Vasaloppet!

The first Sunday in March is the Vasaloppet Sunday! Vasaloppet is the oldest cross-country ski race in the world, this year was the 96th one. It’s 90 kilometres long, between Sälen and Mora in the beautiful region of Dalarna. King Gustav Vasa is supposed to have fled from Danish soldiers in 1520 or 1521, skiing in the opposite direction, hence the name. Over 15 000 people have registered but some will not start because of the bad training conditions this winter. 

We set the alarm so we were ready to watch the preparations and the spectacular mass start at 8 am. While we watched, mum made waffles with raspberry jam and whipped cream that we shared. Yay! My walk had to wait until the elite had reached the finish portal, but I was OK with that. 

The whole afternoon, there was live coverage of the the race. Some people don’t reach the goal until 8 or 9 pm, they ski in the dark forest with headlamps. The whole thing is a big celebration with lots of people cheering along the way. 

I love Vasaloppet! And waffles, of course. 

The extras are the first uphill section after the start, the finish sprint for the victory and the winner of the ladies’ race. 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasaloppet