2008
1/13 New year, new opportunities Dunes... Photo: Monica Dalmaso  Bjorn and Martina. Photo: Anders Burman |
Still some months left before the start of Adventure Racing season 2008 and we are waiting for some more dates before we will post our plan the season. While waiting, we are training and racing our way through the winter. Mikael, Martina and Jossa will participate in the scandinavian cup of Skialpinism, Johan has his focus on the swedish championships in XC-skiing and Sonny will push his limits on ice-skating. Björn will spend his winter with rehab-training and are working hard to be back on track as soon as possible |
2007
8/12 Time for Abu Dhabi In Abu Dhabi. Photo: multisport.se |
Tomorrow begins Abu Dhabi Adventure Challenge, a six day stage race in the United Arab Emirates. Björn, Micke, Martina and Johan. You can follow the race at abudhabi-adventure.com and the live page. |
 Hanna, Micke och Björn in EAH 2005 Photo: Dan Campbell |
It's soon time for Extreme Adventure Hidalgo. This stage-race will go on between the 3rd and 6th of october in Mexico, in a race where Lundhags came 4th in 2005. Björn, Jossa and Micke will be racing this time. Deserts, high altitude, happy children and spicy food awaits the teams. Both Nike-teams, Buff/Coolmax, Team Finland and a lot of local teams will be there, so it's gonna be really tough.
More info about the race can be found at eah.com.mx" We'll also try to follow the race our live-page. |
 Toward the finish line Photo: Julio Garrido  Photo: Julio Garrido |
The team from Colombia is back in Sweden after an asventure in Medellin, Colombia. It ended with a 2nd place, even though it was uncertain until the very end to won. On the first stage we did some navigation errors on the trekking and bike sections, leaving us 30 minutes behind Spanish Teva on 4th place. On the second stage we were kings of the road in our little soapbox car and won that section. Trekking and biking up to 300 m over sea level followed later. On the last km we managed to leave Teva behind and win that section, but we were still about 30 minutes behind them. On the last stage we did a strong inlines section and cut 22 minutes of Teva's lead. Bit we didnt't manage to cut the last 9 minutes of Teva's lead. Due to calculations of penalties the results were unclear for some time, but it all ended with a 2nd place for us. To sum it up, we're satisfied with what have achieved, we held a fast pace, cooperad well and did only some minor misstakes. The nature and the local population has been the icing on the cake. |
 Sonny shows off his new kayak Photo: Sara Andersson  Mikael from last year's Swedish Championships |
Well, it's been a while since last, but now it's all happening at the same time. Some parts of the team are in Colombia to participate in 7 Cerros Medellin and the rest of them are waiting för the Swedish Championships this weekend. Sonny, who's in Colombia tells us about the race "Some people seems to be born blogging, and some don't. I belong to the latter category... It's been taking me six months to scribble down a couple of sentences, but now I have finally succeded. Last weekend I did my premiere, with Martina in the Swedish AR cup, after six months absence due to a knee injury. Now we're heading to Colombia for 7 Cerros Medellin. A three day stage race, with inlines as a reported main discipline (Yay!). Both Team Finland and Team Sole will there, and also several fast colombian teams, so there'll be a fast and tough race. The team will be Martina, myself and our old-time team mate Tobias Åslund. More info about the race can be found at 7cerrosmedellin.com" We'll try to follow the race as good as we are able on our live-page. . The rest of the team, Björn, Mikael and Josefina are participating in the Swedish Championships in Ö-vik this weekend. Twelve hours of racing awaits the contestants in the main class. Björn & Mikael tries to stay undefeated in the cup and Josefina makes a start with Kristin Lundgren from FJS in the Ladies class. |
 Kayaking on the first section Photo: Multisport.se |
After 35 hours of racing, we had to withdraw from the Adventure Racing World Championship. Mikael twisted his ancle at the end of the second trekkingsection and the situation just got worse. After another 17 hours of trekking, with support from tejp and limping with a trekkingpole, the foot was very swollen. We realised that there were no way the foot would be able go reach the finishline fast enough to be worth the risk of getting a very long time injury. |
24/5 ARWC2007 in Scotland
 ARWC2006 Hemavan Photo: Peder Sundström |
It's just a few days before the start of this years main event, the ARWC2007 in the Scottish Highlands, Fort William to be more precise.
