Emil Lindgren, Serneke Allebike MTB TEAM, and Elisabeth Sveum, Norway, won the eleventh Cykelvasan this Saturday. Both cyclists snatched their victories on the final stretch in Mora. "It feels insanely good. I've tried and tried so many times. Finally I got it," says 34-year old Säter local Emil Lindgren after being first across the finish line.
Vasaloppet's Summer Week, started in 2009, has one weekend of mountain biking and one weekend of running – ten races, put together. First out is Cykelvasan, now with over 23,000 registered cyclists. The main race, Cykelvasan 90 on Saturday, is fully booked but there are still start places available in all other races for those itching to participating. Just like for our winter races, we've collected news, facts, statistics and information in preparation for Cykelvasan, the biggest Nordic mountain bike race. Follow the race live via radio or stream it online. On Sunday a 45-minute summary will be broadcast on SVT1.
It is still not too late to take on the challenge of biking or running Vasaloppet this year! Almost 30,000 are already registered and Cykelvasan 90 is fully booked but start positions are available in all other races.
Comrades Marathon ran in South Africa for the 94th time on Sunday, June 9. The race runs over 87 km between Durban and Pietermaritzburg and it's the world's biggest ultrarunning race with over 21,000 registered participants. Alexandra Morozova from Russia came in second after the supreme South African Gerda Steyn. Last year Alexandra Morozova won Ultravasan 90 and it's now been decided – Morozova will be back in Dalarna this summer to defend her Ultravasan 90 win on August 17.
The 10thanniversary season of the Visma Ski Classics pro tour, Season X, has 12 events in total, and starts with the prologue weekend in Livingo with the pro team tempo of 15 km on November 29 followed by an mass start prologue of 35 km on December 1, 2019. The Pro Tour X ends in Northern Finland when the 70-kilometre final Ylläs-Levi takes place on April 4, 2020.
When the time comes for the sixth Ultravasan 90 on Saturday, August 17, we'll see the world's foremost ultrarunner, Jim Walmsley from the US, on the starting line. Walmsley, who has been called the "Michael Jordan of ultrarunning" set a new 50 mile world record (80.467 km) at an invitation race in California this past Saturday. Last year he also won the big ultrarunning race The Western States 100-Mile Endurance Run (161 km) with a new record time. Will Jim Walmsley also become the first American to win Ultravasan?
Ultravasan is held this year for the sixth time on Saturday, August 17, 2019. The very first Ultravasan ran in 2014 and so far we've recorded 4,049 finishes in Ultravasan 90 and 2,734 in Ultravsan 45. Last year records were broken in three classes – only Jonas Buud's slightly amazing 5.45.08 from Ultravasan 90 2015 has stood the test of time. Do you remember who won through the years? For all trivia enthusiasts out there we've compiled the top ten results since the start!
As usual there was plenty of interest in next year's Vasaloppet 90 km when registration for the Winter Week opened two weeks ago. A few remaining spots have now become available, so take this chance to snatch a start place in the 96th Vasaloppet!
For the tenth year in a row Vasaloppet had over fifty thousand participants who managed to complete their Winter Week races. This year 51,878 (counting all five team members in Stafettvasan) reached the finish in Mora. They skied a combined three million kilometres! 3,135 participants broke off their races and in total there were 62,951 registered participants, counting 591 participants in the Barnens Vasalopp children's ski race.
Vasaloppet 2919 offered solo victories in both the men's and women's class. Norwegian Tore Björset Berdal broke away with barely five kilometres left and could hold his ground for a victory in the men's class and Britta Johansson Norgren won the ladies' class after having been alone in the lead for almost the whole race. – I went all in. It was all or nothing, says Berdal about his victory push. – It was really tough today, but then it's even more enjoyable when it all works out, says Johansson Norgren after her second Vasaloppet victory.
