The Story

In August 2013 the biggest mountain bike race in the world, The Birken, drew two Englishmen to Norway. The race was completed and they both were left in awe of the organisation and scale of the Birken event.

The Birken bike race is the summer cousin to the original winter ski event. Not long after returning to the UK a plan to return was hatched but this time not on 2 wheels but on skis. Apart from the obvious challenge of the 54km of cut cross country ski tracks which make up the Birken race there was another more pressing issue... neither of the mountain bikers had ever cross country skied.

Can two absolute novice skiers learn to master the technique of cross country skiing in time to complete the Birken Ski Marathon by March 2014 ? well there is only one way to find out ... the Zero to Hero challenge was born.

Monday, 20 January 2014

North Sea training camp

One of the key aims of this whole project was to look at how individuals without access to perfectly groomed slopes and tracks can train to complete an event like the Birken ... at the moment though my current situation is testing the limits of adaption.

As a geotechnical engineer I work in predominantly offshore renewables so every now and then I have to supervise site works... and as the job description suggests those sites are in the sea.

Since the start of January whilst Henry has been terrorising the pensioners on Blackpool Prom I have been working nocturnal shifts on a drill vessel in the North Sea.

Home sweet home ...



My ability to train has improved somewhat with the delivery to the vessel a week or so back of some new gym equipment so when time and tiredness allows at least now I can spin my legs for a while.  The laptop is a useful distraction from the shelves of oven cleaner, washing up liquid and large freezers :)


Looking forward to getting home in a week or so and tackling the roller skis before out next Norwegian training session .. I feel at the moment I have a lot of work ahead of me.
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