Nibberittet ‘from fjord to mountain’ 21 km hill climb, Geiranger 16.06.2012

Most of the races in my local region pass through stunning scenery but this has to be one of the best. The race takes place in the heart of the Geirangerfjord that is part of Norway’s Western Fjord area. The area is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and has been voted the best preserved world heritage site and the best destination in the world in terms of cultural, environmental and aesthetic integrity by National Geographic Traveler.

The race is only 21 kms long but climbs from 0-1500 metres and includes 35 180-degree bends. Most of the race is on tarmac but there is a short gravel section after 5-6 kms at Knuten, and a long ‘lung-bursting’ dirt track for the last 5 kms. The first 13-14 kms has an average incline of 9%, the road then flattens out for 2-3 kms before hitting the 5 km dirt track from Djupvasshytte to the Dalsnibba summit with an average incline of over 10% (see: Elevation curve and Nibberittet compared to iconic Tour De France climbs).

The route

The last 5 kms

The elite race set off a few minutes before the rest of us but there were some serious climbers in the main field too so the pace was high from the start. A group of 18 riders went clear in the first few kms. I was surprised to be one of them!

Main field splitting-up in the first few kms

 

(photo: Arild Gjørvad)

3 guys went off the front of my group but I managed to stay with the rest of the group for 12 kms. After yet another surge from the front of that group, I fell out of the back. I was gutted to let them go at that point as I knew that the road flattened off after another 1 or 2 kms and with strong headwinds, it was a real disadvantage to be alone but after riding in the red for so long, I just couldn’t give any more. I was caught by Eirik André Helsem (an elite TVK rider that I pressume we had passed earlier). He sat on my wheel until the road flattened out and then took a few turns on the front but I think he was suffering more than me at this point because I managed to lose him as soon as we started the last climb, so I continued alone for the last 5 kms. It was tough to push myself without anyone in-front or behind me but I was very happy with my effort on the last climb.

Me and Eirik André Helsem turning onto the final 5 km climb

(photo: Angleique Helset)

We set off in temperatures of about 14 degrees centigrade. It was very windy most of the way up but fortunately, 10-metre high walls of snow protected us from the wind on much of the last 5 kms to the top.

Walls of snow

 

At the summit, it was snowing and about 0 degrees. Time to get wrapped-up and cycle back down to Geiranger for a warm shower. Shame the showers were cold!!!!!

Enjoying the weather at the summit

Getting wrapped-up for the ride back down to Geiranger

Views from the summit (the race starts at the fjord in the distance)

Views back down the final climb

Winner of the men's elite race (Kjetil Andreas Ertsås, TVK)

(photo: Arild Gjørvad)

Winner of the women's elite race (Hanne Trønnes, Ottadalen SK) & Borghild Løvset (Orkla CK)

(photo: Arild Gjørvad)

Race results

http://rittranking.merida.no/race/2196/list?page=0

I finished the race in 1:20:53. Strong headwinds meant that the course was slower than last year but I still managed to go 6 minutes faster. I finished in 28th place overall out of 353 riders, and was 9th in my age group. The race was won by Kjetil Andreas Ertsås (elite rider with TVK) in 1:06:53 with Hallvar Barlaup (Fannefjord SK) in 2nd place with a time of 1:10:45. The first two ladies had a close battle with Hanne Trønnes (Ottadalen SK) taking 1st place in 1:19:17 and Borghild Løvset (Orkla CK) just 1 second back in 1:19:18.

Atlanterhavsrittet (The Atlantic Road Race) 98 km, Molde 10.06.2012

This race starts by going down a short but very steep hill from Eide Stadium onto RV64 to Vevang. The race then goes over what is possibly Norway’s most breathtaking road; The Atlantic Road (see: http://www.visitmolde.com/en/Product/?TLp=32362&The-Atlantic-Road). The race continues to Kårvåg, goes around the island Averøya, and then back the same way through Kårvåg, over the Atlantic Road to Eide. And yes, back up that short but very steep hill to Eide Stadium.

Course map

This race is as good as it gets for me because it is relatively flat. The problem is that hill at the end! I’m not great at hills and tend to do better on the flat terrain so I knew that if I was going to do well, I needed to get into a break.

