MTB – time for a boom in Sweden as well? 

Mountainbike cycling (MTB) has become a people’s sport in Norway, where Raumerrittet, Birkebeinerrittet, Grenserittet and Drammensrittet are just a few of many popular bike competitions with several thousand participants. In Sweden, however, the interest has not yet completely taken off. 

Lars Ragnar Manengen, who was last year’s best Norwegian with his fourth place in CykelVasan, has this to say about the differences between mountainbiking in Norway and Sweden. 

Lars Ragnar, who lives in Øyer, just north of Lillehammer, and only about 2.5 hours drive from the Swedish border, has taken part in many races in Sweden, and is impressed by the races he’s cycled.          
“CykelVasan was, like most of the other races in Sweden, an extremely good arrangement. Everything from transport, to marking out the course, the food stations, and food after the finish worked very well.”  

CykelVasan’s track has something for everyone
Lars Ragnar, whose biggest success was his Birkebeinerrittet victory in 2005, thinks that one reason why off-road races haven’t become a mass attraction in Sweden is that the tracks are often tough and difficult. “The other marathon races in Sweden are much more technical than in Norway, which means that the starting threshold is much higher. From a purely technical viewpoint, CykelVasan demands much less from participants; the course is relatively easy for most people to cycle.”  

From his previous experience on skis in Vasaloppet itself – with 4 hours 35 minutes as a best time - Lars Ragnar knew the course well. “I feared that as a cycle track it might be a bit boring, but it was so very much more varied than I thought. It’s very quick and sometimes goes really fast. Compared with      Birkebeinerrittet there’s a little less altitude but there are many kilometres on the actual Vasaloppet course, where the surface and going is more uneven, and this makes for a challenging race.”   

Norwegians on top 2010?
Lars Ragnar believes that CykelVasan will quickly reach the same size as the biggest Norwegian competitions. In the 2009 CykelVasan 10 % of participants were from Norway and, so far, for the 2010 race, 22 % of the entries are Norwegian. 
“Maybe the increase in participants, from Norway among others, will push up the MTB interest in Sweden,” he says, before ending with a warning to the Swedes. “I’ll be back in 2011, and aim to be the first Norwegian to win CykelVasan!”

CykelVasan
In CykelVasan, Sweden’s biggest mountainbike race, one can choose either the competition or leisure class 90 km with start in Sälen and finish at the Vasaloppet finish in Mora. Alternatively one can bike a 30 km or 45 km leisure class with start i Oxberg and finish in Mora. This year the race is on Saturday August 14.