Rollerskiing Across Norway: “The Body Is Getting Better And Better”
Kevin Ramsfjell will rollerski across Norway on rollerskis in a record-breaking 13 days: 2600 kilometers and 200km a day. The 22-year-old started from Nordkapp on Saturday, July 16.
After three days, Ramsfjell reports that his form is rising and that he has, on average, managed to go longer stages than the scheduled 200km every day, even though day two was one with many headwinds and rain.
“It was ten hours of rain and headwind. I could probably go further, but I would rather wait for dry roads and faster average speed,” says Ramsfjell after the stage from Alta to Olderdalen/Lyngseidet.
Monday’s stage from Lyngseidet to Narvik offered dry asphalt and no significant surprises. Ramsfjell has now logged 617 kilometers out of a total of 2600. Today, Ramsfjell continues south from Narvik.
Good form and tight schedule
To fulfill the goal of reaching the finish line in 13 days, the 22-year-old plans to rollerski daily stages of 200km without rest days. The plan is to rollerski about 10 hours per day, breaks not included. Then he must have an average speed of 20 km/h to keep track.
Thirteen days and 200 km per day is an ambitious and tight schedule, and therefore Ramsfjell has chosen a route that follows the fastest, straightest roads from north to south.
“I really only took the distance 2600 kilometers and divided it by 13 to get a round number to relate to. 200km is a round number, and 10 hours a day is a round number,” says Ramsfjell to Langrenn.com.
The route is almost identical to the one that ultra-running legend Simen Holvik followed when he set a world record for running the stretch last summer. Holvik spent 26 days.
FACTS: Rollerskiing Across Norway 2022
- Who: Kevin Brekken Ramsfjell (22)
- What: Set a new record for crossing Norway on rollerskis
- When: July 16-28, 2022
- Route: Nordkapp to Lindesnes
- Distance: 2600 kilometers
- Altitude gain: 30,000+
- Duration: 13 days
- Current record for the stretch: 21 days, set in 2021 (Ståle Samuelsen, 63 years)
- How: 13 stages of 200km, daily sessions of 10 hours, average speed 20km/h