birkebeinerrittet 2009
Sunday, 30. August 2009, 07:02:12
Birkebeiner bike race #5 for me, and I find yet another solution to the "how to get to Rena, and back from Lillehammer" problem - this time I take a bus with the nice guys from BOC cycle club.
Driving up in the pouring rain from Oslo Friday night, the reports from the Friday Birken start coming in - people taking half an hour more than usual to complete the course, lots of mud, more rain forecast. Arriving in Rena it carries on raining, but we have some food, sort the bikes out, anticipation in the air. One of the advantages of travelling with a club is someone was able to pick up all the start numbers in one go, avoiding the usual chaotic queues in Rena. This is nice.
Saturday morning and at 5am people are already waking up. Make up water bottles, check the backpack weighs 3.5kg (it's the rules for Birkebeiner that everyone has to have a 3.5kg backpack) and roll down the hill to Rena for the start. And it's *cold* and wet. In the rucksack is about 1kg of Rena sand. It occurs to me that, given time, the whole town of Rena will be moved to Lillehammer, kilo by kilo, in little plastic bags on the backs of cyclists.
08:40 and I'm off, in startwave 21. The course has changed a bit this year, with 2 extra km in Rena at the start, and much better for it - 2 fast kilometres relatively flat gives a better chance to warm up before the hill up to Skramstadsetra begins.
My target time of 03:30 is a bit optimistic given the amount of MTB training I've done...I've done very few hill interval sessions this year, and only a few long rides in the forest. Plus I've had a week of hell concerning the bike - changed the chain on Saturday, rear cassette Sunday, and eventually, after much head-scratching concerning chain slip problems (and some excellent help from Bike Forums), a new middle chain ring on Wednesday, so I am a bit concerned about the bike.
My target times for the timing stations are printed out and sellotaped to the handlebars.
Get to Skramstad in about 39, which was a smidgin over my estimated goal, but not much. Not feeling terribly strong though. Down the big hill and up through km of slime and mud to Brinbu in 1:25, it is clear that my plan is coming off the rails. There is so much mud that pushing the bike is the only option in sections which usually everyone rides through.
Over 20 minutes behind schedule at Kvarstad (half-distance), 2:20 instead of 2:00 and it's clear that everyone is having a bad day. The rain has stopped but there's only a glimpse of sun as we continue the battle onwards and upwards. I can no longer read the target times because of a layer of mud on them and on my glasses. There is no kick in my legs, and each hill is demanding a lower and lower gear.
And there's a headwind - even after Storåsen, when the big descent to Lillehammer begins, it's hard to get up a good speed. I work together with 2 other guys for the long asphalt stretch before we come to the Ski Stadium, where my chain comes off. Precious seconds wasted. And then it's downhill, metaphorically and in reality, down the Balletbakken (which seems to be easier every year, although the smell of burning brake pads fills the air) and into the Håkon's Hall
arena, which is a mudbath. 
"Keep left" everyone shouts, warning cyclists to avoid the bog on the right, and instead cycle through the deep puddles on the left.
I manage to pick up a bit of speed to cross the line,
and get some soup. Good to be finished!
... and then I find that my finish time is 4:07:02, 34 seconds
Damnit!!! If my chain hadn't come off I would have made it.
Driving up in the pouring rain from Oslo Friday night, the reports from the Friday Birken start coming in - people taking half an hour more than usual to complete the course, lots of mud, more rain forecast. Arriving in Rena it carries on raining, but we have some food, sort the bikes out, anticipation in the air. One of the advantages of travelling with a club is someone was able to pick up all the start numbers in one go, avoiding the usual chaotic queues in Rena. This is nice.
Saturday morning and at 5am people are already waking up. Make up water bottles, check the backpack weighs 3.5kg (it's the rules for Birkebeiner that everyone has to have a 3.5kg backpack) and roll down the hill to Rena for the start. And it's *cold* and wet. In the rucksack is about 1kg of Rena sand. It occurs to me that, given time, the whole town of Rena will be moved to Lillehammer, kilo by kilo, in little plastic bags on the backs of cyclists.
08:40 and I'm off, in startwave 21. The course has changed a bit this year, with 2 extra km in Rena at the start, and much better for it - 2 fast kilometres relatively flat gives a better chance to warm up before the hill up to Skramstadsetra begins.
My target time of 03:30 is a bit optimistic given the amount of MTB training I've done...I've done very few hill interval sessions this year, and only a few long rides in the forest. Plus I've had a week of hell concerning the bike - changed the chain on Saturday, rear cassette Sunday, and eventually, after much head-scratching concerning chain slip problems (and some excellent help from Bike Forums), a new middle chain ring on Wednesday, so I am a bit concerned about the bike.
My target times for the timing stations are printed out and sellotaped to the handlebars.
Get to Skramstad in about 39, which was a smidgin over my estimated goal, but not much. Not feeling terribly strong though. Down the big hill and up through km of slime and mud to Brinbu in 1:25, it is clear that my plan is coming off the rails. There is so much mud that pushing the bike is the only option in sections which usually everyone rides through.
Over 20 minutes behind schedule at Kvarstad (half-distance), 2:20 instead of 2:00 and it's clear that everyone is having a bad day. The rain has stopped but there's only a glimpse of sun as we continue the battle onwards and upwards. I can no longer read the target times because of a layer of mud on them and on my glasses. There is no kick in my legs, and each hill is demanding a lower and lower gear.
And there's a headwind - even after Storåsen, when the big descent to Lillehammer begins, it's hard to get up a good speed. I work together with 2 other guys for the long asphalt stretch before we come to the Ski Stadium, where my chain comes off. Precious seconds wasted. And then it's downhill, metaphorically and in reality, down the Balletbakken (which seems to be easier every year, although the smell of burning brake pads fills the air) and into the Håkon's Hall
arena, which is a mudbath. "Keep left" everyone shouts, warning cyclists to avoid the bog on the right, and instead cycle through the deep puddles on the left. I manage to pick up a bit of speed to cross the line,
and get some soup. Good to be finished! ... and then I find that my finish time is 4:07:02, 34 seconds
Damnit!!! If my chain hadn't come off I would have made it.
WIDGETIZE