I was not the only cyclist out this morning. Can anyone believe that it is not even March yet and we can already have an outdoor ride with sun and 7C? CK Chris definitely took advantage of this.

Okay, it was not superwarm riding towards Utby along Säveån and together with the wall of wind there was a couple km of tire sucking mud. But things got a little more encouraging at Gamlestaden where I could switch back to some small roads over to the Alelyckan road heading north. So this meant a wall of wind from my left side which, to be honest, is not really any better. But I kept on passed that store with the annoying commercials and finally up to the old railway path through Lärjedalen. I could regroup a bit there while preparing for the painfully slow climb up to Gunnilse which went a bit nicer with the tail wind.

That's when the challenge starts. Up the hills to 190 which actually were icy. Then up a nasty hill to Angereds kyrka or Muur-Kapellmuur if you prefer. During this demonstration of massive leg power I several times had to deal with jumping gears so I wonder if I should just upgrade the whole XT set anyway. So after that was supposed to be pure cykelglädje on Lexbyvägen but it was pretty muddy for the first bit and kind of wet for the rest so I couldn't really let loose entirely. But this classic route is good to start with while my Furulund hills are still icy.

I rushed home yesterday to get some training in before the sun set so it was time for a 2012 premier for my MTB. Yes, there is a ton of grus over every possible bike/walking path but that just meant I could train riding on a very slippery grusväg. The ride to Jonsered went quickly as always because when I turned around the wall of wind was still there ready to catch me. Actually it was gusting quite a bit so a few times I was losing balance. Anyway, this was a fine 45 minutes.

So now it seems like others have noticed Dalsands XC and it seems like no one really cares about the SCF licens rule. So I can feel stupid for actually signing up with the club CK Chris even though it is funny.

I also heard from Sven that Göteborgs CK is supposed to be focused on CX and MTB but this will not affect MTB SM which will be some kind of collaboration with MCK. But I am still not thrilled about this news because it would mean spending my MTB upgrade money on yet another set of cycling clothes. I just want to ride. No politics please.

I see now that we are all in for a moral dilemma before the 2012 season. It seems that Göteborgs CK has appeared all of a sudden. Probably not everyone will move over but still it messes up the nice little MCK family. With no more loyalty I could just as well go to CK Master because it is closer or even Partille CK which is a block away. Or why not throw out all of the loyalty and join Falu CK instead?

But then my next complaint is about SCF and their 700kr licensavgift. My issue is this:
1.2.019
En licensinnehavare får ej delta i tävling som ej finns upptagen på nationella, kontinent- eller världsprogrammet eller som ej är kända av nationsförbund, världsdelsorganisation eller UCI. SCF kan godkänna speciella undantag för tävlingar eller speciella arrangemang i sitt eget land.

I became aware of this rule from someone at MTB Täby and had to use it before the first Hammarby Hill XC race. When I contacted the race organizers they immediately did all the work to get SCF certified out of fear of losing everyone. And now this is an issue again. I give you Dalsland XC, a nice little 50km on 5 maj. A perfect start to the season. It is even a seednings race for Grenserittet so there will be Norwegians. But I see no SCF approval and it is not in the race calendar. So here we have a perfect start to the långlopp season which you can't do if you already fixed your licence.

I mentioned this last year also because I find it very silly that one can race any of the Långloppscupen races as motionär with no licence or no club. But if you want to start a few minutes before, pay more and do the exact same race then get a licence.

At the moment I have not paid any club membership or licence fees. So for now it is CK Chris...

I love it when things are like this. The second I buy ice spikes for my running shoes it goes up to 6C and everything melts. Gotta love it! So, your welcome Göteborg for this little glimpse of spring. I claim full responsibility! Maybe I will actually take out the MTB or even the cross this weekend?

This morning I tried out my new ice spikes from Intersport and they were certainly a pain to stretch onto the shoe in the first place. Of course that was a hint that they would in fact stay on shoe no matter what I did. +1 Chris approval point.

I was making a hell of a noise on the road...so much that an old lady turned to me and asked if those ones were good. -1 Chris approval point. Hitting the pavement with these things just killed so against all of my better judgement I started running on the pure ice instead.

