Styrkeprøven AS had major challenges in autumn 2021 and winter/spring 2022. From having three full-time employees in 2019 to only one full-time employee in 2022, there were therefore extra big challenges for both the employee and the board of Styrkeprøven AS. The totality of this regrettably went beyond this year’s event.

After this year’s event, Styrkeprøven has found a new organizational model in which we have great faith. It is based on a project organization with many people involved when there is a lot to do and a fixed coordination team. There is continuous work to find smart solutions and routines for the operation of the company. We welcome good input from all cycling enthusiasts.

Escort cars and traffic safety

There will be no change regarding companion cars in 2023. Only cars from the organizer providing general support will be allowed in the event. This is a requirement from the public sector that cannot be waived. Otherwise, it is quite clear in the tour ride regulations of the NCF that accompanying cars are not permitted.

The road authorities, and especially the police, have for several years been very critical of the accompanying cars in Styrkeprøven . Although this has been prohibited for many years, the police believe that the organizer has shown too little willingness to punish or disqualify the riders who use escort cars.

It was absolutely crucial to get permission for this year’s event that the organizer took an active action to stop the use of escort vehicles. In this year’s event, several riders were also disqualified for using companion cars.

Information

Information before the race is something we have taken care of. We are the first to apologize that the information posted came too late and was not precise enough. The board has really focused on this and something we will work hard to improve.

Our website was moved to another publishing solution last autumn. Unfortunately, this work was done halfway, so that parts of the structure and many of the pages were not moved over. In addition, we also had two serious attacks on our website after this move. The attacks meant that the websites were down for certain periods and gave us another challenge on top of everything else.

Choice of route

This year we had several challenges when it came to choosing the route for the race. A diversion out of Trondheim via Klæbu to Ler was originally planned, but only two weeks before the race it became clear that the route used in 2019 out of Trondheim could still be used.

The route past Støren was not good and in some places dangerous for larger groups. This was raised with the road authorities before the race, but we were unable to resolve it. In the evaluation meeting after Styrkeprøven , this was also taken up again, but the road authorities point out that the event is a touring race and that the riders must deal with it.

As far as the stretch at Espa is concerned, we as organizers were surprised  that the “cycle path” below “Bolleland” had only been closed  shortly before the event. Statens Vegvesen Innlandet had not given any information about this to the race director in advance. Therefore, there was also too little time to find an alternative. 

Another problem is the stretch between Eidsvoll works and Dal. We receive clear recommendations from the police and road authorities that the race must stay away from Råholt with all the roundabouts and high traffic volumes to/from shops during the day. Therefore, we also have to count on cycling alternatives to this stretch in the future.

Signage

We are going to add more resources and a new standard for signage in 2023 that we will use on all our rides, with advance warning for exits from major roads, arrow signs at intersections and confirmation arrows after the intersection. There will also be signs in place informing you that you are approaching the next food station.

There have been many discussions with the road authorities/police about the use of signage versus stationary trail guards in the race. Although it is probably perceived as a safety for the participants, the police and road authorities paradoxically do not want many guards on the route because it could give the participants  impression that they have a free lane and that the traffic rules do not apply. It is also the case that the use of guards at junctions only to show the way is a significant cost for us as an organiser. We have chosen to prioritize the use of stationary guards with regulatory authority in vulnerable locations. 

Specifically, we will improve this for next year:

1. Increased service and quality at food stations
2. Raise the standard for trail marking
3. More streamlined system and more people involved in bag freight/layer boxes
4. Be earlier  out for ordering critical material
5. Closer cooperation  with sponsors and other partners

We hope this gave you a better insight into our challenges this year, and an explanation of what we have done and how we want to improve. We warmly thank all of you who participate in our rides for your trust  and we hope we will have the pleasure of seeing as many of you as possible at the start again!

Registration for Styrkeprøven 2023 has already opened!