To me Christmas is all about tradition. Celebrating with my family back in Sweden is something I wouldn't miss for the world. I also have a few rides I always do on the days following Christmas eve. Most years these rides have been in ice cold temperatures, with snowy white roads and surroundings. This year, the weather is different... 8 degrees warm with strong winds causing me to get off the bike twice to walk around blown down trees blocking the road. On the good side, I don't have to suffer from frozen feet and hands, nor from slippery, icy roads. Only thing though, it sucks changing tradition... ;)

One of the two trees blow down over the road today here in Stockholm.

The camp in Calpe is now over, but before I left back to Sweden I handed out some custom made "Pro Team Astana" Silva Simi handlebar- and seatpost-lights. As everyone heads back to one's respectively home, which in most cases is further north than Calpe, the hours of daylight for all of us are limited during the winter. These lights assure that we are always visible, even if the ride takes longer than expected or if it's a misty or foggy day. I think most riders were happily surprised and looking forward trying out the lights out on a ride back home. Even though all riders thanked me, it's Silva who deserves the appreciation for this great initiative.
So thank you Silva!
From Pro Team Astana.

Here is my preliminary race schedule for 2012. The first main objective will be to do well throughout Tirreno-Adriatico, Coppi e Bartoli and Basque Country. Then, I will aim to come to the Giro d'Italia in as good shape as possible to assist our captain Roman Kreuziger.

Schedule 2012

January
24th - 4th (Feb) Pro Team Astana Team Camp, Calpe, Spain

February
15th - 19th Volta Algarve, Portugal

March
3rd Eroica, Italy
7th - 13th Tirreno-Adriatico, Italy
20th - 23rd Coppi e Bartoli, Italy

April
2nd - 7th Pais Vasco, Spain

May
5th - 27th Giro d'Italia, Italy

June
14th-17th Tour of Slovenia
24th Swedish Championships RR, Södertälje
26th Swedish Championships TT, Södertälje

July
1st-8th Tour of Austria

Calpe is really showing itself from its best side at the moment. The roads are quiet, the temperatures are comfortable and the sun is shining. Training is great here because of all these mentioned things. Compared to the summer however, it's quite dead during the winter. The only other people in our hotel are either other pro cyclists (such as Radioshack, AG2R, Confidis) or couples of 65+. The terrain is perfect for this time of year, climbs everywhere but non over 500-600 meters of altitude. The advantage of this is that the temperature at the top of any climb will not be significantly lower than the temperature at sea level.

A quick stop to change bottles and grab a banana.

Gasparotto and I.

When you're at a training camp and you have bad weather, the day becomes really long. When not being able to start the training as planned, sitting around hoping the clouds will shatter and the rain will stop, minutes pass half the speed. Luckely I know this and got a good cross-training session in the gym in the morning instead. Then, after lunch the rain stopped and I was able to get the hours I needed. All in all a good but long day.

Weather not great yesterday.

I have now been in Calpe a little over 24 hours and I've got a good ride and a session at the gym done. The weather was great until this afternoon, with temperatures touching 20 degrees. Then, heavy clouds came in and brought some strong rain showers. Anyway, hopefully the rain will have passed so we get to do our hours on the bike under the sun again.

Training camp room with everything in perfect order. Kind of.

A common view for me as it's the third time in less than two years that I'm here for a training camp.

Another common, daily view.

We have now left Montecatini and are now on the bus on the way to Calpe from Valencia airport. The team planned the trip well, sending our suitcases with the team vehicles, allowing us to travel with only carry-on luggage.

We were here, in Montecatini Therme.

Then caught a flight...

To Valencia, where we will stay until the 10th of December.

...slowly but surely. A new season is starting, meaning it's time for me to get back on the bike. Since Monday I'm in Montecatini, Italy with the team, but already tomorrow we leave to Calpe, Spain. Here in Italy we've had medical checks and a few meetings about next year. Once we're in Spain however, focus will be on training. I'll keep updating during the camp about changes and my race schedule for next year.

We managed to get some training done here in Italy as well.

Right now I'm at Frankfurt airport, on my way back from Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan (just if someone hasn't realized by now ;-)). I was there with three other European riders from the team, as well as our main sports director and a couple of other staff and Kazakh team members. We were there to represent the team and to be guests at the track world cup, held in the new impressive velodrom which was finished only last year. It was also great to finally get to see the city and country which I represent as I train and race throughout the world.We were very well looked after, having a great time despite the fact that this trip was in the middle of our vacation.

