2010

Jul 05

Good results in Åre

Swedish oldest multisport race, the solo race, Haglöfs Åre Extreme Challenge was held this weekend in the ski-resort Åre.

Per Vestling and Johan Skärskog was racing and finished with very good results. Per finished 2nd and Johan just outside the podium on 4th place.

Per Vestling coming down to Huså. Photo: Jakob Edholm

Per: "I am realy happy with my result, I did a good paddling and a solid race, but i don´t think i finished second if not Scott Cole (3rd) had got a puncture."

Johan: " I am very dissapointed, I did a ok paddling but the mountain run was a dissaster, I lost the race in the hills. Ofcourse it was a good bike at end, but overall I am not satisfy.

Jun 22

Victory in Stockholm

New victory for Team Explore at the 4th race in the Swedish multisport cup was held around the Rosersberg castle outside Stockholm, the start, transitions and the finish was held in the castle
park.

First section was a rogain with 12 checkpoints to be taken either by foot or by kayak, and a limited time of 90 minutes. The map was released two days before the start, so the teams had lots of time to come up with a good strategy.

This time Team Explore had Johan Skärskog together with Per Vestling on the start line. After to first rogain section they where 3 minutes behind Polar Puls and Sweco Karlstad Multisport. Johan and Per had chosen a strategy to take more checkpoints by foot and to skip two checkpoints and take the time penalty instead. "Our strategy was not as good as the others and we lost 3 minutes on the first rogain section. It was stressing to know that we had to beat the others with 3 minutes to win the race" says Per.

Per Vestling. Photo: Stockholm Multisport

After the rogain the race restarted with a sprint orienteering in the castle park, followed by a longer bike orienteering that also contained a more technical marked route to be ridden two laps. "The technical biking suit us perfect and we could gain the time we lost at the first rogain section which made us race more relaxed the rest of the race" says Johan.

After the biking it was time for the team to split up, one team member had to bike a marked trail and one team member had to run an orientering course. When both finished they joined again for an adventure orienteering with swimming and some unusual checkpoints, for example inside an old railway wagon. The last section was a paddle section.

Strong biking of team Explore again. Photo: Stockholm Multisport

At the finish line Team Explore was 14 minutes before second team Polar Puls and after subtraction the time they where behind after the rogain section they won with 11 minutes. This was Team Explores 4th straight victory in the cup.

Full house so far for Per this season. Photo: Stockholm Multisport

Johan Skärskog at the finish. Photo: Stockholm Multisport

Jun 02

Victory again in the Swedish cup - third of third

The third edition of the swedish multisport cup was held this weekend in Kolmården. Once again the team performed at top - and finished with a victory and on a fourth place.

Per Vestling: "We tried a new tactic this time and just step on it direct from the start and tried to get a gap asap and put the power on the bike and it sure payed off this time".

After 2 hours the both team Explore teams where side by side and followed out on the long orienteering section, where Explore 1 pulled away.

Mikael and Johan did a strong performance on the long kayaksection and paddle up to John and Per.

John Karlsson and Per Vestling in the lead.

2 Herkules, 1 Team Explore and 3Team Polarpuls.



John Karlsson leads the multisport mustach league.

Mikael and Johan in for changing of section ended the race on 4th place.

Johan Skärskog and Mikael Lindnord on the way in to the transition.

A short uphill run to the first kayaksection.

Mikael have som energi in the transition to the last running section.

Next race for the team is the fourth race in the Swedish cup in Stockholm, the same date as the big wedding with Swedish Princess and Daniel Westling.

More reading:

http://www.nt.se/sport/artikel.aspx?articleid=6045945

www.multisport.se

www.multisportcupen.se

May 09

Two of two - new victory



The second race in the Swedish cup was in Trollhättan just outside Gothenburg. The summer haven´t really come to Sweden, so it was a little bit chilli and windy.

All the teams on the lineup on start. Photo: TSOK

John Karlsson and Per Vestling could take a small lead on the kayaksection. Photo: TSOK

The race started with a long kayak section and John and Per in Team Explore took the lead with a couple of seconds after a that is was a almost 55 minute running on a marked trail and team Thule caught up and Team Explore and Thule was racing head to head.

During the following bike ride, the speed was on and it looked like it´s going to be a race to the finnish. 

