/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/b8/b6/b8b68a1f-fea4-441c-8a5a-3b094e4e89bf/vatternrundan_24.jpg)
How Sweden’s Vätternrundan Became One of the Biggest Recreational Bike Rides on the Planet
For 60 years, cyclists have descended on the city of Motala in June to ride 196 miles around Lake Vättern and promote healthy living
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/accounts/headshot/lh60GdEB_400x400-edit.png)
:focal(1024x692:1025x693)/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/b8/b6/b8b68a1f-fea4-441c-8a5a-3b094e4e89bf/vatternrundan_24.jpg)
Every year in June, about 28,000 cyclists gather in Sweden over two weekends for one of the biggest recreational bike rides in the world. Starting in the small city of Motala, 150 miles southwest of Stockholm, competitors ride, not race, for 196 miles around the picturesque Lake Vättern, Sweden’s second-largest lake. The Vätternrundan, or “Lake Vättern ride,” isn’t competitive. No winners are declared. No medals are handed out. There is no podium. The only aim for riders is to complete the challenge, and doing so is a rite of passage.
“They say you can’t call yourself a cyclist unless you have broken your clavicle,” says Mattias Rundgren, a cyclist and YouTuber who rode the Vätternrundan in 2022. “In Sweden, you can’t call yourself a cyclist if you haven’t done the Vätternrundan.”
The annual event reminds people how fun and rewarding cycling is, so that entrants, who have to be at least 18 years old, will hopefully take advantage of Sweden’s impressive cycling infrastructure all year round. Its capital city of Stockholm alone has 700 miles of bike lanes, and in Malmo, the third-largest city in the country, 30 percent of all trips are done on bikes thanks to its bicycle expressways, parking facilities, car-free days, cycling festivals, company incentives and bicycle education programs in schools.
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/77/70/7770658d-6e49-4815-b82c-13e7c9141bdf/starten2024_4.jpg)
The Vätternrundan is actually held over two weekends—with the first featuring a 150-kilometer (93-mile) race, a 100-kilometer (62-mile) race, and a women-only 100-kilometer race, and the second weekend (June 13-14, this year) saved for the main event. Its opening salvo usually sees the arrival of anywhere between 9,000 and 10,000 riders, with between 17,500 and 18,000 people descending on Motala for the 196-mile race.
2025’s Vätternrundan is a particularly special moment in its history, as the event turns 60. To mark the occasion, participants will be able to attend free talks on the evolution of the event, purchase anniversary souvenirs, test new bikes and listen to inspiring talks on cycling.
History of the Vätternrundan
The origins of the Vätternrundan date back to 1964, when physician Sten-Otto Liljedahl, who was born and raised in Motala, told local bike shop owner Ewert Rydell that he wanted to cycle around Lake Vättern to study the effects of bike riding.
“Liljedahl thought that Swedish health was going downwards,” says Oskar Sundblad, CEO of the Vätternrundan. “He said to him, ‘Let’s do something about this. What about a cycling race?’ He didn’t know much about cycling, but he enjoyed it. He wanted to make it into an adventure. That’s why he approached Rydell to ride around Lake Vättern.”
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/d0/6d/d06d62dc-3426-418d-9d0e-e3cdd2ca1dbb/vatternrundan_2015_066jpg.jpg)
On Thursday, August 24, 1964, Liljedahl and Rydell set out on their ride. According to the official Vätternrundan website, they had to endure miserable weather, as the rain pummeled their bodies and intense wind swayed them off their seats. But after 22.5 hours, they arrived back in Motala, having completed the endeavor.
In August 1965, Liljedahl and Rydell decided to ride the same route again. This time they were joined by Jan Törnell, Erik Forssén, and Kurt and Keith Kling. A few months later, Liljedahl sent Rydell a Christmas card outlining his intention, and asking for his help, to promote the Vätternrundan. In June 1966, the first official Vätternrundan took place with 334 participants. “It grew and grew each year,” says Sundblad.
