Competitions: Vatternrundan Post 2 Of 3
Here is the second installment of the Vatternrundan blog courtesy of our very own Richard Land. Enjoy!
The Vatternrundan – Rich Land
The ride has been going since 1966 so it has to put it up there with the longest running challenge rides. I say challenge, because it was but more of that later.
Thursday - It was my first (& definitely not last) trip to Sweden. First impressions are that it is a clean & well ordered country. Driving down to our base at Karlsborg (Brodit’s HQ, our Swedish hosts) I was instantly impressed with the quality of the roads. Since the ride was 300 km long any additional help would no doubt be welcome. Sweden is a BIG country as we had to travel over 200 km to get to our hotel.
Friday - I woke up feeling refreshed after the long day of travelling the day before. I looked outside the window and it was raining. Not great is what I thought. So after some breakfast it was back to Brodit with Fiona (competition winner), Chris & (St) Adi from Nemesis, and finally Rich P from (Team) Wiggle. A frantic hour of bike reassembling was the course of action with only a few words spoken, usually along the lines of can you pass that tool or pump. Lunch was the next order if the day with the standout dish being the three bean & pineapple salad. But not to mention the vast and all exceedingly excellent bread would be a crime, it was dough heaven.
Next task, and I am talking krypton factor, was packing the 29 bikes into the trailer. The bikes came in all shapes & guises which made it a difficult puzzle to solve. Using Rich P’s vast experience of attending the Ras we managed to fit a square peg into a round hole!
The rain had returned and so had another trip to a restaurant before the ride. Being a non meat eater I was denied twice that day some vital carbs in the form of pasta. This may have ended up being crucial.
Like watching paint dry the start time slowly loomed. At about 8 pm the rain had stopped hallelujah I thought hopefully that would be the last of it. Kit on and bike checked we set off to the start to join our little peloton. Finally the 9:28 start was here and we were off.
The pace was immediately high and Fiona shot off like a bullet from a gun. We would see her briefly again at a water stop. This woman was on a mission.
The first 100 km flew by on roads as smooth as a snooker table. Compared to the roads in Britain it felt like you were cheating. A long pit stop at joncoping where some of the guys tucked into sausage & mash (but not as we know it). Being around midnight I didn’t fancy anything to eat and wanted to get moving again.
Not long after we had set off, around 10 km later, it started to rain. Oh dear I thought, that’s just not cricket. The next 50-60 km seemed to have a slight upwards gradient, never enough to drop it into my 36t ring but plenty to remind you it was there. At around this point I hit the wall. It hurt and any energy reserves where being quickly depleted by the cold.
At that point I made the decision I would ride to the hotel which happened to be directly on the route. If it hadn’t I probably wouldn’t have gone the extra 63 km and would have packed in at the next feed.
My average speed had dropped from 35-25 km and at this point I lost contact with (St) Adi & Rich. This ended up being the longest & hardest 29 km I have ridden. Two or three gels in quick succession seemed to give some boost, even if by this time it was psychosomatic.
Finally I entered Karlsborg knowing that my pain & suffering would end. Chris was waiting at the Hotel my goose had well and truly been stuffed. Climbing stairs felt like a trip up Everest. Bike plonked in my room, kit off, shower and then to bed.
A short sleep later I was awakened by my sore legs. Having no pain killers with me I remembered that Chris had given us some Windose Recovery Cream. Desperate and tied I gave it a go. I couldn’t believe the transformation in an hour it was truly amazing. At this point I then decided to apply it to anywhere I had aching muscles. Miracle in a tube. It will definitely be in my sportive kit bag from now on, no wonder those Astana boys use it.
So I only managed 213 km out of the full 300. I’ll be back, it’s a great ride and should be firmly on everyone’s to do list at least once.