As you probably know, Styrkeprøven is owned by eight sports teams in and around Oslo. You have probably heard rumors that Styrkeprøven is struggling financially and that there is a risk for future races. We can clearly deny both parts. Styrkeprøven will run with a profit in 2023 and has good cooperation with the authorities who will ensure the framework for the race for several years to come.

In 2022, we were unable to completely balance the operation. After that, we worked diligently, spent money where it was important and otherwise cut costs. So even though the number of participants is much lower than it was, we are in the plus and have a solid result that will strengthen the equity in the company. We are working well with the authorities and will get approval for the ride in good time.

Arild Salte should have the lion’s share of the credit for us having managed to turn the economy around so radically. He has made sure that we spend money on the important and right things and that we don’t spend more money than we have to. All agreements have been renegotiated and we have chosen simple and sustainable solutions that work. For a company like Styrkeprøven , it is very demanding to scale down costs. Anyone who has tried it knows that it is not easy. The costs of food stations, security and the Police only increase. This is much of the reason why there are so few tour races left in Norway. Nevertheless, he has managed to make this happen.

We are still living in a falling market. Participation in tour rides is not increasing and very many rides have disappeared in recent years. We expect that in 2024 and 2025 we will also see a falling number of participants. But we have to put up with that. Even if there is reason to be concerned about the participation in tour races, we must stand for both tour races in general, and Styrkeprøven and Jotunheimen in particular. The good news is that we now have an operating model that gives a profit to our owners and to NCF region East, which will also receive part of the dividend from Styrkeprøven AS.

At the same time, major changes are underway at us. We have written about much of this before. We are changing the route. There will be a new finish at Grorud. We are canceling the actual team competition, but will keep the starting arrangement. And those who train together will be allowed to cycle together. Some food stations are new and some will be relocated. Bag shipping will improve in 2024 and we are considering adding a fourth stop. We now cooperate much better with the Norwegian Road Administration, so that we do not have the same problems as in 2023. Our websites still have a lot to go on, but we are very pleased with the response to Thomas Svane Jacobsen’s Masterclass. We will send out regular newsletters. A registration button will appear.

So to all our participants and followers who have been afraid of how things are going with us. You can join us in looking forward to the Christmas season with the fact that Styrkeprøven is in the red, has strengthened its equity further, and will live on in the years to come.