Vatternrundan

rodgers73

Does anyone know much about this? It looks like a 300km sportive from the website but I've no idea if it is a tough course or a well thought of event. I'm guessing it has some sort of fame due to the number of participants and the blurb on the site.

Any info welcome!

jarnman

Hi. Yes it is a 294,5 km sportive that takes place in the mid of June. 300 participants starts every second minute from 7 pm to 5 am. The course is not challenging, but could have some wind. A very nice event with a lot of participants and excellent service. Last year i rode on 7 h 20 min, although that wasn't very pleasant.

nicktheluddite

cycling plus wrote an article about it years ago (4 or 5?) which made it sound superb. It'll hardly get dark that time of year because you'll be a long way north. I don't know that part of the country but I doubt it is too hilly (not alpine anyway). Sweden is a glorious country and well worth a visit (especially in summer) although a bit expensive.

rodgers73

I've got a friend in Stockholm so I'd be getting plenty of free hospitality. Looks a good event, thanks for the info.

turnstyle

And it sells out stupidly quickly too. My girlfriend signed us up for Halvvättern this year with a few friends. Good excuse to go home for a few days! Another friend did the full 300k plus Vasaloppet a few years back both without training and finished in under 10hrs so it can't be that challenging as long as the weather is ok!

Also, bear in mind it starts and finishes in Motala which is nowhere near either Stockholm or Gothenburg and polis won't allow you to drive after the event.

GeorgeShaw

jarnman wrote:

Hi. Yes it is a 294,5 km sportive that takes place in the mid of June. 300 participants starts every second minute from 7 pm to 5 am. The course is not challenging, but could have some wind. A very nice event with a lot of participants and excellent service. Last year i rode on 7 h 20 min, although that wasn't very pleasant.

It's a great event - if you get into a decent group then you can pretend you're in the TdF, doing 40kph while light peddling every 30 seconds. 7:20's a pretty crazy time, jarnman. I did 10:08 three years ago (while expecting 12), so aiming for sub-10 this year. My mate's wife has represented Sweden in 40+ events, I think, and has only managed 8:47. She has to go better this year as my mate beat that time last year ...

rodgers73

turnstyle wrote:

And it sells out stupidly quickly too.

Are we talking days or minutes??

GeorgeShaw

rodgers73 wrote:

turnstyle wrote:

And it sells out stupidly quickly too.

Are we talking days or minutes??

Three years ago it was selling out by January (it opens the end of September, I think) - now it sells out in less than a month. That's still pretty fast for 20k entries.

rodgers73

Aha, OK - so it's not on a par with Take That tickets then!

Thanks