And so it was time Karolinertrampet, my 3rd 'långlopp' of 2013 up in Dals Rostock. I have been having trouble with my stupid neighbours again. Seriously, starting to drink on the patio at 00.30 is not okay in anyway way. So when I woke up on Saturday it was clear that I would need to spend the night at Kroppefjäll Hotel right next to the track if I would have any hope of arriving in a rested state. So my tjuvträning was punished by mosquito bites and I kind of got lost on at the last part of the lap and ended up back in the middle again. My general lack of energy was also a problem.

This race is 3 laps around a 10km track which has basically everything you would hope for in an MTB course. Last year when I did this race I had a complete energy collapse on Lap 3 because I got the idea that this distance should be a sprint. But my practice laps made me realize that this is anything but easy. The first part was all singletrack and then when you do get a break the uphills start. There are 3 significant climbs in the second part of the lap so that means conquering it 9 times. And the sections in between were also hilly.

I chose the 2nd start line just to get a good shot at maintaining some sort of position. Of course it went quick and the little hill after the start kind of stopped the group. So I did manage to pass a few but was also passed once it sloped downward. The pace in the group I was in was not super high so I was kind of wondering what was happening and made a few more passes just so I would not get stuck in a slow group. And then came the singletrack which I did at a constant yet slow pace no matter who wanted to pass. Being consistent at these sections was my race plan, especially since the track was muddy and slippery. Over in the second part of the lap the hills were already a challenge and I had a steady position in the field.

For Lap 2 I had someone from Uddevalla CK in my sight and was trying not to lose time. There was also someone just behind me who didn't seem to be so keen on passing. Last year I also had a shadow like this. There was one part of the trail where this little tree seemed to have this unimaginable attractive force because on both Lap 2 and 3 I fell in precisely the same spot at that tree. It was amazing because other parts of the trail were much more probably in terms of fall risk. But, no, that tree had something. And that fall led to getting passed both times. Actually the 2nd lap was one of those 'why am I doing MTB anyway???' kind of laps. 

So by Lap 3 I was thinking that my plan would be just to maintain my current position and I was lucky to pass several who had flat tires. I could just see the guy in front but the gap was too large. Behind me was quiet but my slow pace on the singletrack and falling at that tree meant that I was passed again. But on the section after that with the grusväg that sloped up I could see the guy who just passed me start rubbing his leg so I knew it was attack time. That was massive and successful and suddenly I was on fire and glad to be riding my MTB again. At the toughest of the 3 hills I passed a couple people who were walking up and but I lost one more position (someone else with a strong finish) at the muddy section after that. But by the last hill I was all in and it was only then I could feel an energy crash. So I saved that crash until I crossed the finish line.

This was good for a 37th position overall and a time of 1:54:11 which is definitely good in a group of 63 cyclists. The times were 6 minutes slower than last year so I basically kept consistent despite having a completely different race plan and feeling. Strange.


This race is really a hidden gem in that grey area between XC and marathon and I do like the 30km distance even if my performance doesn't necessarily show it. And the proper lunch at Kroppefjäll Hotel after made this a superb value for only 200kr!