+50 Chris approval points! This was such a surreal experience. My brain was telling me to avoid the ice which meant I was sliding in the snow. But when I ran directly on the ice it was absolutely perfect. Running almost 12km on solid ice and I only very slightly slipped once. Amazing!

One has to ask the question of whether dubbdäck for bikes work this well. I seriously doubt it...

Yesterday morning I made the foolish attempt of trying to run on solid ice in normal running shoes. After the 4th slip and a total distance of about 400m I confirmed that this was definitely silly. Yes, interval training.

So after a long search I found my pedals and borrowed the quick release from my Tacx workstand and it was trainer time at Casa di Chris. My clock also happens to be a thermometer so I can report that my 30 min workout raises the temperature of the room by 2.5C. Not bad.

I just did a 10 min warmup followed by 5st 1+1 min intervals which obviously hurt in my state of unfit. Then I did a couple of minutes alternating between sitting and attack position with more resistance. This whole standing sprint thing is just never used in MTB but cross season is coming in 7 months...

Good good is the summary of this. But now this morning I will in fact run with my newly-bought ice spikes.

Well, it is almost feeling like winter is over for the year. Now we have to deal with this whole thaw-freeze thing every day and risk breaking legs on every trip outside of home. But what would life be without a little adventure?

As for my TC training, it was not quite that I could just jump on the Merida cross and start right away. I had to change tires and wheels because none of my rims had the right combination. Now that I have finished that, I still need to find the Tacx quick release to actually put the wheel on the trainer. I would also like to find the extra set of pedals I had so I can keep the Ridley in working order in case I have a cross urge. It is surprising how easily one can lose these things in a very small room with only a few boxes. Still, the room is ready for some TC and so am I.

I have been looking through the race schedules and I should manage a lagom mix of marathon and XC. Already on 5 maj there is a 50km MTB race I have never seen before so that is good practice before the shock of Långa Billingeracet.

I see that Philip has requested a blog entry so I think it is time to have an entry. It's important to keep the reader happy or the reader may get tempted to just look at silly YouTube clips instead.

At this point I would love to reveal that I have spent the last few weeks on some top-secret training program and that I am superstrong and ready for MTB 2012. But all I have managed in the fury of work that has followed me until last week is one run per weekend. Those runs have been respectful anyway, especially the 12km terrain on that day when it was -13C. And I can manage that distance without trouble or 3 days of träningsvärk. Still, compared to the form I had this time last year from all the skiing, things look bad. But I have not given up because I know that I can get to MTB training with my car now.

I will be giving a lot more priority to training now that things are under control at work. And there is no reason why I can't do some TC at home. Even if it does piss off my neighbour below it would only be for around 30 min a couple times a week. Others are not exactly quiet so why should I set an example.

So...let's start some discussion.
1. What upgrades are you planning before MTB 2012?
2. Have you already bought your 29" and what is the deal with those anyway?
3. Which races are on your schedule for 2012?

After a long work week of answering typical questions of whether Canadians say aboot (no), wear lumberjack shirts (sometimes) or apologize when you run into them (very much so, yes), it was time for a relaxing weekend watching the snow. But enough is enough. I need to run. Last year at this time I was in superb shape from all the skiing and today I could hardly make it up the Furulund hill. Aj. This is supposed to be Super Year 2012!

I took a break around the 5km point where they have some styrkträning bars and stuff which is basically all useless. The one over in Lerum is better. Still, they had the series of chin-up bars so I made an effort at some full body weight ones on the lowest bar (about 15 cm over my head). I did 5 of the bicep curls right away but when I switched to the other way it was 2. Again my shoulders and upper back/neck have no strength at all. I managed to get to 5 anyway and a few more biceps for confidence before finishing off the run. More work is needed as we say.

Anyway, conditions were perfect out today with the fluffy snow and it was not wet or anything. Despite the total lack of cardio or any sort of form whatsoever it was nice to be out...

While other bloggare have been discussing creative ways to get rid of money, I have been taking it easy. I was visiting my family over in Canada for a bit and basically did nothing. I took 4 nice forest walks and made an attempt at some running. This led to paralysis of the kind I have not felt in a long time which is the risk of any interruptions in training. I have no clue when I was running last time. Anyway, it was nice to get away.