The team will this time be Björn, Micke, Martina and John Andén. John has taken the last place in the team when Sonny and Johan were not fit enough to compete. John is a really strong and happy fellow, just like the kind we like. The start will be on Saturday the 26th and the course will be about 500 km (310 miles), of which 200 km mountain bike, 100 km kayaking and 200 km trekking. Additionally, there will be swimming canyoneering and climbing. A large portion of the time will probably be spent on trekking, which should fit Lundhags well. The race can be followed on our live-page as well as arwc2007.com and sleepmonsters.com. |
29/3 Lundhags up in the air!
Latest issue of Scanorama, magasine of Scandinavian Airlines, has a 6-page article about ARWC 2006. Lundhags Adventure is featured both in text and pictures. Nice reading!
29/3 About Bimbache Extrem
The team is now back in Sweden after a week in Andalucia, spain. Due to a flu for Martina and a recent knee surgery for Josefina, the boys where this time joined by Ingrid Stengård from Finland.
This year's edition of Bimbache Extreme was a bit different from last year's course, with much more running on roads and less climbs. It also included more kayaking. But, still the same olive trees... The race started with a 8 hour trek, mostly on roads. A short canjon in the middle forced us to carry our wetsuits and climbing gear all the way... We stayed close to the leading pack the whole section, and got to transition around 15 minutes after Buff, who had the lead. A challanging bike followed, with some nice climbs and interesting navigation. We did a god bike, maybe thanks to the chilling conditions up in the mountains that made us feel just as home. Another trek followed, once again on roads... After some five hours of running/walking got Sonny some pain in his left knee. Due to the pain, he could no longer run. Neither stretching or massage helpt to get rid of the pain and we decided to quit the race, not to risk ARWC in late May.
One week after the race, Sonnys knee is much better and there do not seem to be a big risk for him missing out ARWC.
18/3 Bimbache Extrem 2007
Today, Sunday, the team left by plane to Madrid and this year's edition of Bimbache Extrem Andalucia. Mikael, Björn och Sonny managed to find a replacement girl in finish Ingrid Stengård in the last minute, when both Martina and Josefina had to cancel. Three intensive days will await the teams in Andalucia. The race starts on Tuesday 9 am and can be followed on sleepmonsters.com and on our live-page.
EDIT: Raidbimbache.com promises GPS tracking that updates every fifth second. Be sure to keep track on the spanish version of the site also, 'cause it will probably be more frequently updated than the english version.
21/2 Winter, finally
After a long autumn, we finally got some snow and a chance to practise some winter disciplines. The whole team has taken the chance to pace up a bit, racing in XC skiing and Ice-skating. Last sunday, Sonny finished 7th at the biggest iceskating-race whilst the rest of the team went full pace on the XC-skiis. Coming weekend we'll have a training camp, with main focus on the technical disciplines at Bimbache and the ARWC.
30/1 The race calendar for 2007
The new year is upon us and we're planning for 2007. Our season starts with Bimbache Extreme in March, and the highlight for this year will be the ARWC in Scotland. You can check out our preliminary schedule under "races". We're hoping that you'll keep following us.
Now go out and play in the snow!
2006
24/12 Merry X-mas & Happy New YearWe want to wish you all a Merry X-mas & a Happy New Year! We hope that you've been good this year so that Santa fills your stockings tonight...
Thanks to all of you that have been following the team this year, with the third place in the ARWC as the absolute highlight. We hope that you'll continue to follow us next year.
5/12 5th place in Mexico
Our adventures in NLOCH2006 ended with a 5th place. 21/11 Mexico next!
