Saddle Stories and Smooth Legs in Sweden. Following Jonas Andersson On His Epic Ride.

Adam Rose / 05.08.2020

Right now, Jonas Andersson is tackling 2050km of the Swedish coast to coast, riding South to North the lengh of the country. With just 5 weeks of preparation, he found the bike, the team, the support vehicle and sponsors to help him challenge the record.

He must cover a minimum of 500km a day, and factor in some sleep, too. The goal is 19hrs daily, 5hrs rest and contingencies. For the imperialists, that’s 300 miles a day, further than the London to Paris cycle, 4 times over.

It’s now day 2. Obstacles have loomed into view, anticipated and otherwise, and the only response is to adapt and improvise.

Day 1 saw nausea on the menu. A normal consequence of extreme exercise, Jonas is familiar with the beast, and just soldiered through it. No doubt it will return, pushed to the shadows but not conquered.

Then his seat became loose. Unexpected, initially assumed to be a wheel problem, it is actually more troubling. Who brings a spare seat with them? Your body starts to show niggles during the strain of ultra endurance, and every minor difference can cause irritation, making things that little bit tougher on what is already a stupendous challenge. Jonas knew the biggest hurdle would be mental, especially the monotony of a single discipline compared to adventure racing, but this kind of curveball can accentuate the negative – if you let it.

He continued riding while the team looked for a solution. They don’t have a replacement bike, and if procured, it won’t be to the exact spec that Jonas is currently riding. Again, those little differences all add up, affecting the efficiency of both human and carbon machine. Unfortunately, it’s not as simple as just getting another seat.

So far, he has done 742km after 32hrs. At this pace, he will finish in 87hrs, taking 11hrs off the record, but can he sustain it?

Just so you understand the seriousness of Jonas’s ambition, 2 weeks ago he had all the hair lasered off his legs! Even the tiniest factor can affect success. Sadly, the single treatment didn’t work, so he will just have to fight the drag of being hirsute. Curiously, he left on the moustache - will he live to regret that? The upper lip can become a real windblocker, especially for the handlebar-equipped. There is a plus-side: if he manages to break the record, he will look suitably macho at the finish. If he fails, he will still look suitably macho for trying. It seems like a worthy sacrifice.  

Slumps are coming. They are expected. He will fight through them with help from team and crew.

Salute to the moustache! ;)

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Follow his tracker at: https://map.racetracker.no/?race=tts_2020