Svajerløb 2026
One of the annual highlights for us here at Larry vs Harry is Svajerløbet.
In short terms and all due modesty: Svajerløbet is the World Championships for Cargobikes, and also the worlds most fun bikerace. It takes place on different locations here in Copenhagen every summer, and has a long-rooted, rich and interesting history. You can read about it right here!
This year's edition was the 17th. since the relaunch back in 2009, after a hibernation period going back to the 1940s.
Back in the 1940s getting a permit for a bike race wasn't really a thing. It was more of a: wanna race? Then race! Sorta thing.
Nowadays, it's not exactly that simple - and as the city continues to grow, the Svajerløb has gradually been moving further and further away from the city center. Finding a big open street, closing it off and throwing a few dozen cargobikes on there takes up a lot of space, and is becoming increasingly difficult.
This summer we found a way to solve that issue however. We solved it by teaming up with a real UCI world tour Pro-race: The Copenhagen Sprint.
The Sprint
Once a weekend, once a year they rule the city of Copenhagen. They close off car traffic and a weekend of celebration and bike-nerding ensues.
Saturday is the women's race, Sunday is the men's. They ride through Denmark, and then proceed to do three to five laps of a 12 kilometer track in our proud city.
While the Sprint already offers the live audience quite a rarity - multiple glimpses of the lightning fast athletes due to the lap-setup - the organizers also wanted to include other cycle related events, and show of Copenhagen as the bike city that it truly is.
Thus, we got to set up our track for the Svajerløbet just next to the Sprints own track on Dronning Louises bridge. That's first class seats to the most busy bikelane in the world, this time filled with sprinters instead of commuters. The Sprint also ditched the usual open vans for the merch caravan, and asked us for help instead. We, in turn, asked our local Bullitteer community for help, and got HUNDREDS(!!) of replies from Bullitteers volunteering for the task. in Copenhagen we use cargobikes!
And so it began
It was Saturday morning, it was cold, rainy and the winds were strong. Summer in Denmark... The volunteers didn't grumble however, they jumped on their merch n' swag-filled Bullitts and went on their way, handing out love and good vibes to the spectators braving the rain.
Hours later the first day of the Sprint was over. Dutch Lorena Wiebes had taken the gold, and we were getting ready for the real race: Svajerløbet.
Yet again a higher power showed their love for cargobikes, and as the Svajerløb competitors were making their way to the startline, suddenly! The rain stopped, the clouds pulled back and the wind came to a halt - danish summer finally showed its beautiful face.
We started off the usual way: Welcoming riders and spectators, then moved on to one of our favorite parts - real recognizing real. Harry handed out the Svajer of the year award, a grateful nod of recognition given to someone who made a real difference in the world of cargobikes that year.
This time Harry and the rest of the committee chose 'By-Expressen', a Copenhagen bike-messenger company that proudly raise their middlefinger at the (idea of using) vans, when they overtake them on the packed Copenhagen streets. They're making good business and are worthy price winners indeed.
And then, it was time to race.
The Race
The categories this year were: 2-wheel cargobikes, 2-wheel electric cargobikes, muscle powered relay in teams of four and not least the ever popular old-timer race.
The rounds consist of four laps, the first ridden without cargo. But as the racers cross the finish line after the first lap, it suddenly gets intense. This is the moment when the quick cargoloading begins, and is truly when the wheat is seperated from the chaff...
that proverb sounds a lot cooler in danish...
Anyways, this years load consisted of two car tires, one beer keg and two cobble stones, and is an exercise in loading quickly AND securely.
In the sprit of the Sprint, this year's track was fittingly short - but the race was as tough as ever. There were close calls, photo finishes and a roaring audience.
While the winners of the Svajerløb are of course the individual racers, we can't help but piggyback a bit off their succes, as the winning bike in all categories it was in, was the Bullitt.
Now, winning the Svajerløb means a few things. And while you do get a cool medal, a much more important prize is the very specific and highly revered: Right to brag.
The Svajerløb Committee isn't much for participation-medals and big prizes for the winners. And while you could just call them cheap, there is some thought to it. Svajerløbet is organized by a separate and independent organization, it is created by volunteers, no one is making money from it, and it survives on the 50 DKK fee, that participants pay to enter. The Svajerløb isn't a commercial project made by Larry vs Harry, but a passionproject organized by passionate cargobike riders.
The prize reflects Svajerløbets volunteer-based, and independent nature. It reflects its history, as exactly that - the right to brag - was the main reason the original races happened. As a way to settle the age-old question of "who's faster, me or you?".
Thus, The Svajerløbet 2026 was business as usual, however wild the location it was still volunteerbased, independent, nonprofit, not too serious - and a lot of fun.
Here are a few memories from the weekend:
- Rob, who got second place, made a full breakdown and POV video of the race.
- Zack from Splendid Cycles in Portland, USA, who came in 3rd last year, took gold in both the mens 2-wheel race AND in the relay.
- German television channel ZDF came and made a video story about the Svajerløbet.
- Line Barfod, Mayor of Technical and Environmental Affairs at the City of Copenhagen, showed up for the races and revealed that she herself is out of a Svajer-family.
- The North American magazine Momentum called the Svajerløbet "Copenhagens most unique race".
- In Copenhagen Sprint, the side-event of the Svajerløbet, Lorena Wiebes from Team SD Worx-Protime won the women's race, Jasper Phillipsen from Alpecin Premier-Tech won the mens race.
Please note that we will be back racing again in 2027, do not miss that opportunity!
Thank you all so much.