This coming sunday, Martina, Bjorn and Johan leaves a rainy Sweden for a sunny northern Mexico. Nuevo Leon Outdoor Challenge is coming up! We've spend this autumn resting, training and racing the Swedish championship (1st Coed, 3rd mens). Now we're really looking forward to an international race again. Three stages of 12, 24 and 6 hours, full of tough climbs, thin air and a hot sun! Besides that, spicy food and friendly people with a language that we can't understand. Ernesto with his staff has once again managed to gather a fantastic lineup, with the whole podium from ARWC2006 and lot's of other great teams. We're looking forward to a tough race! check out nloch2006.com
24/8 Podiumfinish at the ARWC
Photo: Magnus Stenman
After 127h nonstop racing we finished 3rd at the ARWC in Sweden/Norway, 5 hours behind winners NIKE/Powerblast and 1 hour behind second placed Team Finland. We are really happy about our podiumfinish, but fully aware of the fact that we did not do the perfect race. With more routin, harder training and a bit of luck we might do even better next year. In a couple of weeks we will start preparing for ARWC 2007 in Scottland.
The first batch of photos from the race can be found in our photo section. Below you can find links to articles and video clips from the race. Unfortunaly they are in Swedish - if you got anything in english or any other language, please let us know.
7/8 Next stop - World Championships
In about a week, the 16th of August at 11.00 AM there is the start of this year's AR World Championships, in Hemavan, Sweden. The course is expected to take at least five days for the fastest teams. Lundhags Adventure is represented by Björn, Sonny, Martina and Mikael.
You can follow the race at our live-page as usual. The competition page and Sleepmonsters.com are also valuable pages to visit during the race.
22/7 What goes up..
We went for the toppermost of the poppermost for this last stage of the Raid Series 2006, but our dreams were crushed on the first day. On the third MTB-section Björn ran low, and only with the help of his teammates he could get by for a while. When he was unable to lift his feet it became clear that he couldn't continue. The team got the last time on that unfinished MTB-section + 1 hour penalty. Martina, Mikael and Johan continued the race, in a great manner, but the chances for a place on the podium was already lost. Even though our effort was a bit weak, we still qualified to the Raid World Championships in Canada (September). It's a bit unclear what really happened to Björn, but the odds for de-hydration aren't that high. Björn is feeling much better at the moment, and prepares with the rest of the team for the AR World Championships in August.
Photos from the race can be found in our photo-section.
11/7 Raid World Cup in France
This weekend features the third stage of the 2006 Raid World Cup; this time in les Alpes. Björn, Mikael, Johan and Martina will race this time for Lundhags. Hanna and Sonny will be their service team. You can follow the race on our live-page, the competition page and sleepmonsters.com.
30/5 2nd place in TEA 2006
After 55h of racing we crossed the finish line in Karlstad as 2nd team in this year's edition of Open Nordic Adventure Championship. Team Finland won the race. We weren't fast enough this time and were visited by Mr. Sandman a bit too often. Check out our photo-section from the race.
23/5 It's TEA-time
This years edition of TEA in Karlstad (In the southern parts of Sweden) begins at 10 AM this Thursday; under the full namne Tieto Enator Open Nordic Adventure Championship 2006. Lundhags Adventure, with # 12, is represented this time by Björn, Mikael, Martina and Sonny. Josefina and Johan are taking care of the service part.
The race can be followed on the competetion page and on our live page. The race features about 500 Km (Approx. 310 Miles) of MTB, canoeing, orienteering, inlines etc - and a winning time somewhere around 46-50 hours.
***
While waiting for the race to start, you can check out Lundhags earlier appearances in the race, 2003 & 2004, that both resulted in victory (In 2003 the race was called Spero Challenge).
Spero Challenge 2003 - Team # 13
Resultats and some photos (Thursday & Saturday).
TEA 2004 - Team # 5
Some photos for you to see.
11/5 A bit of reading
Scott Cole from Team Nomad made an interview with Bjorn for iRule.co.nz, which can be found here. The site also features a chronicle written by Scott in which he brings us his teories why the little Kingdom of Sweden produces so many great adventure racers. Enjoy!