Last Saturday I took my usual ride up to Furulund and over to Delsjön which was completely packed with people walking. The legs felt fine so I should keep it up to have a nice start on the 2012 season. Then I have tried to use my Sportlife card before it expires at the end of the month but Exclusive is packed and I can't get into any group passes. Come on people...you know you will give up training by March. So why bother starting? Give your time to me instead. Ja ja, so I seriously doubt I will renew that.

I am saving a ton of money on ski equipment and I hope that Pölder Sport is enjoying the total lack of business. Yes, I am still bitter about that whole mess up. And I still haven't even tried the Peltonen skis and I doubt it will happen this season. But it would be nice to take a spin on the Ulricehamn loop just so I don't have completely bad memories of the place. But they have no snow either.

And, yes, it feels great to have a car again. Now I can go places.

I know you guys have probably waited desperately for me to write something positive and get rid of my 2011 curse. And here it is...

My Renault Clio is here and I have to say the colour is perfect for our Scandinavian nature. And nature it has seen already. This was taken on a winding and hilly little road in Lerum.

At first I was paranoid trying to drive it from Mölndal but once I was back in familiar territory I can declare, happily, that car technology has evolved since 1997. This is a completely different experience than my Colt. And when I change from the dubbdäck to summer tires this is going to be even more of a laugh. My Colt used to take off quick from the line but have zero power once I got to highway speed. It was still better than a Peugeot but was useless on hills. The Clio is slower starting and reminds me a lot of VW except that the steering is way more fun and responsive. At highway speeds the 112hk make all the difference and I found myself going a bit fast without noticing and shaking or noise. It is just safe and has a quality feel even though it is not expensive. I understand why there are so many Clios around now...

But my old Mitsubishi Colt was a very good choice as a first car and I have had a lot of cycling experiences with that. I noticed this because I seem to have a picture of it most places I went. So when I have nothing better to write about I can do a little tribute to the car that is probably now on its way to becoming a can of ärtsoppa. Or maybe half a can.

Finally I had that phone call. The one that will save 2011 and make all my cycling goals possible for 2012. The call that will cheer me up even though I am basically sick thanks to my co-workers and their evil plans to spoil both my birthday and Christmas by spreading germs. Yes...THAT call. My car is here! Tomorrow it will be mine!

Yes...my Renault Clio is here! The car that TopGear actually gave 14/20, something they only do for seriously sporty cars. And in true TopGear style they call it 'a huge kick in the balls to the Peugeot 207'. We shall see about that. It appears to be the second most popular car around Sävedalen after the Volvos.

Maybe the subject should say leraning but perhaps some of you are sick of Göteborgsskämt. Anyway, you all know that my training has been extremely uncreative lately. Or maybe repetitive is a better word. So today it was time to throw my brain a nice little trick and see what would happen.

Reversed direction was the theme of the day. Start with the usual tempostyle riding along Säveån (not flooded this time) and then over to Lexby along the road I usually end with. Back along the river in Jonsered and then up the hill of death...halfway up I took a right and went over to that muddy grusväg hill and then continued the rest of the way. Aj. This was more tung than Thåström in Way Out West. Turning left at Knipavägen made things no less tung so by the time I rejoined the road at the top of the hill I was hurting. No more clean MTB either.

I believe that this is the way Tahultsrundan is supposed to go and I can understand. It is much harder in this direction. Those steep uphills I always talked about are short downhills while the rest of the time is a very long gradual up all the way. And then in Landvetter you have to get up to Tahult which is a mother of a hill.

At Öjersjö it was time to turn left and return to the usual route again...except this time with a lot more cycling in my legs. There was no wind today so this was just a transport section until the hill at the golfcourse which I barely managed to attack today. At the start of Delsjön I slowed a bit to have some water and prepare for the rest. This was non-stop and full gas today and by the time I was passing Skatås I was seriously tired. But I pushed on home and now have a nice tingle in my legs.

Yes...a lovely 40km for the legs and under 2 hours. I will probably take a couple weeks off from training now but it is very strange for me to have this much leg strength in December. I think a bit of running would be nice but this distans/hills stuff is perfect for långlopp.

