Geilo24 - great fun, for some… July 2, 2008
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Friday 4th to Saturday 5th of July I took part in my first ever 24hr race.
Geilo24 is the name of the event, and I decided to give it a go before I knew it was my friend Nina Gässler who is organizing this crazy thing. Of course I optec for the solo class (individual race), as the nutter I am 
This is something special! The race goes on and on and it drains your reserves from the very start. I experienced that my asthma is stil there, so for me personally it was not a big success. I managed to do 6 hrs and 165kms before I packed in. My ambition on 40 laps is still seen as realistic for me, and I will give it a go next year again. This spectacle at the shores of the “Ustedalsfjord” in Geilo is a race for everyone, and I hope that more people choose to turn up for the next edition.
Guro, my partner, who was hired to be at my service, chosed to race herself! She is tough! There was only one “girlsteam”, and they were only three that took the start. They finished with 24 laps, and I think that Guro, who took part in her first ever bikerace wants to give it another go next year too.
I have learnt something from my debut, and that is - find your pace, don`t try to follow the teams. Stick to your plan. Eat only things you know you can tolerate, and drink all the time. Bring your asthma medications as this will drain your body and brain.
1st of March - soon San Baronto March 1, 2008
Posted by meganjal in : Uncategorized , add a commentAnd I sit inside a fair at a shoe trade show in south eastern Norway for 6 days, 9 to 9 every day.
I will try to put in 3 high intensity interval sessions on my hardtail as the weather is 2 degrees and some rain with winds… To cold for me on my roadbike, the days when I was out on the roadbike no matter weather conditions belongs to the past.
I have 200kms on the bike now, not much, but more than normal for February in Norway. During Easter in San Baronto i reckon to log another 800kms including two Gran Fondos in Pomarance and Lorenzana. I am really looking forward to the stay there, with good food, good friends and the best riding conditions in the world for a roadracer like myself.
When I return home I will do a 6 week intensive strength program on my legs combined with easy rides on my Stinky Air Preparing for some wild rides in Sedona mid June - yeah!
I am hoping to gain a 10% increase in maximum strength in my legs and a 20% increase in my VO2 Max capacity with the programs I will run during March and April.
It is correct to say that I am looking forward to get out of this fair…
soon springtime February 19, 2008
Posted by meganjal in : Winter 08 , add a commentThis winter has been a mixed one. In terms of training I have been on and off since August, a virus has been “a friend of mine” in long periods, but now it have finally left my premises and decided to stay with someone else.
For christmas we had wonderful skiing conditions in Oslo, and my condition seemed OK. Then all of January was a big set-back, and the first skisessions in February was really heavy tiring ones. But old racehorses sometimes come back fast, just see how SuperMario rides in California these days 
Now I am putting in hours 5 days a week to prepare for my training camp in San Baronto from 12th to 26th of March, where I will attend to Gran Fondos. Basetraining these days include crosscountry skiing, rollers, some strength training and on top of that, I have to watch what I eat, I must loose 5 kgs before I can ride up to Frognerseteren on my new Stinky Air and set new speedrecords down to Midtstuen again.
Season plans:
Toscana 12th to 26th of March - road bike
Dolomites 6th to 11th of June - road bike
Sedona, AZ 12th to 17th of June - MTB
Ekstremsportveko Voss 22nd to 29th of June - MTB
Megavalanche 12th of July - MTB
Giro delle Toscana 5th of September - Road
Eroica 5th of October - Road
This is how it looks right now, but there will be additions. Watch this space
2008 - a big year? August 22, 2007
Posted by meganjal in : Megavalanche 2008 , add a commentRob and I dream of doing a great 2008 together in terms of cycling adventures.
The Berghaus Yak Attack race in Annapurna, Himalayas in March.
The Megavalanche in Alpe D`Huez in July.
The Merabike Challenge in Himalayas in November.
But to realize all this, we need support from our kind partners. So we will see if we can do all three projects, or if we have to settle for one or two of them. Anyway I am looking forward to work closer with Kona, and to enjoy even more the great fun that cycling gives me, once again!
The coming weekends Birkebeinerrittet with it`s 15.000 participants, is not a favourite race of mine, but as a norwegian cycling enthusiast, I have to do it. If they could have logistics like some swedish CC-races, or like all the french and italian races I have done, I would not complain at all… but the set-up really stinks in terms of transportation for the riders, and the fact that the start and finish is 150km apart. Bad idea, but genious marketing to get all those people attending their event. I will write a report after the race, hopefully I will be in a better mood
Kona - and the 2008 Megavalanche August 9, 2007
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I am so grateful to Russ and the rest of the Kona Europe team for the support I have had this season. The bike I rode in the Megavalanche was superb, and I know that I couldn`t ride it to it`s limits, not even close.
Next year for the Megavalanche I will opt for a Kona again! Russ told me this week that they are happy to support me once more in my challenge for the Megavalanche! Wow!
I am looking forward to receive the new bike when the 2008 models are ready. And hopefully I will give back even more in terms of results and presscoverage.
up is not down August 9, 2007
Posted by meganjal in : Uncategorized , add a commentFrikransen, my cycling club since 1998, has a very nice club-championship every year. A serie of races consisting of timetrials and “real” roadraces count together, and I have just won this series once… several years ago.