Magnus Espeland (Nesset CK Elite) was racing today. He is a fantastic talent on the bike. He also runs a ski/cycle shop in Molde (Reser AS) and is one of the nicest guys you’ll meet on the race circuit. Magnus is also a clever and aggressive rider. He was tucked in behind the race car from the start and as soon as we were given the signal to race, he was busy trying to get a break going. The main bunch was lacking a few of the usual local elite riders but despite this, it was a very strong field consisting of 69 riders so it proved very difficult to get a break. Magnus went again and again and again, and knowing that he was likely to succeed in getting a break eventually, I tried to go with him every time until we reached the Atlantic Road. Håkon Klærud Johannessen (Molde CK) and a few other riders had the same strategy but the main bunch just wouldn’t let us go.

I am not usually so aggressive in races and was starting to feel the effects of trying to get into a break. I was knackered by the time we reached Kårvåg and decided to drop back for a while to conserve energy and recover. Typically, a break of 2 riders got away while I was napping. I was so far back in the bunch sucking on energy gels that I didn’t even see them go but I could see them in the distance. Both guys in the break were very strong riders; Karl Erik Kravik (Ålesund og Omegn CK) and I think that the other was Johannes Reitan (Trek Racing Team). Magnus Espeland must have known this and it wasn’t long before he was off. He powered away from the bunch with ease and closed the gap to the break of 2 within seconds. I can’t help thinking that he was just testing the elastic with his attempts to break earlier in the race because as soon as race winning contenders had got away, Magnus was away too. One of the guys (which I am guessing was Johannes) was dropped from the lead break meaning that it was race on between Karl Erik and Magnus for 1st and 2nd place respectively, and Magnus eventually powered away from Karl Erik to take 1st place in a time of 2:34:44.

Magnus Espeland (Nesset CK Elite)

Karl Erik Kravik (Ålesund og Omegn CK)

The main bunch was not organised enough to close the gap on Karl Erik and Magnus. About 15 of us did start to work together but every time we got into a good rhythm, it seemed to break down. I knew I wouldn’t do so well on the final hill so I thought ‘what the hell’ and reverted back to trying to get into every break, especially when strong riders that I knew like Håkon Klærud Johannessen (Molde CK) and Marius Tomren (Molde CK) were also in the mix. I did get into a break of about 6 riders with 10 kms to go, and we had managed to create a promising gap but we were a little slow at working together and were soon brought back. I made a last solo effort to get away with about 2 kms to go but failed yet again. It was going to be a bunch sprint for 3rd place up that nasty hill!!!!!!

It’s never a good idea to go into a long sprint finish at the front of the bunch but the approach to the finish starts with a steep downhill section, a fairly tight turn, and then the steep hill up to the finish line. I didn’t want to get stuck behind lots of riders going into that tight turn and knowing that I have good speed downhill; I got on the front and went for it. Håkon Klærud Johannessen (Molde CK) was to my left and the 2 of us flew into that last turn with far too much speed and ended up going very wide. I also changed down through the gears a bit too quickly and had a flurry of riders fly past me. I eventually got my sprint going and caught a few riders but got sandwiched between 2 guys ahead of me. I eventually got clear and passed one of them as we crossed the line.

Boris in the sprint finish (2nd on the left)

I came joint 11th (with 4 other riders) in the bunch sprint, meaning that I was joint 13th overall and 4th in my age group. Of course, I wish I’d got into a break and finished higher up the field, especially as the course suits me well (except for that last hill!) but I was very happy with 13th place overall. Most importantly, I really enjoyed the race. It was great fun to be up there, riding aggressively, and trying to get into a break. Maybe next year..............

Winner Magnus Espeland (Nesset CK Elite)

Boris happy with 13th place and a banana

Race results

http://rittranking.merida.no/race/2176/list

Fannetrampen 98 km Road Race, Molde 03.06.2012

Nobody told me it was a 95 km individual time trial!!!

I’ve wanted to try this race since I started racing again a few years ago. It is organised by my local club; Molde CK and literally starts/finishes from my home. This is the first year that I have had the opportunity to take part and I was really up for it!

The race goes from Akerhallen in Årø (about 5 kms east of the City of Molde). It starts with a climb of about 200 metres elevation up to Skaret. It then descends to Malmekleiva before flattening out to Eide, Høgset and Batnfjordsøra. There is then another climb with about 250 metres elevation up Fursetfjellet, down to Hjelset, and flat along Fannefjord to Årø, finishing at Akehallen.

