Fat Viking 2019

Standing on a startline at 7 am in the morning at Vestlia Resort in Geilo (26.1.2019). I wonder why on earth am I here. I keep signing in events, that I know will just cause me trouble, or if not trouble at least very long hours on and off bike and physical pain. This time I’m even more worried. I’m participating my very first ever fatbike race called Fat Viking and the distance will be 100 kilometers. We have got 40 cm of fresh powder snow and as a skier I would rather be on my off-piste skies today than riding and pushing a fatbike. Today will be a fatbike-day, no matter the weather.

24: Thomas Skov, 7: Robin Peters and 3: Sonny Korte from Denmark ready for the 150km race. Photo: Moses Løvstad.

There are 50 cyclists of 12 different nationalities. Fat Viking is organized for the third time and some of the cyclists are here on their third mission. In this race you need to help yourself and carry all the mandatory gear the whole way.

I have a fatbike that costed me as used one about 500 euros. It is heavy itself. Once you load it with several thermos bottles, some clothing, 1000 calories of emergency food, tools, extra tire, pump etc….it becomes even heavier. I haven’t put much money either for special gear, like frame bags. The one we made ourselves of plastic box lasts for 15 kilometers and then I need to carry more gear at my back bag. No wonder why you do not see that many self-made bags in the bikes.

The first rider falls down after 500 meters on soft snow. The ground is quite hard, but 40 cm of new snow makes it challenging to go through and after 40 riders the cross-country track starts to look like a potato field. You can cycle for a bit, but then you have to push your bike again. We get up on a road that almost passes the house where I live. It would be so easy to turn around and just go home!

We climb up to Kikut area and cycle around Torsrunden. Or well…not much cycling for us here. Me and my husband Antti are the last ones on the whole group and at the first 15 km it’s at least 50 % pushing the bike. After Torsrunden we climb up to Ruperanden and meet both track machine and some cross-country skiers. Of course, they are not too happy to see the track chancing into potato field. I hope they have a clue that none of us chose this weather for a fatbike race.

It’s about -10 degrees and almost no wind. We start the way down from Ruperanden to Skurdalen and even sun comes up for some time. The downhill is fun and in Skurdalen I think that we are already quite far. The only indoors check point is going to be in Dagali and that’s the next village after Skurdalen. I’m so wrong with this though. On fatbike the distance is something else than by car on road. The part from Skurdalen to the check point in Dagali is ridable scooter and cross-country track. This part is also pretty flat Norwegian vice. On the 100km race there is 2000 meters altitude difference to climb. But mentally this is one of the hardest parts on the whole race for me. It seems like a never-ending straight scooter track. Almost like the ones back home in Finland.

Photo: Moses Løvstad.

I’m waiting for a turn for a long long time and my cycling seems to be super slow. I’m a bit worried as well that I have been a bit hungry the whole time from the start and now we have been on road for 9 hours. You lose the sense of time at this long journey. I’m just telling myself to keep going and dreaming about oatmeal that will be serviced at the check point. Oatmeal is not normally something to dream about. We meet another rider, who is quite tired.

It starts to get dark again once we finally reach the checkpoint in Dagali. At the same time, we hear that many of the riders at 150km have quit or changed to cycle 100km instead of 150km.

Changing dry socks and shirt and took feels great. Also getting warm oatmeal and drinks makes you suddenly feel so much better that you feel again ok to keep going. It is well known that after this checkpoint there is a massive uphill where you need to push your bike for a long time. It takes time, but at the same time I feel that at least we will now gain some altitude and maybe get some downhill later on. That’s true, but you need to ride quite a while before the steeper downhill comes and again the distance between Dagali and Skurdalen feels very long. The track goes nearby a famous mountain cabin called hotel California, but it is too dark to see those views.

Checpoint luxury. Photo: Moses Løvstad.

The battery of my bike light has lasted surprisingly well in -10 degrees. I’m also surprised that I haven’t got cold feet. At the break I chose to add some shoe covers. I’m using normal winter boots Salomon winter gtx and long wool socks under. I have also cycled most of the way with just one-layer merino wool underwear, cross-country ski jacket and a wind vest. In times I have added a very used one North Face thunder ball jacket on top. In my hands I have cycled half of the way with windproof cross-country gloves and after the check point with a bit thicker cross-country lobster gloves. On top of gloves there is mandatory gear boogies (neoprene).

For a little while we ride a really nice downhill in the middle of the woods on a narrow scooter track. I hope we would get more these kind of trails in Geilo. Then it is the time for the final uphill. My bike light has done its job and it is time to live with a light of an average head lamp. The worse light makes me even more sleepy. We reach the cross-country track coming down from Ruperanden and now I feel that me and Antti has made it.

I know every corner of the downhill and you will always get downhill on a bike. In times on this trip I have felt that a little bit longer foot would have been nice for walking, but you got to live with the ones you got (154cm). Antti has been very patient waiting for me. We are both very tired while finishing the journey to Vestlia Resort. It is 1.30 by night.

Photo: Brendan Hills.

This race became so far longest race by hours ever for me, by more than 19 hours. We are the last ones to finish 100km race. The last ones of 150km reach the finish line around 13.30 on Sunday. They took a sleep on the checkpoint in Dagali. We are proud that all the three Finns at Fat Viking do finish! Maybe it is the well-known Finnish “sisu” power or maybe we are just stupid enough not to quit something that we have started.

Three days after the race I still feel tired. I still do not know the answer why I keep pushing myself on these long- distance events. I tell myself once again that for next time I will be faster and stronger and train more. Someone else says that it will not be an adventure if you would know beforehand that you will finish it.

See you next year 25.1.2020 at Fat Viking! I promise that you feel very pleased about your normal life for some time after the race.



The whole race started of Nina Gässler’s idea. Here she is riding in front of Tom Remman. Photo: Moses Løvstad.