Today I gave it a new shot, a race in my neighbourhood. From Bogstad to Tryvann, for those who know the area, the climb is the most challenging road in Oslo. For the rest of you, the climb is 6km long, has an average incline of 6,5%, so it is probably a category 1 climb in a pro race
I started out optimistic, first man the first 200 meters, then it hit me, the lactic acid I detest and fear. I ended up second last in the race Sometimes it is nice to get a reminder of your ability, so that you can do some adjustments in your training work, and that is actually what I have to do. I have to start go out on my bike more, and I have to spend the time out on my bike with more quality in my work.
Next year I will do this race again, and I promise myself that I will use the 50-21 gear all the way to the top, and that I shall see the 17 min time at the top, not the 21 I saw today! I promise.
The final cut July 28, 2007
Posted by meganjal in : Megavalanche 2007 , add a comment45:50 was 31 seconds too slow 
I did not come here to do the Affinity race, so will go to the beaches of the Riviera de Fior tomorrow instead of doing the chickens race
111 is a famous number, but not good when the cut is at 108. Obviously I did come off my bike one time to many in the switchbacks today.
Maybe I will give it a new shot next year… if I can get hold of a frame as good as the bike I was fortunate to have from Kona this year.
Next race will hopefully be the Birkebeiner CC race in Norway, I will hopefully obtain a more satisfying result there
The big thing after this Megavalanche is the Eroica in Toscana in October. That will be great fun and a lot of good wine and food.
Megavalanche Qualification day (last day) July 28, 2007
Posted by meganjal in : Megavalanche 2007 , comments closed
Early rise this morning, after a night full of noise outside the flat, and inside my head too. I have done a downhill race once before, 18 years ago. The bike I used back then was a GT Avalanche with a steel fork upfront, a nice construction where there was three positions for the front wheel. For the downhill I opted for the longest wheelbase possible, and off the hill I went. The result from that race was not bad, but the sport has evolved since then. To watch Nicolas Vouilloz and the other favorites setting off from the Dome des Rousses this morning was a reminder of how far behind I am in terms of pure grit and technique. The Italians speak of “grinta”, and for sure, that is what it takes to go down from 2800m down to 1200m in Bessey d`Oz.
To qualify for the actual Megavalanche, you need to be among the 58 first in your start group, every group has 200 starters, and all age groups are mixed together. Then it is possible to qualify for the Mega Promo, which is the 50 following from each group, a total of 350 participants. I hope that my race today will get me into the Promo race tomorrow. The rest, approx 644 riders, will have to start in the Mega Affinity race.
I did come off the bike several times down from the mountain, and the switchbacks which I really was looking forward to, was not as fun today, as I was not able to get a rythm at all.
To be honest, I am really happy that I got down in one piece. There were a lot of riders who wasn’t as lucky today.
Finally, I can’t conclude this report without mentioning the support I get from my girlfriend Guro, and I know that she was worried for every ambulance she saw going down to the valley of Oisans today.
Some pictures from today, see how it evolves
Megavalanche day 2 July 27, 2007
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There are more UK participants in this race than any other nation. And finally many of them are getting some sun for the first time this year (or ever?). We see legs and necks as red as the elephants some see after partying all night with French liquor and loud music. Hopefully the sunburn will not affect their riding too much in a negative way. We will see tomorrow…
Today I have done the complete qualifier course, even tried to figure out the most technical bits on the top sections by doing them several times. I have decieded that I will jump off my bike a couple of sections, to avoid the traffic jams and to be on the safer side of things. The drop down to Oz is steep but full of nice switchbacks, and I am really looking forward to go there once more. I think I will loose a lot of time on the top sections, then I will go as fast as many on the middle section which include an uphill stretch of approx 5 mins, and from there I will be able to follow the stream down to the finish. I will try to get down the qualifier in 1 hour, and then see where that brings me, maybe it will be good enough for my age group? Then I will go full gas on Sunday!
Coffee, I have found two places now, with decent coffee. Espresso the normal way, not the French way When it comes to food, we have found several nice places, but you must be prepared to pay a bit more here in Alpe D`Huez than down in the valley or anywhere else in rural France.
Some pictures from today, see how it evolves
Megavalanche day 1 July 26, 2007
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Considered as the absolute reference, world`s biggest downhill race is all about superlatives: 1400 participants, 20 nations represented (1 norwegian, guess who?), 4 days training and races, cumulating over 13,124 ft vertical drop… -press release from Alpe D`Huez resort.
Finally I am doing it
The journey through the Cote D`Azur was a good start, and the view of the Alpe D`Huez resort and the mountains surrounding it, was as overwhelming this year as 4 years ago when I participated in the “La Marmotte”. That was all about going uphill for a full day and therefore represents another crazy idea of mine. This time it is all about going downhill – even more crazy, age doesn`t help
Today I have tried to keep up with Rob and his friends, which seem to know more about going down a steep mountain on a bike than I do, at least without a tarmac surface. It was a beautiful day, and I survived it. The preparation I had today will be worth a lot, and the training day of tomorrow will be as valuable for the qualifying taking place Saturday as well as for my survival.
