Bruises, wind and horses: a Scandinavian gravel race experience

After a bleak and a cold week in Gothenburg, finally, Saturday arrived. I woke up early for the first cup of home-brewed coffee and noticed that the mercury was almost past double digits on my thermometer – it’s a rarity for the temperature to be so high at this time of year. On these rare occasions, you’re never usually late to a rendezvous with your mates, and this day was no exception.

Stepping out the door, my passenger for the car journey was already standing outside, ready to go. Fifty minutes later, after driving into the forestry hills of Borås, we arrived at the starting point of the day's gravel ride. This area is the stronghold of Sweden’s sports apparel and textile industry and we know that the conditions can be harsh.

It was here that we met up with the Abloc crew, who welcomed us with a warm cup of coffee and a briefing on the ride ahead of us.

That day, the agenda consisted of 84 kilometres of gravel roads. At eight points along the route sprint segments have been thrown into the mix. Naturally, they were all plotted out on Strava, so there would be no doubt after the ride who had been the KOM of each. Some segments were short and steep, some were longer and downhill, catering to all of our different abilities. On all of the segments, the first 10 finishers were awarded bonus seconds, which were to be used during the final race – a pursuit.

Between the segments, the pace was social, so everyone could have a chat while taking in the beautiful autumn scenery.

At 10am a group of fifty strong riders rolled out together to embark on the activities ahead. Little did we know, that only forty-nine would reach the finish line.

As a cyclist, you have to be prepared for a lot of things when you ride around in cities, and even in the countryside. That day, however, was the first time that wild horses became an obstacle.

This was due to the fact that the first sprint segment started close to a small horse farm.

Somehow, two horses, most likely spooked by a group of cyclists next to their meadow, escaped and followed the peloton for almost two kilometres, stopping just a hundred metres before the finish line.

Sadly, one of the riders had to swerve so badly that he crashed and had to take a detour to the hospital. He could, however, rejoin us after the coffee stop, with a few more bruises than he had when he woke up.

Having consumed as many carbs and as much caffeine as possible during the break, we continued the ride.

The gravel roads had been battered by rain and wind, which caused more accidents.

During the fifth segment, on an intense pursuit, my passenger from the early morning drive, Björn, lost control and ended up on a lawn beside the road. The impact was severe enough to cause a broken collarbone and an ambulance ride to the nearest hospital.

This threw me off my game and made it hard to focus on the last few segments that were in store for the remaining group. Trying to take it easy on the ride home, I was chatting with the rest of the riders.

This was my third attendance at one of Abloc’s gravel rides, and except for the mishaps, a very enjoyable event as usual. A well-balanced mix of pace and segments. The exceptional coffee break and the after-bike bowl of warm soup for the riders’ return. The sauna is always full of riders afterwards, bragging about their segment win, or someone explaining that if it wasn’t for those horses, they would have taken the win on the finish line.

The Abloc Gravel series will have its next stop in Jönköping on 19 November. The location ensures that we will experience some of the steepest hills that this part of Sweden has to offer.

On this occasion, I hope that a few more fans of Isadore will join me on the challenge.

Text: Mikael Männer
Photography: Anders Englund, Björn Bengtsson