Emil Lindgren and Elisabeth Sveum won Cykelvasan 90 2019

Cykelvasan is the biggest Nordic mountain bike race, first held in 2009. This year there are over 24,000 registered participants, of which 13,000 were in Saturday’s main race Cykelvasan 90 between Sälen and Mora.

Emil Lindgren has long sought victory in Cykelvasan. Lindgren has a successful career with many Swedish Championship golds and international achievements over 16 years of pro cycling. But he hadn’t taken a Cykelvasan win until today! His previous best was second place in 2010. Participating eight times before today he’d never placed lower than sixth.

Describe what made your win today possible?
”I kept my cool and didn’t work too hard today. Otherwise I’m usually at the front, pushing,” says Emil.

There were nice conditions along the whole track with no rain. The headwind, however, was a factor to consider.
”Maybe the headwind was a good thing today. I hid as much as I could and did what I had to, but not much more.”

Emil had great help from last year’s winner and teammate Michael Olsson, not least towards the end.
”Micke helped me a great deal. Especailly on the last kilometres when he did all the work, keeping the speed up all the way to the final curve. He pushed himself one hundred percent. It was amazing.”

When did you feel that you’d won?
”Only a metre before the finish line.”

What does this victory mean to you?
”So much! I can check this final achievement off my list. I’m so happy.”

Matthias Wengelin, Länna sport CK, won ten years ago and was so close to a second victory but crossed the finish line a wheel’s length behind Lindgren.
”I came close to another win. Sure, winning again ten years after would have been nice. But a second place is good too. I did what I could,” says Matthias Wengelin.

What did you make of the race today?
”It was very slow and cautious with a big group. You had to stay near the front to avoid hassle.”

Erik Mattelin, Highland Cycling, added some colour to the race when he shot ahead just before Hökberg.
”There was a lot of cautious cycling so I thought I would go for the spurt prize in Hökberg. I pushed a little too early but I got a decent gap and I kept grinding, thinking they’d catch up soon enough. But they never came and with 14 kilometres left I decided to go for it; even though, with the headwind, I knew I wouldn’t quite make it. My hope was that there would be some disorder in the group behind me.”

What were your thoughts, leading the race alone?
”To be honest it was hell. You’re at your limit and you know there’s another half hour left,” says Mattelin, who was caught up to right before Eldris and crossed the finish line in 23rd place, three seconds after Emil Lindgren.

Ladies elite
The women’s competition, starting 45 minutes ahead of the men, finished right before the men thundered across the finish line and there too we saw a spurt finish. Not with 30 cyclists like in the men’s class, but with five. It was the first time in Cykelvasan’s history that as many as five ladies came up the final stretch together.

At the Oxberg checkpoint these five cyclists had broken ahead: Elisabeth Sveum, Kloppa Offroad Klub, last year’s winner Hildegunn Gjertrud Hovdenak, Nesset CK, four-time winner Jennie Stenerhag, Falu CK/Åbro, Hanna Bergman, Falu CK, who came second last year and won the first race in 2009, and Nellie Larsson, Team Lapierre Sweden.

These five stuck together all the way to the finish where the two Norwegians crossed the finish line first, Sveum ahead of Hovdenak. Everything fell into place for Elisabeth Sveum who came in 17th place in her first Cykelvasan last year.
”The speed picked up across the Aukland bridge but no one came up. Then I timed the spurt perfectly. Winning Cykelvasan is huge,” says Sveum.

Sveum had rough going when the leading group went from ten to five cyclists halfway.
”I only just managed to join the leading group then,” the Norwegian tells us.

Hovdenak, in second place, was somewhat disappointed that she couldn’t defend her victory from last year.
”Elisabeth is good at conserving her energy so I thought she could start the spurt. She’d been towards the back for a long time, saving up. She was at the front at the end but we were so slow then that it didn’t cost her. Sadly neither me nor Jennie could take her on in the spurt,” says Hovdenak, continuing:
”I don’t want to talk her down but it doesn’t feel great when she was laying in wait for so long. But it’s allowed.”

Jennie Stenerhag, in third place, looked strong along the track and took many spurt prizes but it wasn’t enough to get her a fifth Cykelvasan 90 victory in the end.
”We had such an incredible headwind the whole way so I knew a long spurt would be risky. I wanted to go for it for a long time but I didn’t have that extra kick in my legs today. It was hard. It unfortunately wasn’t enough today,” says Stenerhag.

Cykelvasan continues this Sunday with the Ungdomscykelvasan competition (with a new record number of registrants) as well as the leisure races Cykelvasan 30 and Cykelvasan 45 – all starting in Oxberg. Want to participate? Registration is possible all the way up until the start!