While the Vätternrundan instantly attracted cycling enthusiasts, the bike boom across Europe during the 1970s made it even more popular, says Hans Stoops, who sits on the board of the Swedish national cycling advocacy organization Cykelfrämjandet. In 1973, an oil crisis saw a sharp rise in fuel costs; the public became more aware of the environmental impact of cars, which precipitated a huge increase in bike sales. According to Yablochnaya-Kasha, an urban development company that explores innovative ways to make Sweden more sustainable, Swedish cities invested in “comprehensive networks of protected bike routes, bicycle highways, and innovative safety features.” Stoops adds: “There were a lot of movements and organizations promoting cycling across Europe at that time. A lot of them have been celebrating their 50th anniversaries in recent years.”
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/ce/6b/ce6b39d8-6831-49e2-9d3d-02f13b6dbdd3/hojdskillnaderna_i_vatternrundan_tatueringjpg.jpg)
The emergence of the Swedish Classic during the early 1970s also attracted more and more athletes to the Vätternrundan. To complete the Swedish Classic, a person has to cross-country ski the Vasaloppet (56 miles) in March, bike the Vätternrundan (196 miles) in June, swim the Vansbrosimningen (1.9 miles) in July and run the Lidingöloppet (18.6 miles) in September. “That really helps to give the Vätternrundan credibility,” says Rundgren. “A large portion of people are doing it to complete the Classic.”
About 25 percent of riders come to Sweden from abroad to take part in the Vätternrundan, too. “We will have 78 nations represented this year,” says Sundblad. “Our biggest market is obviously Sweden. But then we have people from the other Nordic countries, like Norway, Finland and Denmark. Germany is really big. We have more than 2,000 Germans attend every year. The U.K. is getting bigger. But we have had people from Malaysia, Venezuela, and many, many countries from around the world come to do it.”
In 2019, 19,262 people from around 70 countries started the Vätternrundan, including Princess Tessy of Luxembourg. Swedish musicians Jonas Thander and Stefan Nykvist even kicked off the main race by performing “Oslagbara (Unbeatable),” the official song of the Vätternrundan, for its riders. But the Covid-19 pandemic saw its numbers dwindle. The race was canceled in 2020, and just 7,559 took to the starting line in 2021. The number of entrants has been on the rise in the past five years. The 2024 edition had 14,001 starters, with Sundblad noting that the Vätternrundan’s rider numbers increase by “approximately 10 percent or so every year.”
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/96/1c/961c9d74-4a2b-4693-8488-332489d8c1fd/vatternrundan_039jpg.jpg)
The perks of slow travel
There’s another reason why the Vätternrundan is so appealing to cyclists from across the world, though. As it unfolds around one of the most picturesque lakes in Scandinavia—Lake Vättern is renowned for its crystal-clear water, endless sandy beaches and stunning sunset views—cyclists can take in the idyllic sights surrounding them.
That’s as long as they’re able to see them. The first group of riders begin the Vätternrundan at 7:30 on Friday night and spend several hours cycling through darkness. “There are around 50 to 70 people in each starting group,” says Sundblad. They’re released every five minutes up until 6 a.m. on Saturday, when the organizers take a little break. “Then we let the really, really fast riders go at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday,” adds Sundblad.
While it might sound barbaric for cyclists to start a 196-mile ride at 7:30 p.m., Sundblad insists that’s the traditional way to do the Vätternrundan. It’s also the only way to see Lake Vättern at its most divine and celestial, as the body of water reflects the sun setting and, then, just a few hours later, rising. “The Swedish summer nights are very exotic,” says Sundblad. “The sun will go down at around 11:30 p.m., then it starts to get a little light at 3 a.m. It’s just super special to bike through the night. It’s an amazing experience and something that’s unique and hard to do anywhere else in the world.”
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/b9/a3/b9a3fae7-b470-4c83-815e-5d0a87e96ecf/vatternrundan_2014_089jpg.jpg)
Claude Walter, who runs the biking blog Cycling Claude and has done the Vätternrundan 13 times, insists the experience of watching the sunrise and riding during dawn is exactly what makes the event “different to everything else [he’s] seen and done.” Rundgren adds that it’s not just the sight of the “truly amazing, beautiful lake” glistening from the sun that took his breath away. “You can see the farmlands, the hills around you, and in the distance these towns like Karlsborg and Hjo become visible. Parts of the ride are just stunning.”
