VätternRundan

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Two DBC riders go to Scandinavia along with a few others from 46 nations for a tour around Lake Vättern.

Ever since a sabbatical in Oslo in 2005, we have had an attraction to Scandinavia. Two years ago while in Norway for a meeting, Chris borrowed an old steel frame Tommasini from a friend, Stig Tollefsen, for a 2-day tour from Fagarnes to Ringebu via Gjendesheim. The day after Chris returned from that trip, Stig was off to Motala, Sweden to ride in the Vätternrundan, a 300 km ride around Lake Vättern that attracts over 20,000 riders every year. Stig had offered Chris a ticket for the ride that year but the logistics did not work out. With another trip to Europe planned for this summer, we put Vätternrundan on the itinerary. 

Despite planning more than 6 months in advance, the ride was sold out (all 23,000 spots for the full Vätternrundan) before January. Nevertheless, we managed to transfer 2 tickets from a couple in Ireland. The bib numbers were larger than any we’d seen before (16098 and 16099). Unlike other events, a mass start is not feasible. Instead, everyone is assigned a start time with groups of 20 riders that go off every 2 minutes from Friday evening until Saturday morning. Our numbers were assigned start times slotted for 02:12 on Saturday, June 16.

numbers
Numbers are pinned.

We arrived in Motala on Friday afternoon to clear skies, and easily registered and picked up our numbers and timing chips, a nice touch that not only gives start and finish times but also tracks riders at multiple points throughout the course. After a quick look through the town, we met Stig and his friend at the 2 houses they rented and were off for dinner. The rest of the evening was spent getting the bikes ready – we brought Jill’s bike with us and Chris would ride the Tommasini. Although the skies were clear when we headed to bed, the forecast for the morning was rain. 

bikes_tuned
Bikes are tuned.
Rather than going at our assigned start times, we decided to start with Stig and his group at 05:20, something he said would not be a problem and it wasn’t. As we left the house to go to the start, a steady drizzle began. Jill headed off by herself ahead of Chris and Stig who joined a “team” of about 10 riders with the plan of only 2 stops during the ride.
facilities
Facilities at one of the rest stops.

At Vätternrundan, teams of 5 to 10 riders work in a paceline attempting to ride as fast as possible. The fastest time this year was a record 6 hours 38 minutes (28 mph average!). Chris and Stig’s team was not quite so fast, but the team was very serious and it was clearly stated that they would not wait for anyone for any reason. After a quick stop at about 80 km, they were off again in the rain. At 150 km, Chris felt the need for a nature break but was told it would be another 50 km before the next stop. Instead of waiting, he rode ahead of the group as they hit a small grade. Unfortunately, they rode by and left him to chase but it was in vain. For the second half of the ride, Chris sat in with various teams and made a few more stops to enjoy the cuisine at the rest stops, finishing in 9:10. Despite all the technology and logistics involved in running Vätternrundan and the high-end bikes, the food is definitely old school. There is blueberry “soup”, a sweet mixture served hot in cold weather and cold in warm weather, buns with honey, pickles, and of course meat balls. 

In contrast, Jill rode on her own for most of the route, suffering in the rain and at times hail on her own. Having ridden up to 150 miles prior to the trip, the flat 300 km course was not particularly challenging and once the sun came out in the afternoon, the riding was very enjoyable. She finished in 12 hours and 34 minutes. 

After a quick stop at the market for some food and a shower, we were off to dinner with our hosts. A nice meal of fish and steaks was very satisfying. Chris even attempted to order his friends some beer in Swedish but was unsuccessful. Fortunately, his Norwegian friends helped him out.  We slept well that night and had a hearty breakfast of eggs, bread, cheese, and meat before saying good bye to our hosts and heading out for the rest of our trip.

day_after
The day after with our Norwegian hosts.

This was the 47th consecutive year of Vätternrundan. This year there were 23,307 registered riders; 46 nations represented; and the 500,000th start ever. In addition, a record number of riders dropped out of the ride, justifying claims that the 2012 edition of Vätternrundan will be considered as one of the most challenging ever. Persistent rainfall that lasted over five hours made about 2,250 riders give up. 

 
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