First I want to say how wonderful it was to see everyone on Sunday. It was obvious that Chris Cross has been missed this fall and I feel the same way. Life is crap without MCK. Hmm...maybe we can use that phrase for advertising? Anyway, at least I got to see the season's best CX track.

My car is on the way and is probably at Hedin Bil now but I am not going to relax until I have the keys and am sitting in it. The banks have become extremely tough lately and I am worried that they could put a stop to this whole deal. Of course that would be seriously bad for the car dealer too since I know they will have a hard time selling a Clio automatic in blågrå.

So now it is comment time from someone that hasn't even raced this year...
Here Oscar Ekstam has started the discussions and so far there are some decent suggestions.

It sounds like most are trying to get me to do Sportklass next year and that is fine so long as it is 40 minutes and has points. One of the main advantages with the introcross concept is that you don't have to worry about clubs or a licence. Anyone in this sport certainly has insurance already so why should we force people to pay a load of engångslicens cash just to try things out? No one will do Sport and yet I know from our local races there are lots of people with CX bikes who race for fun and enjoy it. As I see it Sport is as doomed as Prestige with the current rules.

Then we have this thing about races in city centres. I know the goal is to bring in crowds but let's be honest...cykel = nörd and a large group of men in tight shorts are not going to attract any public interest. That is the simple reality. If we look at the classic MTB marathons like Mörksuggejakten or Finnmarksturen, there you get local people watching. But that has taken years and we all know that cycling has a much greater following in Dalarna. My point is that we could have much better tracks in Borås and Sthlm. Ymergården is perfect for cross and the same was true for Frescati, Bosön or Drottningholm. If we are to prioritize good tracks we need to get rid of this 'centrum' thing. And if we want more people watching we should all start our own supporter clubs. =)

While we are starting to compare things to the Danish system, I have always agreed with the A-B-C system and moving people up when they win too much. But that kills the whole cup status since people stay in their class just to win the cup. I am thinking a variation on the stafett they have in Västgötacupen except in reverse. Have one cup and give extra points for being in Prestige compared to Super. So then one has an incentive to not just sit in Super for the sake of winning the cup. In Denmark they also only have two starts in their CX races...the first start is for Sport and younger and then the second is for everyone else (Super + Prestige). Of course it would mean more difficulties for keeping track of people but having everyone race 50 minutes could be a good compromise.

I am sure I will come up with more ideas but this is enough for now...

Sitting here at home on a Friday night is probably not something I should admit to. Especially when my most exciting plan for the evening is to try the new kebab-flavoured calzone while watching the Idol final. But when I listen to the mad rainstorm going on outside I think I have made the right choice.

Just like I predicted we had far too much nice weather before and sooner or later we would pay. Now we are paying. This is the second massive windstorm to hit Götet and this one is much worse since it is raining heavily AND windy as hell. I was completely drenched on my way to work this morning and even more thoroughly soaked on my way home since I had to get my kebab calzone from Allum. Waterproof winter jacket my ass...what is the point when the 3C rain is coming directly at you at 20 m/s???

Someone at work said they would rather have this than snow. That someone must be mad. Or they drive to work and actually never go out.

Good news is that the weather looks pretty good for Sunday which is reassuring since I will be outside all day helping and am already half sick. But the track must be in horrible shape after today. Tire-sucking grass? Oh yes.

Things are getting very routine here on Sveriges minsta cykelblogg so I am adopting the 'less is more' approach. After sleeping in a bit too much on Sunday I had what might be my last ride of the year outside given the quick change in weather here and the emergence of ice patches. But I think some running would be a good thing while I get my old Trek into winter mode and prepare to rebuilding my Full Dynamix.

Anyway, Sunday was yet again an Öjersjö experience but with an extra side tour into the centre and a lussebulle stop next to Ullevi. It was kind of raining and very much freezing so those of you doing CX this weekend will freeze. I will be there on Sunday helping and will try for Saturday also. Friday afternoon I have a meeting yet again. =(

And then last night, just to be completely predictable again, I did CXWORXS30 at Exclusive except this time I had warmed up my shoulders a bit to minimize the muscle pain. Just when I get the hang of the routine they started changing parts of it but the new variation on our dear friend plankan is worth remembering and doing at home for longer. The stomach burns nicely when you lift up one arm and make a circle with it while supporting yourself with your stomach and other arm. Aj.