27/3 Second place in Bimbache Extrem 2006
After 58 h racing we finished 2nd at this years edition of Bimbache Extreme in Spain. The victory went to Team Finland (former Nokia). We won the prologue and were in front for the whole race, until the last trekking were Bjorn got stomache-problems and the finns got away. The other swedish team, Halti, finished 5th.
The race offered long hilly bike-sections, 2 tough trekkings (70 and 59 km respectivily) with great views, a short kayak, inlines and exciting rope-works. For more reports, check our live-site.
Some photos from the race can be found in our photo-section.
21/3 Follow Bimbache Extrem live
You'll be able to follow Lundhags adventure during the race. Check out our live-page to find out more.
13/3 AR in the City
This weekend we participated in an urban sprintrace (2½ hours) called Umeå Multisport Race, with disciplines such as XC-skiing, orienteering, ice-skating, snowshoeing and ropeworks. We took a double victory in the male-category with Johan/Björn just ahead of Mikael/Sonny. The women-category was won by our girls Hanna and Martina.
14/2 Lundhags on Ice
Last weekend we participated in a 24-hour ice-skating race. Our 4-person co-ed team (rules allowed teams up to 12 peaple) of Håkan Nyström, Micke, Hanna and Martina finished 3rd with 579 km in total.
Björn raced the national champs in ski-orienteering and finished 9th in the mass start and 3rd in the relay.
9/2 A new Year
Season 2006 is coming closer. The first preliminary scheduale is on the site but we'll probably add some races as time goes. The main goal this season is the AR-World Champs in Sweden and we will do all we can to be as prepared as possible for that challenge. First race of the season will we Bimbache Extreme in Andalucia, Spain. 60 hours nonstop racing with disciplines like trekking, mtb, kayaking, rope-works and inlines. The race is unsupported and the team will be Björn, Micke, Sonny and Martina Höök. As a warm-up we will have a trainingcamp in Umeå focusing on rope-works and a 3 hour winter-race arranged by IKSU Multisport.
2005
28/11 From success to nothingAfter four days racing, mostly on foot, we were forced to withdraw from the World Champs in NZ. Towards the sprintfinish we were racing together with the silvermedalists fromUSA, NIKE ACG. Unfortunately, that was when the race was over for us. Anna Semrén felt that something in her right knee wasn’t ok and decided that she couldn’t continue, facing the risk of a long-time injury. Anyway, we will bring the fact that we were fighting for a podiumfinish to our wintertraining, and we promise to be back to the next World Champs, stronger than ever!
26/10 Next stop New Zealand!
Now it's time for one of the mayor goals this season, the Adventure Racing World Championship in Westport, New Zealand. We're expecting an epic course by Geoff Hunt, with 4 hard trekking sections, lot's of single-track mtb, caving, rafting, sea-kayaking on the tasman sea and some rope works. The team will be Bjorn, Mikael, Sonny and Anna Semren. Almost the same as on Explore Sweden, which was the last non-stop race we did. We're planning to use the same tactics this time, make our own race, keep up the pace and minimize the misstakes. That's hopefully gonna take us far this time too! Follow our progress here, at www.arworldchampionship.com and at www.sleepmonsters.com
15/9 Home again
Now we're back home, much earlier than we wanted. After a slow start we started to advance through the field. We got into a serious snowing on 2500 meters above sealevel and the grassy slope we trekked got really slippy. Anna lost the grip of her feets and started to glide and tumble down the hill. Luckely, she got away with a concussion and some smaller wounds. But, we had so choise but to withdraw and take her to the hospital. We're really dissapointed having to withdraw, but mostly greatful that Anna is OK.
3/9 Annecy next
Now we're heading south, towards the start of this year's Raid World Championship in Annecy (France). The team of Björn, Mikael, Sonny and Anna Semrén will from saturday 10th traverse "the roof of Europe" by trekking, mtb, kajaking, inlineskating, white-water canoeing and ropeworks. The course is around 550 km and 25 000 meters of hight and passes the alps of France, Italy and Switzerland. First team is expected to reach the finish in Gstad during thursday 14th. Follow our progress at: www.multisport.se, www.theraid.org, www.sleepmonsters.com
24/8 new pics, Raid Series on TV
Now there's some new pics (from Raid Series Riksgransen and C2 Citychallenge), check the archive. Eurosport and Viasat Sport will air the shows from Raid Series Riksgransen and Andorra.