Nine full-service depots, positioned every 45 miles or so along the course, allow riders to take rests and recuperate. At each of them, Swedish delicacies—like meatballs with mashed potatoes, warm blueberry soup, salads, fruit, and hot and cold drinks—are served by the mass of volunteers. “Over 4,000 volunteers from 75 or so football, ice hockey and sporting clubs help us to take care of the cyclists over the weekends,” says Sundblad. This also gives riders a chance to meet each other and bask in the jovial atmosphere that makes the Vätternrundan so special. “It’s a great festivity because there’s this mix of professionals and semi-pros,” says Rundgren. “I think three-quarters of the people who are doing it are doing it for fun.”
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/34/35/343505f9-0203-4f17-ae48-f17a68b6c807/vr_2023_mal.jpg)
Stoops notes that many people will complete the Vätternrundan on “silly novelty bikes” that are decades old, while some have even done it on tandem bikes and in costumes. Such sights help to lift the spirits of everyone involved, says Walter, while the locals that live around the course are always on hand to shout out words of encouragement, too. Especially those that are emptying the pubs and bars in the middle of the night. “Even in the smallest towns, people sit by the track and cheer you on,” Walter adds. “You see the drunk people, they cheer you on. People have signs and they sit in hot water tubs in their gardens, drinking and cheering.”
Finding cozy accommodations can be a little tricky, especially as many of the 20,000 cyclists bring friends and family. Sundblad estimates that around 100,00 people descend on Motala, which has a population of 43,717. “We usually find a campsite a few kilometers from the start,” says Walter. “The sandy beach of the lake is actually one of the longest in Northern Europe. We have camped there. But it can be very windy and rainy.”
Europe’s cycling culture and its health impact
Vätternrundan founder Sten-Otto Liljedahl’s original mission to increase Sweden’s health through cycling has paid off in dividends. In 2022, Statista reported that 73 percent of Swedish households have access to a bike. According to Run Repeat, Sweden has the fourth most daily bike riders in the world, with 31 percent of its inhabitants using bikes as transportation two times per week or more. “Recreational road cycling has certainly grown in the last 20 years into something that I didn’t recognize at all,” says Stoops. This might explain why Sweden’s life expectancy is around 83 years old, two years higher than the OECD Better Life Index average of 81.
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/f2/bc/f2bcac18-fc9c-41c9-a7ef-3f8d17d7fb6d/stig_johansson_starten_vatternrundanjpg.jpg)
Last year, 281 people over the age of 70 took part in the Vätternrundan, according to Bicycling.com. “We actually have one guy, Stig Johansson, who has done the Vätternrundan every year since it began,” says Sundblad. “This year will be his 60th race. A guy who is 90 has also signed up to do it this year. It’s just out of this world.”
Promoting cycling as a way to keep Swedes healthy is just as integral to the Vätternrundan in 2025 as it was to Liljedahl when he initially devised the race. “Every year we split our money back between the local sporting clubs that volunteer for us,” says Sundblad. “We look at it as part of promoting Swedish health.”
While thousands of Swedes become obsessed with cycling in the months leading up to the Vätternrundan, with roads packed with riders training for the event, Sundblad admits that after it’s finished these riders suddenly disappear. “Lots of people put their bikes away and do something else for the rest of the year,” he says. “It’s sad to me, because I actually think the best season for cycling starts around June and continues into September.”
Sundblad’s aim is that the Vätternrundan will help Swedes make cycling a permanent fixture of their lives all year round. He’s hopeful that can be a reality, as the event continues to attract more and more young people.
“We have had a 30 percent growth in the amount of 18- to 29-year-olds taking part,” says Sundblad. “Younger people are finding their way into cycling. It’s important for us to make people get in the saddle and make good choices in their lives. That’s a higher meaning for us.”
Planning Your Next Trip?
Explore great travel deals
A Note to our Readers Smithsonian magazine participates in affiliate link advertising programs. If you purchase an item through these links, we receive a commission.