Styrkeprøven has been organized since 1967 over the distance Trondheim – Oslo. Tourritt på landeveien has for over 50 years been an important contribution to the work for public health in Norway.

Styrkeprøven has established itself as a flagship among the many small and large touring races around the country. It is participation in Styrkeprøven which means that many train and stay in shape throughout the year and year after year.

This year – as in 2022 – the Norwegian Public Roads Administration has not given permission to organize Styrkeprøven . This year, the reasons for the refusal are different than in 2022. We, as the organiser, have of course complained about the refusal. As last year, our complaint was not heeded by the Swedish Road Administration and the case has now been forwarded to the Norwegian Roads Directorate. In 2022, we were successful in our appeal to the Roads Directorate.

As an organiser, we are of course deeply concerned about the outcome of our complaint at the Directorate of Roads. We will of course do everything we can to convince the authorities that we must get permission to organize the Styrkeprøven tour race.

The Swedish Road Administration justifies the refusal in its note to the Road Directorate with “that the requested cycle race is not in accordance with several points in the regulations on cycle races on roads § 5 and the regulation’s purpose provision § 1. The application does not satisfy requirements for good traffic safety for cyclists and other road users. Furthermore, the choice of route leads to poorer accessibility for other road users while the cycle race is in progress (…)”.

Styrkeprøven believes this is not correct. As the organiser, we have primarily thought about the safety of the riders in our application, both in terms of route and race layout. Furthermore, we have proposed measures to solve problems related to reduced accessibility without getting approval for these. At all events of a certain size, there will always be some conflicts between participants and other groups, but it must still be possible to find solutions to minimize unwanted conflicts. We want to find solutions, but we cannot find them alone.

If the road authorities this year maintain their decision that Styrkeprøven cannot be arranged, it will probably mean that the event as it has been since 1967 will never return.

We hope that all our participants will be able to cycle their chosen distance on Saturday 17. June 2023 as planned. We continue to work on our planning of the tour. Styrkeprøven will try to enter into a dialogue with the Road Directorate as soon as possible before they make their final decision.