I am back home in Falun, Sweden, since one week. I have mixed feelings about it, nice to see family and friends but it is a bit cold. It doesn’t feel like my lungs are use to pushing hard in these temperatures. 

Yesterday was the first race of the season in Sweden. We were four girls from my team and we had a very good start of the year! It was a selection race for the first national team assignment, a UCI stage race in Czech republic in the end of April, and we also started with the junior men. Both these things set it up for a very hard race for us. It was about four degrees at start, I was shivering! The first 10-20 minutes it felt as if I could not breathe at all in the cold, but luckily it got better after a while. The juniors started with a bang and within the first minute I was close to max hart rate. Early in the race we were seven girls that got away, the guys were not interested to come with, we worked well together but after a bit a guy came up to us, I got away with him and a bit later two other girls joined us. The four of us worked but it did not last and we were a big bunch again. Some attacks but nothing serious until we were on the third of seven small (6,5km) laps at the end, the juniors attacked and the bunch got into pieces, smaller bunches was created and we were only three girl that could stay in the second bunch, me, Madde and a girl, Jessica, from my team. I tried to attack but the guys came with, but I tried until it worked and only one of the guys could follow. This was when we started the second last lap and we worked together to the finish and I could win solo about one minute ahead of the next girl. My team mate Jessica got the sprint ahead of Madde and the fourth girl was Hanna from my team, so 1,2 and 4 was a perfect start of the season!! 

Feels very good to also win in Sweden, not only in SAJ 

Next weekend is a stage race in my home town, a team time trail on Friday and kermes races on Saturday and Sunday. It will be nice not to travel.