This year the Swedish cup has the yellow jerseys for the leaders in the elite catogories. Here is John before the start with his. Photo: TSOK

John Karlsson comments the end:

“Then I saw that John Andén looked a little tired in his face, so I took the wheel behind him and put down the hammer when it was my time in the front and he flew of and his team mate Martin Flinta also took one push before he realised that Andén was off and the race was ours. We could make some more minutes on the bike, even some on the orienteering and the last paddling was just to control the win.”

Second race and second victory, this time team Thule was the big competition with FJS. Photo: TSOK

Per Vestling and John Karlsson. Photo: TSOK

May 05

Love Cyprus - training camp

Team Explore is now in Cyprus for training camp. Cyprus Tourism Organisation is given the team a 100% support.

Besides training the team are exploring Cypres and are doing a couple of media reports. The people of Cyprus have welcomed the team with open arms and the guides Neo and Emily are spoiling them. The highlight is all the possiblities for training and especially mountainbiking and roadbiking. The Bike guide is Thomas Wegmuller and is a former timetrail champion, Swiss champion, 8 years of proffesional biking, 2nd in Paris Robaix and Tour of Flandern, a true champion.

" After two days we are having the best time and today our Pro-guide Thomas showed us Cyprys best single tracks around and it was pure world-class, we new that we are on the right way when we met three of Cyprus best bikers" says Mikael Lindnord.

See more pictures in the photo gallery: Love Cyprus

May 03

Team Explore on Runners World TV

Videoblogg number one for the season is now up on Runners World TV.

www.runnersworld.se

May 02

Tips for Åre Extreme Challenge

In the last issue of Outside Träning, Mikael Lindnord is given the readers the best tips for a succesfull Åre Extreme Challenge.

Apr 29

Jari Kirkland joins Team Explore

The american proffesional endurance athlet and former Salomon Crested-Butt member Jari Kirkland joins Team Explore for 2010.

Jari Kirkland has a great experience with a lot of results:

-Record holder in 24 hours of Moab, Three time champion
-Record holder Montezuma's Revenge, 24 hour solo mt bike race
-Record holder 24 hours of Grnd Targhee
-Record holder Elk Mountain and Traverse, 42 mile backcountry ski race in the Colorado Rockies
-2nd at 24 hour World Championships 2010, Canmore Canada.
-22nd at the 2010 Ski Mountaineering World Championships.

Jari is also a professional USA cycling mountain biker and Xterra triathlete (off-road).
Member of the USA Ski Mountaineering team and competed at Worlds this year, 2010.
Very experiend and top level Adventure racer with results like; 2nd Primal Quest 2009, 5th
Primal Quest 2007, Abu Dhabi 8th 2008, Turas Ireland 3rd 2008, AR World
Championships 8th Scotland 2007.

Apr 26

Heaven and hell

And the season 2010 is opened. Hestra Adventure Race was the first race in the Swedish cup and Team Explore participated with two teams in the elit male category.

Per Vestling and John Karlsson. Photo: Peder Liljeqvist

John had a tough race because he got food poised two day before the race and was really unsure if he could participate at all. But he took courage and he and Per did a heroic performance and could win with just over one minute after almost 6 hours of racing. The last section was biking with some technical parts where the duo showed that they have the skills.

Team Explore had two teams, just to try to “guarantee” a good start of the season and that was luck because team nr two with Mikael and Johan Skärskog got a very confused time penalty on 10 minute served with as a “stop and go”. That forced them to stay in Transition Area a see the top teams run away and the day was destroyed. After the time penalty they could fight back to take 5th place after a duel with Polar Puls at the end.

“I understand that the sport is grooving and with that more race directors and event is showing up and in the race heat inexperience event organisers make wrong decisions and are to stubborn and stressed to realised that. This time it´s striked me and Johan, but still the race was a success when we could have one team winning”. says teamcaptain Mikael Lindnord.

Mikael Lindnord. Photo: Daniel Hansson

Johan and Mikael on the big portage. Photo: Daniel Hansson.

Johan Skärskog. Photo: Daniel Hansson.

3 FJS, 2 Herkules and Team Explore nr 1. Photo: Daniel Hansson

More reading:

www.multisportcupen.se/system/files/images/articles/Varnamo.pdf

www.multisport.se

www.multisportcupen.se

Apr 11

Hill training in Mallorca