Astana is a booming city, having been the capital of Kazakhstan only a little over ten years. Lots of modern buildings dominate the city, alot of them with quite daring and almost bragging architecture. Even the velodrome is shaped as a time trial helmet! There are lots of impressions to be digested, things that just differed from Europe. But things that make the country so interesting. I also hope to come back some time in the summer, when the weather is mild and the trees are green. Now, the temperatures were low (about -10), the wind was icy cold and most trees were without any leaves or color. 

Headquarter of the teams main sponsor Samruk-Kazyna.

Visited this "stealth" shopping mall. Impressive from the outside, but even more impressive from the inside with 5 storys and a swimming park.

Small velodrome.... not.

Not too hilly around here...

...as confirmed here.

Right now I'm all packed and ready to leave for Astana, Kazakhstan. Don't really know what to expect, but I'm excited about the whole trip. Here also some fotos from what I've been up to the last week:

Made a visit to Silva.

As I'm not really riding at the moment I had to make a "night walk" to try out some of the cool new lights I got. Here I'm using the Sprint Plus, impressively bright!

Also got these custom Astana safety lights, Tyto, which easily attach to any bikes handlebar and seat post.

Also had some Australian friends over to visit, so we did some typical Swedish things, such as going to a icehockey match.

Just wanted to share a photo from up here in Sweden. It truely is a calm and relaxing enviroment which is exactly what I am in need of. 

I did this promo video this summer for Silva, a Swedish lighting company.  Check it out!

The 2011 season is now officially over for me! I was supposed to do Tour of Lombardy this weekend, but the last week I have felt completly empty in my legs and head. I can now look forward to a few weeks without the bike before I start preparing for the next season.

I will most likely spend most of my time in the coming days like thizzzz.......

I was not expecting to feel good at all today, knowing that I had 200kms in the saddle ahead of me. As time passed I was surprised that I still felt as good as I did. With four kms remaining I touched another riders rear derailler with my front wheel, completly destroying it and forcing me to stop and change it. I don't think I would have been able to make a result today anyway, so I was happy only to at least have as good legs as I did. We now stay another night in the same hotel and have a recovery day tomorrow, before racing GP Emilia on Saturday.

I now have about 10 days until my season is finally over. Although it's been a good season, I can't wait for it to be over. My lack of updates here on my website are also a reflection of my motivation... But I will try to post a few more times before I put the bike away for a few weeks and get some time to do other things. A cool thing is that I will finally get to go to Astana, Kazakhstan for some team promotion later during the fall. Really looking forward to that!

Yesterdays 266km worlds race turned out to be what most people had expected. A flat, controllable course meant it was most likely to end up in a bunch sprint, which it did. I was hoping to have decent legs, but after 200kms when it would have made sense to try to attack, I was cooked. I now have a little over a week until next race in Italy, so I need to stay focused and make the most out of the last races. Hopefully I still have a good performance or two in me before it's time to close the 2011 season.

It's great to be here in Copenhagen, Denmark, ready to represent Sweden. I missed last years worlds due to lack of form, so I happy to be back with the national team. On the downside, the course isn't at all to my liking (flat), and I'm not sure how well I've recovered from the Vuelta. But Sunday we'll know how I'm doing. Tomorrow we will ride a final time before the race, probably a shorter ride with a coffee stop, mostly to prepare mentally for Sunday's 260kms.

I've been home in Monaco a few days now and it's been good to be off the bike for a couple of days. My body is feeling pretty good, but my head still needs a few more days without too much focus on cycling. I've taken the time to rearrange my apartment, making sure I use every square meter in the best way possible. It's been a good way to focus on something completely different! I will now slowly but surely start building my form and focus towards the world champs in Copenhagen next weekend. Unfortunately it isn't a course suited to me, but hopefully together with the other Swedes we can make the best of our possibilities.

Found this legendary Lancia Stratos at a car dealer here in Monaco, parked next to it were two(!) Ferrari F40's... only in Monaco.

The Vuelta a España 2011 is officially over! Today's stage was as expected easy the first 30km until we entered the circuit in Madrid. From there the race was on, as we completed 11 laps on the city course. I'm happy to have arrived in Madrid, as when I had my health problems I was unsure I would make it until the end. Tonight we have dinner here with the team, and tomorrow I finally get to go home. I will now take a few days off the bike and the writing, and then start preparing for the world championships in Copenhagen. 