Eurosport: Wednesday 24 August 22:45, 26 August 08:30, 30 August 09:00 Viasat: Wednesday 30 August 22:30, 1 September 13:30, 5 September 17:00
7/6 13th at Raid World Cup Andorra
The last stage of the Raid World Cup didn't turn out that well for us. The team of Bjorn, Mikael, Johan and Anna Semren finished 13th on a tough course in the mountains of Andorra. Bjorn got severe stomack-problems, which forced him to rest a while in the middle of the race, making it a tough race for Johan and Mikael. When Bjorn felt better, they were pretty exhausted...Anyway, we're happy that we won the group for northern europe and now we start preparation for the Raid World Championship, september 9-16.
7/6 2nd at Raid World Cup Riksgränsen
After 20 h of racing we finished 2nd at the second stage of this year's Raid World Cup. Our first raid race ever, and a perfect start! We got some fantastic skiing, lot's of canoeing in the norwegian fjords, nice steep trekking, fantastic ropeworks and a perfect inline-skating section.
1/6 Raid World Cup next
Now it's time to race again. We're heading north to Riksgränsen and the second stage of the Raid World Cup. The team this time will be Hanna, Bjorn, Johan and Tobias, assisted by Mikael and Jossa. Follow our progress at www.theraid.org and www.sleepmonsters.com
21/5 2nd at Explore Sweden
After around 77 hours of racing we crossed the finishline around 50 minutes after winners Cross Sportswear. The race was fantastic, with exciting rope-works, intense white-water kayaking and challenging navigation. The race was covered in swedish national television and lots of papers and magazines. Within a couple of days we'll put up galleries and a race-report. Untill then, take a look at pictures taken by photografer Patrik Lindqvist here.
12/5 Explore Sweden next
We're now heading for Explore Sweden, the biggest adventure-race in Scandinavia. 500 km non-stop racing on foot, skiis, mtb and kayak against the best teams in the world. Our team this time is Bjorn, Hanna, Mikael and Sonny. Follow our progress at www.sleepmonsters.com and www.exploresweden.se
5/5 Victory at TEA
Sonny och Tobias won the sprint category at Tieto Enator Adventure. A fast race with good navigation made them finish more than an hour before second team. First race of the season for both of them and they couldn't have got a better start.
20/4 Entry to AR World Championship
We have now got confirmed that we have an entry to AR World Championchip in November, NZ. That, together with the Raid World Championship and Explore Sweden are our main goals this season.
Some pictures from the ski-alpinism race and our last training camp is now on the web.
17/4 Double victory in ski-alpinism
Last weekend we participated in the biggest Swedish ski-alpinism race in Storulvån, close to the ski-resort Åre. It was a really high-intensity race with three peaks ascended/descended in less than two hours. Johan/Bjorn won the male category and Hanna/Mikael the co-ed category.
18/3 Pictures from EAH
We've updated with some pictures from our last race, Extreme Adventure Hidalgo. Most of them taken by American photografer Dan Campbell.
6/3 WOC SkiO-medal for Tobias
Tobias finished third, 2 seconds behind winner Matti Keskinarkaus, Finland on todays WOC over sprint-distance SkiOrienteering. Tobias first WOC-medal, but a well deserved one! Listen to a Interview with Tobias here.
5/3 4:th at EAH
Now we're back in Umea (north part of Sweden) after our trip to Mexico and Extreme Adventure Hidalgo. We did a good race and finished 4:th overall. Best stage was the last one, where we finished second after a sprint-finish (mtb, downhill) against NIKE ACG/Balancebar. Tragically, one of the Mexican racers, Eduardo Rosas died while competing in the swim leg on stage 2. Our sympathies and condolences go out to his team and family and to the race organizers.
Since it's winter here, we will refocuse on some skiing as it's probably good preparation for our next goal, the Explore Sweden.