Next year is also looking pretty good for långlopp so that is nice to look forward to. But, most important of all, I get my car in 2 weeks and can return to normal life again.

It seems like even the gym people have been bitten by the CX bug. Sportlife calls theirs CXWORX30 and I already told you about this 30 minutes of torture before. Despite a long day at work and Sunday's return of my F&%#ing shoulder pain, it was time again...

With only 30 min this is yoga on amphetamine and I just can't believe how tired it makes me. This is all for my core which mostly means my stomach, the part of me which likes to attract food and expand every year. There is also an ass song which is probably also good considering how tight our cycling shorts are. If only there were any women that took even the slightest possible interest in our sport. At some point during the sidplanken I could feel my shoulder start to scream again. It just never seems to heal. Bläää

Anyway, this whole experience was better than the first time. And the fact that it still hurts means I am doing something right. Good good.

I had many plans for today. My first idea was to head off to Borås on one of those double-decker buses since I had no other way to get there. But there is this small thing about watching CX in the rain that was discouraging. Also the fact that only 2 people signed up for prestige. After all the time that people like Mattias have certainly spent to get any permit to race in the most central and fine place Borås has to offer, it has to be a disappointment to see the turn-out. I like the original idea of just having some cup races which you have to attend and then let others just arrange if they want.

Anyway, the real problem is SMHI's little forecast of winds at 37 m/s. Yes...37 metres in 1 second or 133.2 km/h if that makes you appreciate things better! I have no desire whatsoever to get hit with that kind of sidewind on a high bus somewhere out on Rv40. And yesterday's wind of half that speed had me wingy as hell on my MTB. I think the farthest I will get today is Allum. At the same time, one has to experience this kind of storm. So I will do my best to try this without ended up flying over Sävedalen...

I was expecting a weather disaster but that came later in the day. So I was able to take a nice ride and stay reasonably dry. Just to be completely boring I did the same route as last Saturday with start up to Kåsjön as usual. Hills etc etc etc followed by stora klingan out on the bus road parallel to Landvettervägen. I kept at it with the stora even after my right turn at Öjersjö which meant heading west and a wall of wind. So it was time to get into my best tempo position (not really effective on an MTB) but my legs did not seem to mind.

There were a lot of rullskidor types to chase down and for those doing classic that is no big challenge. A couple were doing skate but they are no match for a bike...even a bike with me on it. Back over to Delsjön there is quite a solid rullskidor track on the grusväg but it is a bit tricky since the rut is deep sometimes and my tires got stuck. So rather than take the easy/fast way I jumped out into the rough grus and gave some other muscles a bit of abuse.

Next was a cleaning stop at Skatås which was very needed plus an extra little side trip up the hill to Björkekärr which is lovely and has several nice little circle roads with hills in the middle. Yes...GP on an MTB.

So my winter training is off to a good start except it is time I find some better winter pants and a windproof top. Gloves and shoe covers too. But that will have to be a January present...soon it is car time.

I have heard some people talking about Beach 2012 already so why not start too. Last night I was at Sportlife Exclusive for a nice little styrka session. My goal with this is simply to have a base set of functional muscles so that I don't keep getting injured when I fall.

Despite many theories, I still follow the Nautilus method (or should I say Actic now that they changed names?) 12 reps max of anything at the highest weight I can manage. If I can do that, I increase the weight. But if I can only do 8 reps I reduce the weight. This simple and quick method means that about once a month I go up a weight on every machine. That pace of progress is perfectly fine for what I need.

After the 7 minute warmup on the ass machine it was time directly for the dips and chinups which I managed at a respectable amount over half my body weight. Shoulders are of course a problem and I have no strength at all there. But I will. There was one motion that made some very uncomfortable sounds in my right arm/shoulder which is a sign that I still have some problem there. But the most important muscles for MTB are just fine.

And to end things off I did 500m on the SkiErg thing which is a fine way to demonstrate how weak one actually is in the upper body.