The last real stage is over here at the Vuelta, now all that remains is a 90km stage in Madrid. We will only race the second half of the stage, as the first part is dedicated to the winning rider and team, giving them a moment in advance to enjoy the overall win. Today was hard again, as expected in the Basque Country. I felt a little stronger and was able to go with some attacks in the first part of the race, but then spent the day in the main peloton as we climbed four categorized climbs during the 185km stage. I finished in the front group with decent sensations. After the stage we have a 350km transfer by car to Madrid where we sleep tonight. In 36 hours I get to go home, looking forward to that!

Another day of suffering is over. We are now in the Basque Country, so it's up or down all the time. The weather is also surprisingly hot here at the moment, not making things easier, with over 40 degrees at some places. I am feeling fatigued, unable to follow the best when we get closer to the final of the stage. But I'm ready to continue fighting for the next two days, before I finally get to go home for some well deserved rest. 

We are getting closer to Madrid, now only three stages left. Also, the peloton lacks the energy and spirit it had the first two weeks, when almost every breakaway was caught before the finish. Today around 20 riders broke away, including two of my team mates, and they finished seven minutes ahead of the peloton. Although we didn't win, having two guys in the breakaway meant the rest of us could ride a little relaxed back in the peloton. I finished with good sensations, feeling a lot stronger than I did a few days ago.

My health is getting better again, I'm sleeping better, my stomach is working better and the chronic headache is gone. But I think it will be difficult to find the head and legs I had before the problems during the short time that is left in this years Vuelta. What keeps me going at the moment is the preparation I know I'm getting for the last part of the season. So I'm investing, hopefully allowing me to ride the Worlds and the last Italian races with good form. Stage 17 was long, hard and fast. Different teams were working during most times of the stage, never giving the peloton time to ride relaxed. I found myself too far back on one descent where the bunch split, leaving me riding in a groupetto to the finish. Now I'm counting down the days and stages, as I'm really looking forward to going home.

Finally a flat stage 100 procent adapted for the sprinters. A breakaway of three riders went away almost immediately, leaving us in the bunch to have a comfortable day in the saddle. I was feeling a lot better, but my stomach still wasn't fully recovered. But things are moving the in the right direction, which gives me hope that I'll be ready to fight again in a day or two. I also want to take this opportunity to say thanks to everyone who sent emails, comments or have written on my facebook fan page wall! Your support has been overwhelming! Thank you. 

I know I'm running a day late with my reports, but I just haven't had the time or energy to write the last few evenings. Anyway, the evening before the last stage I was getting massage, when suddenly my masseur tells me he cannot continue, as I'm burning up. We call the doctor and find out I have 39.5 degrees fever, and I end up eating in my room that night. I start the stage the next day and immediately feel that I don't have any power what so ever. The fever and stomach problems had finally taken out their right, leaving me struggling to hold the wheel of the rider in front of me even on the flats. Even finishing the stage was painful, but I'm happy I managed. Today we have a rest day and I will try to recover until tomorrow, when we take off again. Of course I am disappointed for myself, but also equally disappointed for my team mates and my team who have been very supportive since day one. Now I will continue to take it day by day, but no longer with any GC ambitions.

I spent most of the night before the stage battling with an upset stomach, not allowing me more than approximately one hour of sleep that night. I started the stage fatigued, not knowing how hard the problems would hit me. 50km into the race I seriously doubted that I would even be able to finish the stage, but slowly I started feeling better. The second last climb I was riding well, and was in the main pack over the top. On the last climb though, the consequences of the nights problems became obvious, as I no longer had the energy to follow the front group. I ended up loosing some time, but I am still happy it wasn't more, knowing that the consequences could have been a lot worse.

The only thing missing in today's mountainous stage was an uphill finish. We started with a long climb, causing the bunch to break into many smaller groups. I was happy to have a lot of team mates around me, never having to worry about the situation. After a second long climb a breakaway went consisting of almost 30 riders. We then headed into the longest climb of the day, 20km with sections of 15 procent. The main bunch got shattered again, leaving only the GC contenders and a few helpers per team left at the top. We then headed down towards flatter terrain and the chase was on for the breakaway. In the end we never caught them, as they finished a minute and a half ahead of what was left of the bunch. We now have two mountaintop finishes Saturday and Sunday, which I believe will decisive for the GC all the way to Madrid. I can only hope I can recover and have good enough legs to follow the best. Time will tell.

