NORWAY, site of the 2017 International Cycling Union (UCI) Road World Championships in Bergen, is one of the more northern countries in the cycling world: both the capital (Oslo) and Bergen are at 60 degrees north latitude, the same as Alaska.
So, how do Norwegian cyclists manage to train through the off-season?
“There are obviously a few issues with being a road cyclist in Norway. The winter is, of course, a challenge. Most of Norway is covered in snow from December to March. This makes cycling difficult, but not impossible. Most cyclists will ride all winter, either on a mountain bike with studded tires or on cleared roads,” said Øyvind Aas, communications officer at Syklistene, the Norwegian Cyclist Association, and former editor at Terrengsykkel/Landevei.
“In winter the darkness is also a big challenge. Even in the southern parts of Norway, for example, around Oslo, it will be daylight only between 10 in the morning and 3 in the afternoon in December to January,” Aas added.
Thor Hushovd, former UCI World Champion and winner of 10 stages at the Tour de France, echoed Aas’s comments.
“Norway does not have as big a population of cyclists as some other nations, but I think because of the winter and winter sports, we have to develop a good way to train. You know that you have to go out no matter what the weather, no matter if it is rainy or snowing,” Hushovd said.
“If you go to the coast of Norway, even in the winter, you find dry roads all year around. Riders do different things from riding the bike. If you want to do more riding then you have to do training camps,” he added.
Aas adds: “Norwegian cyclists tend to spend a lot of time on trainers/rollers, as well as head to Gran Canaria and/or Mallorca during winter. Edvald Boasson Hagen and Lars Petter Nordhaug both live in Oslo, even though they could live in Spain or Italy,” Aas said. “They prefer to ski during winter. Oslo is a coastal city, but gets snow all the way to the shoreline. Still, roads along the Oslo fjord tend to be rideable all year.
“Alexander Kristoff lives in Stavanger most of the winter, as well. Kristoff does not ski much, but the Stavanger region does not get covered by snow in winter. It is a bit south of Bergen and mild because of the Gulf Stream passing along the Norwegian west coast.
“Oslo, Stavanger, Lillehammer and Trondheim are the cities where most cyclists come from, or live these days. Some smaller towns south of Oslo are also places where cyclists come from. Nordhaug is from Tønsberg, Dag Otto Lauritzen and Thor Hushovd are from Grimstad. Boasson Hagen is from Lillehammer, as is Truls Engen Korsaeth.”
However, Aas provided a note of caution.
“Road quality in Norway is not great, but not too bad either. The Oslo area has a lot of gravel roads without cars through the local forests, so a lot of cyclists use these for training,” Aas said.
“The snow also makes it easy to cross-country ski. This has proved to be a great way for cyclists to stay in shape over winter, and might help with core strength and injury prevention, as well.
“I think it is easier these days to be a cyclist than a cross-country skier because the snow conditions are not what they used to be, and the skiers have to travel around more to find snow,” Hushovd pointed out. UCI News
Image credits: UCI Photo