Styrkeprøven

The course

The ride starts in Trondheim's Munkegata square, with waves from 04:00 to 04:45 chosen by the finish time you give at registration: the fastest start first and clubs are kept together. Food stations (eight between Trondheim and Oslo) are at Soknedal (65 km), Oppdal (107 km), Folldal (195 km), Ringebu (280 km), Lillehammer (340 km), Skreia (410 km), Eidsvoll Verk (459 km) and Frogner (491 km). Bags with spare clothing can be sent to Oppdal, Ringebu and Skreia.

The route follows the old Trondheim to Oslo road: south to Oppdal and over the mountains to Folldal, down to Ringebu in Gudbrandsdalen and on to Lillehammer, and along the west side of Mjøsa through Gjøvik, Skreia and Totenvika to Minnesund, then Eidsvoll and Oslo. In recent years the route has used a new section between Minnesund and Dal, and about 9 km of new asphalt north of Feiring was announced for 2026. The finish area is in the Groruddalen valley in Oslo, at Årvoll school in 2026.

It is a touring ride and normal traffic rules apply: no more than two abreast, no crossing the yellow line, and stop at red lights. Police and guards at junctions can stop riders. Support cars are banned, and any follow vehicle can lead to disqualification; instead, the organiser's neutral service cars and the food stations provide technical help. Headwind is the usual enemy: the organiser's history records riders in the 1970s fighting headwind most of the way, and the stretches after Lillehammer come when fatigue meets afternoon traffic.

At the finish you get a light meal, a cafe, toilets and showers and a rest area with mattresses, and a race office can help with taxis and diplomas. Diplomas are downloaded as PDF from the EQ Timing results.

How to enter

Registration is through EQ Timing; for 2027 the site says it opens soon, and no 2027 prices have been published. The 2026 price steps on the Trondheim to Oslo page show how the price rises: 1 900 kr from 1 October 2025, 2 150 kr from 16 November, 2 450 kr from 7 January, 2 750 kr from 17 March and 2 950 kr from 1 May 2026 (about €180 to €280 at roughly 10.6 kr to the euro). You give an estimated finish time and your club, company or group when you enter, and this decides your start wave.

There is no refund or transfer to the next year if you cannot ride; you can sell the number (the organiser says a sale costs just over 300 kr), switch to a shorter distance or rely on your own insurance. For 2026 the organiser offered Trondheim to Oslo riders a refund route when the event was cancelled; the permit situation means 2027 should be checked for conditions at entry. Bike transport by train and truck from Oslo to Trondheim and Lillehammer can be ordered with the entry, and bicycle boxes can be sent for 150 kr extra.

How to train for it

Train for 19 hours, not 515 km

The median Trondheim to Oslo rider was out for 19 h 02 min in 2025 and a quarter took more than 21 h 40 min. Ride at least one 8 to 10 hour day, ideally two back-to-back long days, and practise eating every 30 to 40 minutes at touring pace rather than race pace.

Prepare for wind in Gudbrandsdalen

The organiser's history records tough headwind in earlier years, and the weather forecast for the ride day matters. Practise riding in a group in wind, take turns, and save your effort for the long drag after Lillehammer.

Plan the three bags

You can send bags to Oppdal, Ringebu and Skreia: they must be waterproof, up to 1.5 kg each, and handed in on the Friday evening in Trondheim between 19:00 and 21:00. Pack for what you will need at each point: a rain layer and long gloves for the high ground, spare tubes and sun cream in the middle, and a windproof vest and dry socks for the evening.

Practise night and low-light riding

You start at 04:00 and, if you finish in 19 hours, ride into the evening. Lights front and rear are mandatory, so test them on a long ride and bring a spare battery.

Choose your wave honestly

You choose your own seeding by giving a finish time. If many riders give 17 to 18 hours, the organiser splits them into groups by club; ride with a group at your own pace instead of going out with the faster groups, because the slowest waves are given the stations that stay open longest.

Respect traffic rules

This is not a closed-road race. Two abreast at most, stop at red lights, obey police and guards, and take care in the places where the manual warns about junctions and traffic lights between Skreia and Minnesund.

What you need

• A road bike in good order with working lights front and rear; the ride runs through the evening
• Spare tubes, CO2 or pump and tyre levers: support is neutral service cars and food stations, not a personal support vehicle
• Clothing for four seasons in a day: a thin rain jacket, long gloves, leg or arm warmers and a windproof vest, with extra layers in the bags to Oppdal and Ringebu
• Waterproof drybags (not ordinary plastic bags) for the bag transport, marked with bib number, name and mobile number, maximum 1.5 kg each, up to three
• Payment card, because stopping or abandoning means paying for your own onward train or bus ticket
• Your own gels and bars: food stations serve baguettes, wraps, soup, sports drink, squash, water and fruit
• The helmet sticker and rear bib number from the pack; the bib goes on your back and a sticker on the front of the helmet

Getting there and staying

Trondheim has an airport and a railway station; Oslo has the finish. The race pack can be collected in Trondheim at the Hank Sport shop on the Friday before (10:00 to 19:00 in 2026) or from the secretariat at the start from 03:00; in Oslo bibs can be collected at Braasport Ullevål on the Wednesday. Luggage handed in at the start is transported to the finish by truck. The organiser sells train and bike transport to Lillehammer and Eidsvoll with the entry; the manual text also describes bikes being trucked to Trondheim Torg on the Friday afternoon.

Accommodation in Trondheim for the Friday night is your own booking; the bag drop in Munkegata is open from 19:00 to 21:00 on Friday evening and again on the Saturday morning. The finish area in Groruddalen has showers, cafe, rest area with mattresses and a race office that can order taxis. Many riders arrange a trip home on the Sunday.

In 2026 the permit process nearly stopped the ride: the organiser said police have for years not wanted dialogue about the event, that the road authority gave a permit after an appeal, and that this came too late for Trondheim to Oslo. Check the organiser's news before booking travel.

History

Styrkeprøven began in 1967 on Midsummer Eve: 121 riders left Nidaros Cathedral in Trondheim, with 25 more joining from Dombås and 5 from Hamar. The idea came from Erik Gjems-Onstad, a former resistance fighter and president of the Norwegian Cycling Federation, who then rode it ten times himself. The maximum time was 48 hours and the finish was by the Akershus fortress. Participation passed 1,000 for the first time in 1979. In 1978, 906 riders started in sleet and rain and only 602 reached Oslo in time.

Mass starts were stopped after 1976 when police objected to the size of the groups, and a fatal accident in 1974 led the road authority in Sør-Trøndelag to ban cycling events on the E6 until politicians intervened. The ride has run every year except 2020 and 2021; 2027 would be the 58th edition. In 2026 Trondheim to Oslo was cancelled after a refused permit.

Where to find out more

• Styrkeprøven (opens in a new tab): The organiser's site with news, registration and distances.
• Trondheim to Oslo (opens in a new tab): Distance, price steps, food station times and the bag transport.
• Ride manual (opens in a new tab): Rules, route changes, time limits and logistics; the 2026 manual is online now and the 2027 one comes weeks before the ride.
• Frequently asked questions (opens in a new tab): Refunds, bag transport, abandonment and diplomas.
• Results 2025 (EQ Timing) (opens in a new tab): Official results for 2025 including Trondheim to Oslo; the source of the median.
• Route on RideWithGPS (opens in a new tab): The organiser's 2026 route map for Trondheim to Oslo (a 2027 version follows).