Tomorrows profile... 

Yesterday we had another stage with a mountaintop finish. I played my cards well and managed not to loose any time to my closest rivals. Today looked like an easy stage as it was fairly flat with only two categorize 3 climbs. As soon as the breakaway went, we had about 30 minutes of relaxed riding. Then, on the narrow, twisty roads the speed increased as the sprinter teams started to bring back the breakaway. With 30km to the finish the peloton was flying and legs were hurting. The final 3km were twisty, with a short climb at about 1km to the finish. I knew there would be gaps in the final, so I made sure I was riding in a good position all the way over the line. I ended up 11th and I'm now third overall. Tomorrow we head back into the mountains for another day of suffering.

Finally a well needed rest day that past much too fast. We had a 350km transfer after the time trial, so we got to the hotel late. After a fairly good nights sleep and breakfast we went for a ride and a stop for a coffee. Then back to the hotel for lunch, massage and some rest. Now I just finished dinner and it's time to head back to the room to get some sleep. Tomorrow the suffering continues.

Today we had a 47km long time trial, in other words an hour of pure suffering. The only positive aspect is that we get to ride alone and don't have to push and fight in the peloton. I am happy with my effort, I lost some time on some and gained on others. I am now 5th overall as we finally get a days rest tomorrow. All in all it's been a good start of this Vuelta, I couldn't have hoped for more. There are still many very hard stages to come, so I hope I can recover tomorrow and get ready to fight again on Wednesday. 

The team were on top of the race, giving me information as I rode along. 

Ouch, today was not an easy stage at all. Small roads, climbs and wind made it a very hard day. Again I was able to stay with the front group until the last km where the race exploded. I only lost a little time, although again, this is something that doesn't concern me. Tomorrow we finish with a monster climb, so I'm hoping I will recover well from today's effort. 

The final climb should shake things up in the GC. 

Finally a flat stage for the sprinters and an easy day for most of the rest of us. The break went within one km, allowing the peloton to ride at a comfortable speed for the first half of the stage. The only concern today was the wind, as the open landscape allowed the wind getting to us, at times causing stretches and even cuts of the bunch. In the final km there was a crash, but I and all my team mates were lucky to arrive safely over the finish. Tomorrow will be a hard stage with a tricky finish, so I'm happy I could conserve some energy today.

Tomorrows stage with one cat. 1 and two cat. 2 climbs. And, not to forget, an uphill finish.

The roads of yesterdays sixth stage were a lot better than previous days. Wider, straighter and less climbing gave the peloton some moments of relaxation. As nice as it sounds, we still did the first 60km of racing at full speed as the breakaway tried to get away. And, to top it off, the only categorized climb of the day was only 15km from the finish, meaning we again raced at full speed the last 50km of the stage. Again I lost some time due to a split in the final descent, but it does not worry me. I will keep repeating the following phrase for many days to come; there's still a long way to go to Madrid.

Today was a very nervous and hard stage. We started in Sierra Nevada, at 2100meter altitude and had a 37km neutral transfer down to Granada where we had the KM 0, and then 187km's to the finish. Only 8km's from the finish we finished a category 2 climb, so again it was a hard and difficult finish. I was happy to be able to stay with the front group today again, and I am now 6th overall. As I have mentioned many times earlier, I am taking it day by day. My main aim is to feel ok also the third week, and I am not looking at gaining seconds here and there, but rather avoiding loosing minutes in the second and third week.

Today we had the first of many mountaintop finishes during this years Vuelta. To me it was important to loose as little time as possible, rather than trying to make time on my rivals. I was able to sit in the main group over the finish, and thereby climbed a few positions on the GC. Tomorrow will be another difficult stage, with a tricky ending where there might be splits in the group.

Todays stage had two categorized climbs, the second only 14km from the finish. I managed to stay out of trouble and was amongst the main group over the final climb, and from there we cruised to the finish. Tomorrow will be very hard, as we finish on Sierra Nevada, at 2000 meters altitude.

Rolling into the start area of today's third stage. 

A fairly easy stage with a small climb during the first part of the stage, and a uphill finish was on the schedule. I am trying to stay relaxed and to waist as little energy as possible, as there still is a very long way to go until we arrive in Madrid. This is of course always easier said than done, as there will always be teams that want to make it a hard stage. The final kilometer was a lot trickier than I expected, I should have been in a better position coming into the final kilometers. In the end I was lucky getting the same time as the main peloton.

