Photos now ready!

Mike, who took the majority of the photographs, has done a fantastic job of editing and organising all the images. You can see them all at his website : http://web.mac.com/mikecrawshaw (Click on the link to the right) ENJOY!!!

On the bike again - next year's condition training starts today!

Firstly - at last some more pictures are available. See the new link to the right, below the chat box.

Today I venture back on the bike for the first time in 2 weeks. It's the annual Älmhult 1/4 Classic, an event which I founded 4 years ago. Contestants swim, cycle, in-line and run a quarter distance of each of the "Swedish Classics" - non stop! It's usually a fun day, though looks like it might also be a wet one....

Back home...

After 12 hours solid driving we made it home late yesterday evening. We're in pretty good shape and are even thinking about taking the bikes out tomorrow.

All in all we had a fantastic week in Norway's fjordland. The cycling was tough, as tough as it should have been. The weather was mixed but the scenery was still amazing. We're delighted we took on the challenge and can only recommend it to anyone who is reasonably fit and wants to stretch themselves.

To all fellow Viking Tour participants - we've got hundreds of photographs from the last week. Most entrants are featured somewhere. We've already placed quite a few images on this blog and have now started to load them on the web which you can access from the links to the right. Eventually we'll edit, crop and post all the images so keep looking in on the blog and feel welcome to take your own copies of our photos if you wish.

Take care & cycle safely,
Iain, Stephan & Mike

Final stage - Vikings cycle home

Well - we've done it, or most of it anyway. The important thing is that we've made it to the finish in one piece. We're a little wet, a bit cold and somewhat windswept but give us some time to warm up, grab a beer and get to the after race bar-b-q and we'll soon be talking about next year's race.

After a 2hr 30min fjord cruise todays's stage started with a rather simple 10km stretch, then BOOM BOOM!!.

We should pause for a minute to ask our dear readers a question. How many of you have even seen a 19% road capable of taking racing bikes and running for 1.5km? Not so many I guess. Even fewer have attemted to cycle up such an incline. Our tip for the day - keep it that way, don't do it, it's not good for you!

The killer climb behind us we then had a short descent before the final climb of the tour - 800m up to the top of the pass overlooking our race start and finish point, Vik. The weather Gods weren't too kind to us, throwing together some wind, rain, hail and chilly conditions, but we made it up all the same.

We'll close off the adventure with a summary posting tomorrow when we get home, but in the meantime we must say congratulations to EVERYONE who cycled this year's Viking Tour. Whether you competed for honours at the head of the pack or struggled against your own personal demons down the rankings, you're a hero, if a little crazy too!

Today is the rest day....

So we're resting.

We skipped the time trials and focussed on our recuperation and preparation for tomorrow's final stage. We're heading back to Vik tomorrow, which of course involves about 1500m more ascent, including the infamous stretch of 1.6km at an average gradient of 18%!

Tomorrow we are the KINGS OF THE MOUNTAINS!

Stage 4 - REALLY back in business

So, what do you think we did today? Yes, we got on our bikes, cycled up a hill as fast as we could, cycled down a hill then had a shower.

Today we were both in top form, setting off early in the touring class again and reaching the finish 110km later as 1st and 3rd to finish. The fast guys set off 90 minutes later and arrived about 1 hour after Stephan and 20 minutes after Iain. It's a pity the tour isn't at least 2 weeks long as we're both finding our form a little late in the week ;-)

So far there are no reports of any positive doping tests on the Viking Tour, although there were a few guys drinking the suspiciously "alcohol free" home made apple cider in Lom last night. Hopefully they had clear vision today as the stage demanded full concentration.

After 1030m of ascent over Norway's highest road pass we descended through rain, hail, sleet and virtually no visibility down 1400m to sea level. There then followed a beautiful 30km lake side ride in partial sunshine and 17 degrees - a great chance to warm up after the summit's chilly welcome.

Tomorrow is the rest day which means both the team and individual time trials. We're both possibly not cycling tomorrow - so a chance for some others to get their faces on the blog!

Stage 3 - Back in serious business

Today was not a day for the faint hearted. Two mammoth climbs with 80km of fast downhill in between. Some legs will be sleeping well in Valhalla tonight. The rain kept down to a drizzle and a couple of showers with things warming up (in climbing as well as weather terms) in the afternoon. Many riders completed their toughest ever day in the saddle today - RESPECT!

Stephan took in the first climb before being joined by Iain for the fun part. A shallow slope and some long flats all the way down to Lom where the route to the second climb began. Stephan also retired from the full tour at this point, saving his weary legs for the days ahead. Both of us took a swim in the hotel pool this afternoon and are ready for whatever tomorrow throws at us.

The battle for victory at the head of the pack today sounded more like a war of attrition, with most of the leading pack too tired to attack, the winners were those who survived.

Stage 2 - Avalanche disrupts Viking Tour!

Today the Viking Tour went luxury class! A short 35km stage with a mild incline was followed by a fjord boat cruise and dinner in a streetside cafe. That wasn't the original plan. Unfortunately some last minute changes had to be made to avoid some dangerous ice threatening to block the original route - a remnant from an avalanche. Now how many cycle competitions in Europe in July get diverted by avalanches?

Yesterday had been a tough today for Iain, who was scared off by today's planned route and decided to step out. Stephan powered ahead, once again reaching the stage finish well before the official winner as he was able to set off early. Interesting to see if today's shorter route allows some of the elite class to put in an even bigger breakaway effort on tomorrow's two killer climbs.

Things could get quite hairy tomorrow!