COLD SNAPS

Chris Lanaway dons the deepest winter thermals for the Abloc Winter Challenge in southern Sweden

- Chris Lanaway

Originally an unlikely adventure thought up among friends who'd just ridden Vätternrunden, the huge summer sportive in Motala in southern Sweden, Abloc's Winter Challenge has grown into an annual tradition for the hardiest cyclists. The course has evolved and the peloton grown over its seven years, with riders coming from far and wide looking to ride its 300km-ish on frozen roads, deep into Småland's "Höglandet" (highlands) on a mix of punchy tarmac and gravel roads. And then there's the darkness to factor in. Winter here is long, dark and cold. The ice and snow mean that studded tyres are the shrewd choice. Their steady hum gives a signal of reassurance as you glide across icy roads glistening under powerful LED lights, all while still managing to keep your bike upright despite the odds being stacked against you. I rode it last winter- here's how I got on.

01/ Ice road truckers

With the sun slowly progressing above the treeline, a subtle warmth began to fill the air as temperatures crept to a lofty zero. It was well timed, as the group was about to enter the first gravel stage of the course. The hum of studded tyres changed to a higher pitch, which could mean only one thing - frozen gravel! This was a welcome sight for the riders as they pressed on in search of fika (a coffee stop) - the surface rides like asphalt, saving the legs with such a long way to go

02/ It's a wrap

Starting in Jönköping earlier that morning, riders prepared to leave the bright city lights behind and head deep into the forest. Despite unseasonable warmth, the temperature was still a frosty -6°C, which called for layers alongside strong lights to cut through the darkness. The sun wasn't due to rise for another four hours

03/ False dawn