A TTT (Team Time Trial) was on todays first day's stage here in Spain. We were all focused and motivated to do well, and we are happy with our fourth place. We ended up 10 seconds behind winning team Leopard where my good friend Jakob Fuglsang crossed the line first, meaning he will get to wear the leaders jersey. Tomorrow we have the first real stage, where not too much should change in the general classification. 

Tomorrow evening the Vuelta starts, but already now things are starting to get busy. Right now I am at the presentation which is being held on the beach of Benidorm. We left the hotel at 16:30 for this, and we'll probably be back around 20:30. Then tomorrow we'll go for a ride in the morning and then have lunch in the hotel. Then, we'll head over early to Benidorm to get a look at the course, which until then hasn't been closed off for training. Our start is around 17:15, but more on that tomorrow. 

Rolling in to the presentation. 

I arrived yesterday evening to Alicante, close to where the first stage will be held of this years tour of Spain. I will be riding mainly to support our leader, Andrej Kasheshkin, but also to try and help keep the team high in the team classification. At the moment we are relaxing ahead of the three weeks of racing which lie ahead. Tomorrow we will go and have a look at the first days team time trial course. 

Race book, Vuelta a España 2011

Yesterday was a really warm day and after 5 h on the bike I just had to go to the beach afterwards to cool down. About a million others had the same idea as the beach was completely packed. 

Time passes quickly when you get to relax. I've enjoyed some time off the bike, as this was my last easy period before the Vuelta. The weather has been great here in Monaco, and although I would have liked to, I haven't been to the beach as it's way too cramped at the moment with tourists. Today I started my last block of training, which will last until Wednesday when I head for Spain.

The last stage of the Tour of Poland was on a flat lap in central Krakow. We did a 12.4km lap ten times. It was another of those days where I could loose time if I wasn't careful, as my sprint isn't one of my strongest features, and there can easily be gaps due to crashes or tired riders not being able to hold the wheel of the rider in front. In the end I kept my 12th position in the overall. Now I will stay here in Krakow tonight, and tomorrow morning fly home to Monaco and get some well deserved rest.

One last night in Poland before I get to go home.

Today just wasn't my day. I woke up with a sore throat, feeling that I had some germ in my body. We started the race and I felt quite ok during the first part of the stage. As we got closer to the finish and the speed got turned up, I started doubting my legs, but I dug deep to stay with the front group. Coming into the final climb, I managed to stay in a good position, and I only lost a few positions in the final sprint for the line. I ended up sixth, meaning I got no world tour points for the stage (as only top five get points for a stage), and I am now 12th overall, so no points there either (only top 10!). So although I'm not too disappointed with my sixth position today, there's just no reward for the suffering today and the other stages. In other words: today just wasn't my day.

Today's 203km stage was according to the profile going to be a tough day. In the end it ended up with another bunch sprint as the climbs weren't tough enough to make a real selection of the race. Tomorrow will be the last stage to try to make a result for me here in Poland, so I'm hoping the course will hard enough to make a difference.

Today's 172km stage was the first "real" stage here in Poland. Finally some climbs and also distance-wise it was more of a true bike race. We finished the race with three laps on a 6km circuit which had a climb and a stretch of pavé across the finish line. I ended up loosing 10 seconds, which is not bad considering the difficult finish. Tomorrow and the day after will be even longer and harder stages. The only downside with today is the three hour transfer we had to do after the stage. 

Today's profile

Again we had a short stage without climbs. 137km's were to be covered, and although distance-wise it wasn't long, it was very twisty. The weather made things even more difficult, as in every wet corner the speed was almost at standstill, before we all accelerated into the next. As expected it ended up in a bunch sprint, with most of the peloton having the same time.

Another stage without difficulties was on today's schedule. 162km's with good roads, and again we were lucky with the weather. I was happy to have avoided the big crash with 2km's to go, although two of my teammates hit the deck. Tomorrow is fairly flat and short, although the finishing circuit will require a lot of concentration.

The first stage of the Tour of Poland was a short, 100km race without any difficulties to mention. After 2:30h it all finished in a bunch sprint, and I was happy to have avoided crashes and trouble. The best thing about today was that we raced on dry roads. Luckily, as soon as we entered the bus after the race it started pouring rain outside.

...rain...

&...snow.

Goodbye Livigno... I am off to lower altitude for some recovery and sunshine.