CYKELVASAN 2020
Registration for Cykelvasan 2020 and Vasaloppet’s Summer Week 2020 opens on Sunday, September 15, 2019 on Vasaloppet’s website! Want a reminder when registration is about about to open? Sign up for an email notification now at  www.vasaloppet.se

RESULTS
Cykelvasan, competition class 94 km Sälen-Mora, women, 2019-08-10
1 Elisabeth Sveum, (NOR), Kloppa Offroad Klub, 3.08.41
2 Hildegunn Gjertrud Hovdenak, (NOR), Nesset CK, 3.08.41
3 Jennie Stenerhag, (SWE), Falu CK/Åbro, 3.08.41
4 Hanna Bergman, (SWE), Falu CK, 3.08.42
5 Nellie Larsson, (SWE), Team Lapierre Sweden, 3.08.43
6 Sandra Salinger, (SWE), MIX Sports club/Axelent, 3.11.07
7 Emmy Thelberg, (SWE), TCM.se, 3.11.08
8 Sandra Backman, (SWE), Team She Rides PWRD by Scott & Idre/ She Rides CK, 3.11.10
9 Linn Gustafzzon, (SWE), ML sports club, 3.11.10
10 Åsa Erlandsson, (SWE), Varbergs MTB, 3.11.12

Cykelvasan, competition class 94 km Sälen-Mora, men, 2019-08-10
1 Emil Lindgren, (SWE), Serneke Allebike MTB TEAM, 2.48.41
2 Matthias Wengelin, (SWE), Länna sport CK, 2.48.41
3 Michael Stjernquist, (SWE), Team HiQ / IKHP Huskvarna, 2.48.41
4 Oscar Lind, (SWE), Serneke Allebike CK, 2.48.41
5 Albin Johansson, (SWE), Mjölby CK, 2.48.41
6 Calle Friberg, (SWE), HiQ Sports Club, 2.48.42
7 Emil Hasund Eid, (NOR), Kloppa Offroad Klubb, 2.48.42
8 Sigurd Salberg Pedersen, (NOR), Lillehammer Cykleklubb, 2.48.42
9 Henrik Blom, (SWE), Team Hi5 OIK Race – Obbola IK, 2.48.42
10 John Midelf, (SWE), Specialized concept store ck, 2.48.42

Footnote: Hill prizes in Evertsberg were won by Jennie Stenerhag, timed 1.44.25, and Viktor Junell 1.33.25.

NOTE! See  all results at
results.vasaloppet.se/2019/?lang=EN_CAP

Sveriges Television
SVT is broadcasting a 45-minute summary from Cykelvasan 90. The summary will be broadcast on SVT1 and SVT Play on Sunday, August 11 at 22:40–23:25. Also in SVT1 on Monday, August 12 at 11:30–12:15 and SVT1 Saturday August 17 at 15:20–16:05. (Only viewable in Sweden.)
svt.se/sport

Vasaloppet.TV broadcasting live online all weekend
vasaloppet.tv

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Cykelvasan Winners 2009–2019, men
2009 Matthias Wengelin, Cykloteket RT, 2.43.27
2010 Magnus Darvell, Team Kalas/Pedalogerna, 2.39.00 (Record time!)
2011 Jesper Dahlström, Motala AIF Cykelklubb, 2.47.32
2012 Jesper Dahlström, Team Cykelcity, 2.47.20
2013 Fredrik Ericsson, CK Cykelcity.se, 2.43.01
2014 Johan Landström, Motala AIF/SCOTT 2.45.59
2015 Alexander Wetterhall, Team Tre Berg – BIANCHI, 2.44.35
2016 Lucas Eriksson, Serneke Allebike CK, 2.40.04
2017 Jonas Ahlstrand, Team ORMSALVA, 2.41.26
2018 Michael Olsson, Team Serneke Allebike, 2.40.16
2019 Emil Lindgren, Serneke Allebike MTB TEAM, 2.48.41

Cykelvasan Winners 2009–2019, women
2009 Hanna Bergman, Falu CK, 3.09.05
2010 Emmy Thelberg, Härnösands CK, 2.54.53
2011 Pia Sundstedt, Finland, 2.56.19
2012 Jennie Stenerhag, Falu CK, 3.02.06
2013 Alexandra Engen, GHOST Factory RT/Jönköpings CK, 2.55.37
2014 Hildegunn Gjertrud Hovdenak, Norway, 2.53.44 (Record time!)
2015 Jennie Stenerhag, Falu CK, 2.57.22
2016 Jennie Stenerhag, Falu CK, 3.07.49
2017 Jennie Stenerhag, Falu CK, 3.05.26
2018 Hildegunn Gjertrud Hovdenak, Norway, 3.04.39
2019 Elisabeth Sveum, Norway, 3.08.41

There is a lot happening in Sälen and Mora during Vasaloppet’s Summer Week 2019
Take part in the whole programme:
vasaloppet.se/en/programme/calendar