Vatternrundan 2014

Blacktemplar

Anyone doing this next year? If you've done it before, any sage advice - particularly on getting bikes to Motala from Scotland......?

Thanks

Pumpkin Positive

I'm tempted by this although I think logistically it's challenging. I think if I do it it will be with a group of four in a car travelling Devon - Harwich - Ferry to Esbjerg - Motala. When I costed it out it travel worked out at about £1000 in total - too much for me to justify but if it's split 4 ways it doesn't seem too bad.

durhamwasp

Isn't it sold out already?

KLM fly into Linkoping daily, so that would be an option, otherwise its a matter of flying into Stockholm or Gothenburg and hiring a car that would fit your bikes in.

Expensive anyway you look at it, but suppose its a once-in-a-lifetime ride for many.

Blacktemplar

Logistics are a nightmare. The Esjberg ferry is almost £700, plus an eight hour drive. Hull-Rotterdam is only a couple of hundred, but you then have a 12-14 hour drive - not the best preparation for a 300km ride ...

The other option is a Ryanair flight to Gothenburg with bikes which comes in at about £250 each, then a hire car/van and a 3 hour drive to Motala - probably around £350 a head. Plus a £130 entry fee...

This seemed like such a good idea at the time.... still, it is on the bucket list, and it's only money after all

It sold out in 12 minutes - we got 2 places for a 9.30pm kickoff. Lucky, or what?

Pumpkin Positive

Blacktemplar wrote:

Logistics are a nightmare. The Esjberg ferry is almost £700, plus an eight hour drive. Hull-Rotterdam is only a couple of hundred, but you then have a 12-14 hour drive - not the best preparation for a 300km ride ...

The other option is a Ryanair flight to Gothenburg with bikes which comes in at about £250 each, then a hire car/van and a 3 hour drive to Motala - probably around £350 a head. Plus a £130 entry fee...

This seemed like such a good idea at the time.... still, it is on the bucket list, and it's only money after all

It sold out in 12 minutes - we got 2 places for a 9.30pm kickoff. Lucky, or what?

Wow! Pretty sure the ferry was about £200 last time I looked.

Anyway, well done at getting in. I registered my email address and was expecting an email to tell me when registrations opened but nothing came .

turnstyle

Me and a couple of mates got a place too. The downside being I'm 21:50 and they're 20:30 starts. I read somewhere you can change your time for an extra 200kr!

Did Halvvattern in 2012. It was very well organised and, apart from a bit of a bump at the first feed station, completely flat and beautiful along the lake bit. We flew from London to Stockholm on BA and drove from my mother in law's house in Uppsala to Motala in about 3hrs. It's pretty simple to get to. We stayed in the Motala gymnasiet with a hundred or so others. A pretty typical Swedish thing to do. You might want to cover your eyes when they old ladies decide change into their kit in front of you!

The standard of riding is a bit different to the usual etapes marmottes etc. A mate smashed her bike up this year after a nervous rider in front of him braked suddenly, but last year I didn't notice any really bad bike handling. I guess just be weary.

gozarch

Yep. Me, husband and two friends have places: 8:30pm start times. We'll be driving over: Shuttle and then head north! Looking forward to it.

Blacktemplar

9.30pm start for us. Are there many UK riders? I hear there were 55 nationalities last year.

Think we're flying to Copenhagen from Edinburgh, then driving up to Motala. Might come back via Stockholm as I'd quite like to do the 'tourist' bit, but one-way car/van hire seems to be stupidly expensive.

Anyone hired a van in Denmark/Sweden before?

durhamwasp

Ive hired cars in Sweden before, no problem. Can get reasonable prices if you have a good look around, try Scandirent too, but usually the big names are as cheap as anything. One way hire is ridiculous, even in the UK in my opinion.

dmitryilchenko

Hi, I don't have a registration sadly (all disappeared pretty quick). Any idea if it's possible to get registered?

