From Hillerstorp to Sälen to Mora

How good were you?
“I beat some of today’s pros, but that was a few years ago. It’s all mountain bike now, which is still quite new to me.”

The classic Vasaloppet ski race also became a cycle race a few years back. Cykelvasan is considered a relatively easy race, that is to say not as technical as other mountain bike races. But like the ski race it is ninety kilometres through fields and forest, which naturally requires a good deal of training.

Does your training background give you any advantages when competing in Cykelvasan?
“I’m used to high speeds from road cycling, but in forests it’s far more technical with a lot more speed changes. How and when to change gears is another technique you have to learn on an MTB, how to approach slopes, etc. It's a technique that all contestants should practice,” says Niko.

This is where Axelent’s sports hall comes into its own. Every Friday, eight spinning bikes are put through the motions and more sessions can be booked if needed. Spinning bikes are perfect for interval training because they build up the right kind of fitness. But Niko has his eyes set on something else:

“There's an Ironman event in Jönköping in July in which I’ll be competing. My training is more geared towards that at the moment. It's more quantity training than anything else. After the Ironman I’ll be fully focused on MTB training and technique.”