no respite in this race. I stop focusing on catching the riders in front and instead try to ride as smartly as possible picking the best lines and breaking as little as I can. In spite of this one of the three riders who are chasing me gets closer and close. A few times he's almost on my wheel before I manage to pick up speed and distance him again. Again he comes closer and again I leave him behind, mostly on the gravel road stretches.

At the start of the fourth lap I notice that I'm catching up with one of the group of three riders ahead who has been dropped by the group. Great! I have a chance at a podium finish. I catch him just before a gravel road section and as we come out on the road I floor it. I'm third! I want him to lose my wheel directly and so as not to have him wheel sucking me. I want him to lose faith!

This works but not long after I notice that the guy who was catching me and the guy I passed have now joined forces and I have two riders cooperating and trying to hunt me down. A few times during the fourth lap they're close to catching me but they don't quite get on my wheel. On the fifth and last lap I manage to get a little more distance and I cross the finish line in third place. Methander gets second place and Hellberg comes in at 10th.

It looks by this list as if I came in 2nd place but they didn't register Methander's time so I'm actually third

I did some really even lap times

Hansa Bygg Grand Prix MTB Svartbäcksmåla

2 laps, supposedly 58km, Marathon race. New race, first time ever. 

Result: 13th overall (no categories)
Equipment: BMC Fourstroke with Maxxis Aspen 2.2" tires

This race was not too far away from where I live so I drove there on the morning before the race. It took about 2.5 hours. I knew nothing about the terrain or the technical nature of the race. All I knew is that it was 2 laps around a track and a total of 58 kilometers. The weather report said some rain in the morning but it was supposed to be dry during the actual race.

During my drive to the location it rained very heavily a few times. Even after getting there and after I had placed my bike in the fold I had to quickly run into the official's tent when there was a quick shower just minutes before the start.

I had no idea what kind of opposition to expect. I knew that there were no categories and I saw a bunch of quick looking young guys around me at the front of the box. Everyone looked eager and quick. 

As the race started it turned that judging the book by the cover was correct this time: They all took off at a crazy pace and I managed to just hang on to the end of the leading group of perhaps 15 riders. I looked behind and saw a gap form to the next group. I managed to move up one or two positions before we started the first section of single track.

Before the rain...

Before the rain...

The singletrack was quite rooty and twisty but it all worked well... Until just a few minutes into the race. the skies opened and rain started POURING down. I don't think I've ever been so thoroughly drenched ever. This means that the rooty mildly technical singletrack turned into a slippery death trap. I slowed down, got passed by a few riders, then got back onto a gravel road, sped up, passed a few riders, got back into singletrack, got passed again, and so on. The lap was a mix of gravel roads connected to quite technical and slow singletrack sections. There were even a couple of placed with A and B lines.

This is how it looked when it was raining the most... pretty much all of the first lap

Going out for the second lap the rain had stopped and the sun came out. It didn't change conditions all that much because all the rain had had made the trails so wet that they were almost as slippery for the second lap around. I had the good fortune of having a young guy on my wheel, who, when the second part of the lap approached went around and started to pull nicely on the gravel road sections. We caught a few riders and passed them. With about 10k left we got into the last part of singletrack and I let him go. I rode that last part solo, not catching up with anyone, but also having no one catch up with me.

Crossed the finish line in 13th place overall (no age categories). It was a fun race in spite of the conditions. I think that in dry conditions I would've managed a top-10 placing.

Seems I moved up from 18th to 13th during the second lap:

Funny thing how the race was actually 63km when the organizers had advertised it as being 58km.

Strava Activity: https://www.strava.com/activities/5760226395