Our road racing season 2016, part 3 (Information about Kalmar Grand Prix)

We have investigated Kalmar Grand Prix Open now. We contacted the organiser of the race and asked them about the length, route, start and finish of the race, and there are some changes compared to last year:

1. The race will start from Elevatorkajen. No change here, that's the same as last year.

2. The race then takes a different route compared to last year. For those who will race 130 kilometres a change is that the race will pass outside the town of Nybro, instead of right through it, since the race is now a race for professionals as well as amateurs, so there will be a "rolling blocking", consisting of about 30 cars and 30 motorcycles. (This was probably quite difficult to organise through Nybro.) A change both for those racing 130 kilometres, as well as those racing 60 and 30 kilometres is that the route will not go through the suburban areas that it went through last year. This is a big improvement. We remember the route from last year, with all the stewards having trouble keeping the public out of the way and an abundance of 90 degree turns. That will thankfully now be gone.

3. The race is now, for those racing 60 kilometres, exactly 58.5 kilometres, according to the organiser.

4. A big change is that the finishing line will be on the Larmtorget square, "if nothing unforeseen happens". So this year we might expect finishing line sprints up the cobbled Larmgatan street! (How very Belgian!)

5. There are some changes regarding the days too. Last year the Kalmar Grand Prix Open 140 kilometre and 70 kilometre road races were during the day, and then the Kalmar Grand Prix Elit criterium race the same evening. This year there will be a race for children - Kalmar Grand Prix Kids - on Friday, during the day. They will ride the same route as the elite riders riding the criterium race, which will take place on Friday evening. Then on Saturday those riding the 60 and 30 kilometre races will start during the morning, and then the 130 kilometre race for the elite and amateur riders will take place in the afternoon.

Is this an improvement? Yes. And no. We would have preferred a 70 kilometre race - now it will be almost like an ITT race, but with an advantage for those who enter along with whole cycling clubs. But that's really the same as any other amateur road race, so... Better to start to think that it's actually a cool thing. And since we are riding the 60 kilometre version we would have thought that it would have been really cool to race with the elite riders. (At least we would have seen them at the start!) That won't happen now. But if things work out and this is done the same way again next year, we will definitely consider entering the 130 kilometre version. We also think that it is a pity that the race won't pass through the town of Nybro, but instead passing just outside the town, because it would have been really cool to ride through the centre of the town but... Well, that's just the way it is.

This is not how it will look in Kalmar in August! Kristin Amstrong racing in the Olympic games of 2012. (We borrowed this picture from Wikipedia. Hope that's OK!)

A link to Kalmar Grand Prix is here. (Sori, Swedish only.) Ride safe!