The route for the mountain bikers is almost identical to that for the skiers. All the checkpoints are the same. So if you’ve always fancied stopping for a cup of hot blueberry soup but not been up to the challenge on skis, you have the chance on a mountain bike instead.

Just like the Vasaloppet ski event, there are several variations of the bike event. All the participants from Axelent entered the Cykelvasan 90 race, which covers the full 94 km stretch, and the elite class. Axelent had no less than 26 participants from three countries.

It is impossible to write about this year’s race, the eleventh to date, without mentioning the weather. The photo on the cover says it all. Most of those taking part in the event had to cope with pouring rain which transformed the already challenging track into a muddy morass. The fastest bikers who’d qualified for the early start groups were luckier, many of them completing the course before the rain began. Some of Axelent’s participants were in these groups having taken part in qualifying races earlier in the year. But the great majority had to battle it out through the rain and mud for the entire race.