Course map & elevation profile

The race has been growing in popularity in recent years. There were 95 entrants last year but the start line was almost deserted with just 36 entrants this year. This could have been due to a rather crowded race calendar as there had been an mtb race the day before and ranking races in Eidsvoll the week before but I can’t help thinking that it was actually due to the weather. There was a mighty cold northwest breeze (force 4, gusting up to force 6), maximum temperature of 7 degrees (although it felt MUCH colder!), and heavy rain. You normally need to get to the start line up to 10 minutes before the gun in order to get a good start position for races but with 1 minute to go, cyclists were still hiding under whatever shelter they could find!

The start

I turned up wearing far too little. Thin tights and a short sleeve top with arm warmers, summer socks with thin overshoes, and short-finger gloves. My wife made me wear a hat though so that was lucky! Most of the other riders were covered up in full winter gear including ski gloves and fleece-lined rain jackets! I guess my inability to dress properly comes from being a warm blooded Englishman that was raised in an environment where shorts were a compulsory part of the school uniform and the saying “be bold, go cold” applies whatever the weather. I have become more sensible since moving to Norway and no longer ride around in shorts during winter (like I did the first year I moved here!) but I still struggle to dress appropriately now and again and Sunday was not a good time to get it wrong. I stopped drinking and consuming energy gels halfway into the race because I couldn’t bend my fingers!!!

After the gun, we followed the race car up part of the first climb. A number of local ‘big boys’ were in attendance including Bjørn Tore Hoem (pro-rider with Plussbank BMC), Hallvar Barlaup (Fannefjord SK), 4 riders from Nesset CK Elite, and Frode Kolstad (Molde CK). I stayed with the first group of 8 riders up most of the climb but let them go as we neared the summit. I did consider giving everything and going even deeper into the red to 'try' and stay with them but I was worried that with 95 kms to go, I would end up in a group that is too strong for me to keep up with, and would blow my socks off later in the race. I took a look back to see which of the regulars that I normally ride with were nearby and realised that I was completely alone. Only 3 kms into a 98 km road race with nobody behind me and a group of 8 very strong riders ahead of me was not good news. I panicked and gave everything I had to chase down the lead group. They had slowed at the top of the climb so the gap closed significantly but as we began to descend, the gap remained the same. It then grew rapidly as we reached flatter terrain and I realised that I was well and truly stranded.

I thought that riding alone for 95 kms would soon take its toll on me and that I would eventually get caught and dropped by chasing groups so I took it easy for a while to conserve energy and wait for the main group to come along. What I didn’t realise it that many of the guys I normally ride with had not started the race and that the small field of riders had split into pieces on the first climb. After about 15 kms, I could see 2 cyclists trying to chase me down so I waited for them and we began to work together. I tried to get them to crank up the pace. As I did, one of them dropped off, and then the next one dropped off. I had been taking it easy for a while so I was eager to raise the pace. I felt great and although we had a strong headwind at the time, I knew that the wind would be behind us for most of the race so I decided to continue alone.

Apart from taking a wrong turn about 1 km before the drink station and having to go back on myself, I had a great ride. Yes, it was cold and wet but the strong tailwind for most of the race meant that the pace was high and my legs felt great. I powered up the race’s second climb and down the other side. I did a lot of looking back during the race and towards the bottom of the descent, I thought I could see 2 riders chasing me down but I couldn’t be sure as visibility was poor. It really motivated me to give it everything for the last 20 kms on the flat terrain that runs alongside Fannefjord towards Molde and I was surprised to catch and subsequently fly past one of the riders that had been in the lead group. 2 of the Nesset CK Elite riders from the lead group had also dropped out of the race early on – no doubt feeling the effects of the mtb race that they did the day before. I finished in 6th place overall (2nd in my age group) in a time of 2:48:47. My average speed was 35.6 km/h. A great result for me, especially considering that I had raced alone for 95 kms.

Boris 'passing' the drink station (no need for a drink after consuming so much rain!!!)

Predictably, the race was won by Bjørn Tore Hoem (Plussbank BMC) in a time of 2:33:42, followed by Hallvar Barlaup (Fannefjord SK) and Magnus Espeland (Nesset CK Elite).

A cold but thoroughly enjoyable experience!

Race results

http://rittranking.merida.no/race/2140/list