CYCLING PLEASURE TO THE LAST PUMP!

Hallingdal Rides
Oct 3. 2020
2 min reading

- The Hallingdal Pumptrack Series is Norway's only pumptrack series, and one of this year's major innovations in Hallingdal. This weekend, the series rounded off the season with the 4th and final series round in brand new pumptrack at Flå.

The official opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony kicked off the 4th and final round of the Hallingdal Pumptrack Series, which took over Flå this weekend. The round took place on a sparkling new pumptrack in the center of Flå , and at the starting line stood 40 expectant participants aged 3 to 46 years. No expense was spared at the end of the season, and the day offered spectacular driving, big smiles and a few dramatic moments - including when the winner of the last round and fastest qualifier, Niklas Halvorsen, crashed out shortly before the finish. Instead, it was Sixten Simonsen who took his first victory in the elite class this season.

No expense was spared in the season finale, and the day offered spectacular driving, big smiles and a few dramatic moments

There were no fewer than 23 winners in the junior class, all of whom went home with diplomas and well-deserved prizes from SpareBank1 Hallingdal Valdres and Vertical Playground. For the second time in a row, the fastest junior was Leander Bunes, who will now make room on the wall for another of the coveted pumptrack trophies.

Image: Focused participant ready to start. Photo: Lars Storheim

One rider who is definitely starting to feel the pressure on her trophy shelf is Annika Pettersen (pictured below), who has made a big splash in the Hallingdal Pumptrack Series with her third straight victory in the elite class for women. This means she can add a further NOK 5,000 to her prize account for this season.

A local cycling hero was also honored at Flå this Saturday. In the open class, Ove Grøndal put his competitors to the sword and proved that it is possible to go really fast on a dirt bike.

Event manager Clint Butcher now looks back on a debut season with 4 successful events:

"When we decided to launch the pumptrack series, we had no idea how this concept would be received - and whether anyone would even show up at the competitions. As we come to a close, we've had more than 170 cyclists at the starting line, creating a great atmosphere regardless of the weather."

"The fact that professional cyclists and a 3-year-old on a balance bike can ride side by side is a good recipe for creating cycling pleasure and buckets of inspiration for the next generation of cyclists in Hallingdal.

Butcher believes that the low-threshold profile of the event has been a success factor:

"The fact that professional cyclists and a 3-year-old on a balance bike can ride side by side is a good recipe for creating cycling pleasure and buckets of inspiration for the next generation of cyclists in Hallingdal. We will now spend the next few weeks and months evaluating and further developing the series, so that next year's edition will be even better."

Facts Hallingdal Pumptrack Series:

The Hallingdal Pumptrack Series has had a total of 4 rounds in 2020: Geilo (July 3), Gol (July 25), Nesbyen (September 3) and Flå (October 3).
For each round, 10.000,- is at stake in the elite class - 5.000,- to the fastest man and woman respectively.
Sponsors: SpareBank1 Hallingdal Valdres (main sponsor), Vestlia Resort and Ski Geilo (Geilo), Intersport Gol (Gol), Nesbyen Ski og Sykkel samt Giro Norge (Nesbyen), Vertical PlaygroundFlå)
"Hallingdal Pumptrack Series" is organized by Tråkk 'n' Roll SA, which is owned by the 6 destination companies in Hallingdal.
You can read more about the event here.