315 km Vätternrundan: Cycling veteran in clogs has been taking part for over 60 years

The world’s largest cycle marathon attracts participants from all over the world. The veterans, who have already completed more than 25 races, were allowed to start first. Stig Johansson attracted the most attention as the only rider to have completed all 60 Vätternrundan races to date. He took 25 hours to complete the Vätternrundan and, by his own account, often stopped at the refreshment stations because so many people wanted to take photos and chat with him.

Legend of the Vätternrundan

​Stig Johansson from Fagersanna is a living legend of the Swedish Vätternrunda cycle marathon: He is the only participant to have taken part in every race since the first edition in 1966 – 60 times in total, plus once during the 2020 pandemic, when the race was officially cancelled. In 2026, he took part for the 61st time.

The 80-year-old rides in his own style: on a bicycle from 1937, wearing tattered jeans, black clogs and a colourful cap, with a cassette player in his bike basket. The cassette player plays dance music and has been with him for years. Whilst other participants in aero suits aim to go as fast as possible, Johansson prefers to take his time over the full route (approx. 315 km) – covering it in 20–25 hours – entertaining fellow participants and spectators, taking photos and selfies at checkpoints, and playing music. A key point on the route is in Hjo. His family were waiting there; his daughter made herring and potatoes, and he only set off again after the family meal. “It was a hell of a lot of fun. A pretty good ride. I didn’t get caught in any rain; it went brilliantly,” he told the local Swedish newspaper MVT. It’s not exactly a given that he’d still be able to complete the route at the age of 80. What he finds difficult at his age is seeing in the dark – but he still has no problems when it comes to the physical side of things.

Owing to his cult status, he was immortalised in the Netflix film *Ute och cyklar*, although he was played by an actor because he refused to follow the director’s instructions. He says he will only retire when Oskar Sundblad, the race director of the Vätternrundan, retires.

New target groups are discovering cycling

According to the organisers, the participant profile is changing significantly. Managing Director Oskar Sundblad has been observing a strong trend towards younger riders for several years. This year, the number of young women has risen the most. Many new groups are discovering cycling for themselves, which Sundblad believes is linked to the high number of young participants. There are also notable trends in terms of participants’ origins: this year, the proportion of Germans was one of the highest in the race’s history, with almost one in ten participants coming from Germany. “It’s lovely to see just how much the Germans love the Vätternrundan,” says the race’s managing director, Oskar Sundblad. “The Vätternrundan is a fantastic experience. It can be tough, challenging and painful – but cycling over 300 kilometres through the Jönköping night and then seeing the finish line in Motala – everyone should experience that feeling at least once.”