Over 12,000 participants in 20 countries around the world have crossed their finish line, completing over 18.5 spins around the Earth, 743,172 km, on bike and foot. Sweden and the rest of the world has been put in motion during Hemmavasan's historic premiere – an event that is returning in some shape or other.
Interest in training at home and cycling has reached record heights during the pandemic. With just one day until the first start, registrations are coming in for Vasaloppet's Hemmavasan 2020. There are right now (August 14) over 14,000 people registered, in 20 different countries, to bike or run Hemmavasan on their home turf and in the virtual Vasaloppet Arena between August 15 and 22. There are eight races to choose from – all of which can be completed in the terrain and on the surface of your choice. Here we'll present some participation statistics from different counties plus celebrity participants and other other useful information for participants and those following along.
Vasaloppet's Development Manager Johan Eriksson has been appointed acting CEO of Vasaloppet. A post he will hold for the next six months at least. Next up is the virtual Hemmavasan, where over 12,000 registered cyclists and runners in 20 countries will participate on their home turfs during the period of August 15–22.
After the decision that Vasaloppet's Summer Week 2020 will not run on location in the Vasaloppet Arena due to the covid-19 pandemic, those 18,000 with registered start places have now chosen how to proceed. In summary over 9,000 have chosen to move their start to next year and over 8,500 will participate in Hemmavasan this summer. Registration for the Summer Week 2021 and Hemmavasan 2020 is now opening for everyone.
After four and a half years Eva-Lena Frick has chosen to resign from her position as CEO of Vasaloppet: "I've had fantastic years here and the pleasure of working with competent, driven colleagues and an enormously strong brand. But for personal reasons I've now chosen to conclude my service."
Vasaloppet's Summer Week, August 14–22, 2020, with the biggest Nordic mountain bike race Cykelvasan 90 and the biggest Nordic ultrarunning race Ultravasan, will not be held on location in the Vasaloppet Arena.
The long-distance skiing world championship, Visma Ski Classics, launches The Grand Classics Events. If an athlete wins all four in the same season he or she completes a Grand Slam. The Grand Classics events are the four largest and most prestigious events in the Pro Tour: Marcialonga, Jizerska Padesatka, Vasaloppet, and Birkenbeinerrennet.
Changes to the infrastructure and the Genomfart Mora project, where European route E45 is widened towards the centre of Mora with new bike and footpaths, are affecting the area around Vasaloppet's events. Among other things it means that the finish line in all Vasaloppet races will be moved.
The 11th edition of Visma Ski Classics Pro Tour, Season XI, includes 11 events with a total of 586 km. It starts with the Prologue weekend in Livigno with a 15 km Pro Team Tempo 15 km on November 27th, 2020, and ends in Northern Finland when the 70-kilometer final Ylläs-Levi takes place on April 17th, 2021, a winter tour around Europe.
Snow and ice melts away from this winter's ski tracks and soon summer will enter the Vasaloppet Arena. This means that 90 km of bike and running tracks have to be kept in tip-top shape, something that doesn't happen by itself. Vasaloppet has seven year-round employees working the ninety-kilometre arena. We had a chat with Arena Manager Anders Holmberg about the work in the arena this spring.