Thanks,

ID

nicklouse

Blacktemplar wrote:

Think we're flying to Copenhagen from Edinburgh, then driving up to Motala. Might come back via Stockholm as I'd quite like to do the 'tourist' bit, but one-way car/van hire seems to be stupidly expensive.

Anyone hired a van in Denmark/Sweden before?

i would not. you can fly into Gothenberg or Gothenberg Save and save a lot of driving.

car hire one way through the petrol stations can be done. Statoil. yep quite a few Brits do it each year.

if using Ryan Air be aware their landing points are quite a away from the named Citys.

Blacktemplar

Thanks Nick, sage advice.

As it turns out, we're flying Sleazyjet to Copenhagen a day early, and will book MPV to sling the bike boxes into and drive up to Motala. It's a longish drive (c 4hrs) but a good way to see the scenery. The other option is leaving the boxes in Copenhagen and taking the train, though I don't know what Swedish rail is like for taking bikes - anyone got any experience of that?

The other thing I'd appreciate any info on is lights - there are the usual stern Scandinavian warnings on the website about "appropriate lights" but would be interested to hear what previous attendees have used/seen. I presume a lot of the roads are rural and not lit.

Les5152

I have an entry available for Vatternrunden 2014 as I have broken my foot in an accident. Start time is 21h34. Please PM me if interested.

Pumpkin Positive

So, how was it for you guys?

Epic in every way for me - the support from locals cheering on the roadside and street parties at 3am was what made it really stand out for me!

Brilliant - will be back for some more Swedish fun!

http://app.strava.com/activities/153299009 - official time 10:31

Blacktemplar

Absolutely fantastic - I have to confess to a lump in my throat and a tear in my eye as I crossed the line.

Was in a "mixed ability" group, and we agreed to take it easy and leave no-one behind, so 15 hours on the nail. I think quite a lot of that was spent eating buns and drinking blueberry soup.... However we had to be at our hostel accommodation in Mjolby by 7, so someone had to finish by 12.30 at the latest because of the 6-hour no-fly ban, and with 40km to go the gloves were off and I did it in under an hour - completely emptied the tank, which is probably why I felt the way I did.

Some of the fast pelotons were scarily close, but didn't see any accidents, though there were a couple of edgy moments when the bigger groups of 50-60 riders started forming.

Still processing all the images in my head- sunset and sunrise were fantastic; rivers of tail lights in the dark; the drunk guys in the hot tub halfway up the hill, the headwind on the west side, the sidewind on the bridge at Hammarsundet,the rockabilly band at the first stop at Hastholmen, the warmth, energy and enthusiasm of all the volunteers.....the list is endless.

If it wasn't such a faff (and cost) to get to, I'd do it again in an instant - would hope to get sub-11 if I was on my own, but almost don't want to spoil the memories of my first Vatternrundan.

turnstyle

Absolutely awesome. Did it with just one other mate in the end, changed our start time from 8pm to 4am hoping to get on a few fast trains for a sub 10 and wasn't disappointed. First 100km or so to Jönköping in just over 2 and a bit hours, the headwind up the west side was apparently the worst it's been in a long time, so the average speed took a hit, but smashed the last 100 to scrape in a sub 9hrs (8h51m). By the time we'd made it back to Motala at 1, it was toasty hot and the beers freezing cold - best feeling after a bike ride ever!

Spend quite a bit of time in Gothenburg anyway so would totally do it again, but would be even better with a bunch of 5 or 6. Stort tack to the Puppies (the tri guys in pink) for picking up the pace at the end!

If you want to know the details of where you finished up, here's the results...

http://resultatjakt.se/events/vatternrundan_2014/

Tired & Emotional

The wind on the northerly section was really tough but managed to get in some decent groups most of the time and finished in 9hrs 15 mins. There were some v strong Swedish club riders towing groups at 20+mph into that wind and I shall be eternally grateful to them. ;-)

11 of us were over and rented a house in Motala which was really good call until we forget to book a restaurant on Saturday night and had to wait 2 hours for pizza and kebabs in a slightly dodgy takeaway on the edge of town!!

Pumpkin Positive

Some great times here guys. Well done!