There is always great excitement attached to the team competition in The Great Strength Test. For the past four years, the Trønder Express has dominated the competition, but this year the Easterners wanted it differently. In the Vallhall Arena, they could let loose their cheers after a demonstration of power.

– Congratulations on this year’s team win! How does this feel?

– It’s probably the worst feeling an amateur cyclist can get! Especially when it is something you have worked purposefully for for four years, and were so close last year. It was a big dream come true. A real team win, says team captain Hans Helmenbakken.

Better prepared than ever

Hans says that the team has run two warm-up races to set the wheel and get good flow in it. In addition, they had a dress rehearsal 14 days before, where they drove two laps around Randsfjorden for 300 km with an average of 40 km/ten. There they also got to practice stopping for food.

– This year we were better prepared than ever. We hit 100% on planning and implementation.

The plan was to bring everyone to Lillehammer.

– We would also have had that if it hadn’t been for an early overturn where we had to stop with the team. The rider was fine and he tried to continue cycling, but the bike was broken, he says, and adds:

– In addition, we got two people technically. But the fact that there were 27 of us on Øyer was crucial so that the strongest who completed the race had an “easy” journey there, and thus had more to drive with from Lillehammer onwards.

– The team feeling we had this year was unique. As good a mood as there was on Thursday and Friday in Trondheim, at the warm-up race and dress rehearsal, I was sure of victory as we rolled out on the night of Saturday. Everyone would bleed for each other.

Much new

Last year, when they were still called Team Heinemann Oslo, the team was stressed after Kvam. A bit of overheating and high adrenaline meant that the team was driven to pieces.

This year they had a completely different control.

– With the exception of the small overturn after five miles, which we lost approx. two minutes on, then I have never before driven in a better organized roll. It was managed by the other captains with Remy Dirks at the helm, he boasts, and continues:

– It was a school example of a calm and nice roll which meant that we could keep up the speed relatively easily and with low pulse values.

In addition to the new name, the team has made several changes this year.

– We brought in two new captains in Remy Dirks and Ottar Farstad who did a very good job both during preparations and the race. Furthermore, I would like to single out the eternally young Øyvind Melvold, who is the last captain, he did a very good job recruiting all the good cyclists in Eastern Norway.

This year there were around 40 riders in the gross squad, while last year there were only 22 a week before the start.

Proud captain

The team captain has had a long journey to this victory. That’s why it tastes extra good.

– Had someone told me 8-9 years ago when I bought my first bike and was so untrained that I couldn’t complete my first 10 kilometers without stopping, that I would be captain of the team that wins Trondheim-Oslo, then neither I nor anyone else had believed it. I probably weighed 110 kg at the time, he says, adding:

– The road was long, but the motivation came when I kept getting better. The day I joined Rye XP, the standard was set.

– What is it like to be team captain for this group?

– It is incredibly inspiring. Victory for the team was the most important thing for me, and my own ambitions became less important.

Unfortunately, he didn’t quite contribute to the goal himself. He damaged the gear system at the food stop at Kvam, and lost the chain a couple of hours later. Then he never made it back up to the team.

– I have to admit that I shed a tear while cycling alone to Lillehammer. Mostly because it was such a shame not to be able to contribute further so that the team would win.

The way forward

Before the race, Hans was absolutely certain that this was his last year as an amateur cyclist.

– But it does something to you when the guys who are sitting completely exhausted on the artificial grass in Vallhall ask “Are we going to win the Vättern Rundt next year or not?”. The team is unique and very cohesive now, so not building on this may not be an option. Defending the title also hangs high.

But right now Hans is going to enjoy the summer. Ride when he feels like it, and not when he has to. So time will tell what happens next.

– Finally, I would also like to say a big thank you for the match to TPX. A worthy opponent with a lot of nice people. I have received many nice messages and congratulations from them, and the mood between the teams was very good both before and after the race. To win this four years in a row is a feat for which they deserve all the praise.