Last year’s edition of the Båstad-Mölle rollerski race in Sweden was canceled due to railway construction. But now the race is ready for a return.
“It will be a competition with a historical mark,” says Båstad-Mölle organizer Lennart Klingberg.
In 2021, the premiere edition was carried out, but for pandemic reasons, the race was only for elite athletes. Now the race is open to everyone.
This would have already happened last year, but then the organizers were forced to cancel the competition due to railway construction along the track.
“Now those constructions are finished. We have had several meetings with the Swedish Transport Administration, and the railway construction is complete, so is the bridge in Utvälinge where we will cross the railway,” says Lennart Klingberg.
This year’s edition of Båstad-Mölle will be contested on September 16. The race starts in Båstad and goes through Vejbystrand, Ängelholm, and Jonstorp, finishing in Mölle at the Kullen lighthouse.
The rollerski race is 74 kilometers long (570 meters of altitude gain), and there are also courses of 50 and 25 kilometers.
“The interest is great, and we believe the available places will be fully booked quickly. For example, we have 300 men’s and 100 women’s places on the longer race, and we have hopes that large parts of the long-distance elite will test their strength at the event,” says Klingberg.
In the premiere edition in 2021, Lina Korsgren won ahead of Ida Dahl on the women’s side, and Stian Hoelgaard won ahead of Alfred Buskqvist on the men’s field.
There is a historical connection in Båstad-Mölle. The first ski race is supposed to have been organized there about 1.000 years ago.
And as a connection to history, the men’s competition will be named Båstad-Mölle Harald Blåtand’s revenge; and on the women’s side, the name is Båstad-Mölle Vera Blåtand’s revenge.
“We will also have 30 free places (ten at each distance) for those who choose to race in Viking clothes. More about how to apply for those places soon,” says Klingberg.
Read more about Båstad-Mölle here.
