Gravel with Chris Lanaway

As a photographer and cyclist I have come to love Småland as a region, it offers the travelling cyclist everything they could desire and is arguably the home of “Sport Grus”. A key term within Swedish cycling culture which is ironic given that despite gravel cycling being a relatively new discipline, Sport Grus and gravel cycling has existed here for decades prior to gravel bikes even being conceived! Forget Champagne Gravel, long live Sport Grus!

Swedes are proud people and so the locals take great pride in the quality of their gravel roads, it’s not uncommon to see the local farmer carefully grooming their “Grus Väg” and don’t be surprised if this is the only traffic you see! People often rave about car free destinations but having travelled much of Europe to ride bikes, Småland is one of those rare destinations where that statement actually stands true!

So, what does a British photographer and gravel cyclist have to say about Småland? Well, I thought I’d share some insights and also some tips to help you plan your trip here!

The network of gravel roads here is vast and diverse, whether you want is smooth and fast or you’re looking for something more rugged and challenging. Småland has it all but if you aren’t local, it can be tricky to workout where to go and it’s easy to get lost! A cycle computer with navigation functions is essential I’d say, there is plenty of amazing routes to be downloaded for free and so it means you can head out into the wild without fear of getting lost. That said if you do get lost, phone network is fantastic throughout Sweden so help (google maps) is never too far away!

As previously mentioned the quality of the gravel roads in Småland pretty much as good as it gets, as such you don’t need to overthink equipment! A good quality gravel bike with a decent set of tyres will work just fine, we all love high end bikes and equipment but it’s not essential to enjoy the gravel cycling on offer here. My only recommendation would be to run tubeless tyres and carry a tube just in case.

Swedish summer is quite something, seemingly endless daylight and warm yet not too hot summer days with the option to dive into a lake post ride. Whats not to like? A practical consideration should you plan to spend extended time in the forests or camp is to consider taking some mosquito repellant along with your sunscreen, it’s not a major issue but they can become annoying after a while.

My final point would be provisions! The forest is enchanting and so it’s easy to loose yourself for hours or days in fact. The opportunities to just go out exploring are endless thanks to the abundance of routes spanning the entire region so a key consideration should be provisions, the last thing you want is to bonk 30km before the nearest fika stop! I always recommend some form of bar bag/pack with a few extra snacks for those moments when you perhaps pushed it a bit too hard before your lunch stop. It’s a balance though, you don’t want too much as there is plenty of opportunity for great fika throughout Småland!