Geir Ludvig Aasen Ouren (Madshus) and his teammate polished off the brutal mountain bike adventure race north of the Arctic Circle in 67 hours and change, winning the event with margin of 12 hours and 25 minutes to the second-place team. (Article continues below the photo)
Aasen Ouren and teammate Jon Krisitian Svaland polished off the 647.27 kilometers in 67 hours and 14 minutes. The second-place team finished 79 hours and 39 minutes, all of which includes mandatory pit stops.
“We covered almost 650 kilometers of rough terrain, open rivers and lots of climbing. But overall, it was really fun,” Aasen Ouren said to Madshus after the event. “It was a really unique event. The biggest challenge was the mental aspect, especially toward the end,” he explained.
The race started in Alta (NOR) on July 23, and for Aasen Ouren and Svaland, it was over on July 26. The last teams that finished before the time cutoff were back in Alta in the morning on July 28. Of the 12 teams that started, only six teams finished. Half of the teams scratched before the halfway point.
The Offroad700 course offers 11,780 meters of elevations gain, and covers almost 650 kilometers of desolate wilderness. Offroad Finnmark also offers a short version, Offroad300, which covers 300 kilometers, start and finish in the same place. For more information, visit www.offroadfinnmark.no.