I think it counts as especially ambitious to set a goal on a grey Monday at this time of year. But why not? This one relates to XC which I have honestly always been quite scared of. In 2009 when I had my first real season with MCK I was doing HSport at the Västgötacupen races and then training on Wednesdays with the club. This combination, despite a race time of only 30 minutes, led to my seriously good time at Grenserittet. I see no reason why I cannot use XC for good interval training but there is no reason to kill myself in H30 or even HSenior. Racing is also training.

I realize that HSport is always an unpredictable class and you never know if some Elite is there who just doesn't feel like Elite that day. But until I am finishing top 5, why should I go to any higher class? So that is the second of my 2012 goals...finish top 5 in HSport in a Västgötacupen XC race. Are you up for that challenge Sven? I see you were also in this class last year...

I believe I have just found one of the toughest 2hr distanspass routes I can manage this close to home. My original plan was to head along Säveån on that grusväg and then along Göta Älv and then the old railway path back east again. But when I got to Kviberg I decided to take a lap of the GP course on the hardest gear as fast as possible. That seemed to piss off a few people so it was only one lap but very effective. Then, for some reason, I felt like exploring so I headed up from Kviberg towards Gårdsås and Bergsjön. Fy fan! Not 1 or 2 but THREE nasty gradual hills later I was at the top. Here we have a good hill-training location.

I was following the cykelväg signs towards Angered but came across a sign towards a motionspår and Lärjedalens trail. Knowing full well that I was at the top of the hill and dalen suggests the bottom, I reluctantly started down this nasty little grus bit. The elljusspår was completely empty because the thing was full of hills and would be quite the fun little run. Eventually I made it down to the bottom where the little trail along the river is and that was MTB with a capital M (T and B also)! I fail to see how they could actually manage to put out grus and still have it so rough. They might as well have just left it the way it was originally. So that gave the body a good shaking.

After that was the railway trail with the ever-so-slight grade up to Gunnilse where there are two special little hills just to wake up the muscles which, by this time, were already very much awake. And right after that it was time for Göteborg's own Muur-Kapelmuur up to Angereds kyrka followed by a very muddy road over to Lexbyvägen...my favourite. Today I could even chase a van since they kept slowing down for all the speed bumps.

It goes without saying that by the time I reached Lexby and the bottom of the hill I was completely dead and ready to fall over during the last couple km. And that, my friends, is how it should be.

I have felt full of energy this week which is strange because I haven't even made it to the gym or anything. But having the membership means I can actually go and not have to have some stupid silly obstacle in my way. Speaking of that I still have no clue when my car is arriving. But things that prevent me from skiing are good things...

Anyway, back to the glädje bit. This morning I jumped on the MTB yet again and really nailed the hilly sections up to Kåsjön today. I thought it was good to vary things a bit so I turned right at Öjersjö and went along that rather straight and windy little cykelväg. Just before the golf course there is a pretty gradual but long uphill which I attacked with pleasure and the felt the nice reward of the downhill towards Rv40. Then I turned right and into Delsjön near that little stuga thing where everyone seems to try and find. From there it was grusväg and people-dodging all the way over to Skatås with the occasional hill attack without even changing gears. Why bother when my legs felt so strong?

Yep...training for 2012 is going just fine right now...

Last night was an interesting walk to ICA. Or should I say slide? The little fluctuations in temperature mornings/nights now in Partille have left things a bit slick. So now I can start to think that winter is perhaps on the way.

This will be my forth winter in the Göteborg area. In 2008 it was very rainy through Nov/Dec and then not very cold at all after that. Both 2009 and 2010 were snow and this time last year I believe I was already out making my first attempt at skiing. But 2011 is very different. Here we are mid-November and only now has there been any sort of sign of cold weather yet we have had weeks of perfect blue sky and sun. So I am not complaining at all...

Yesterday was interesting. I had massive träningsvärk in a place I have never had pain before...directly on my stomach muscles. One wonders if there are actually any muscles hiding in and around the fat but apparently there are. CXWORX30 seems to have had some impact.

They had this one thing in the push-up position where you had to move one arm in a circle while supporting on the other and holding body position with your stomach. Another fine moment was changing position from resting on your arms and then up to your hands in push-up postition and then back down again. It's all very good.

So my question now is whether I should torture myself with a step pass or a Bodycombat pass? Both will lead to me falling at some point and generally being uncoordinated in a group of people but, well, I can take it...