Fredrik Erixon left Sweden on May 28. He’s now in Lyon and has done his longest stage with 143km to reach the second biggest city in France. Now the plan is to reach the coast and go straight to Spain.

Fredrik Erixon, can you tell us about your journey in France and especially into the Jura mountains? 

“I have now (on Saturday) been in for five days in France and crossing the Jura region. Everybody should go to the Jura region and experience the Jura Mountains. It is absolutely fantastic; I am so glad we made the detour. We started from the North part of Jura, went to the South, and finished in Lyon.” 

“Jura region is hilly, but it’s not steep mountains like the Alps. It’s green, and with many cows, it’s super nice.” 

“The cows were following me when I was double poling. For all four days, as soon as I saw cows, they started to run and follow me. It’s unbelievable.” 

“One of the big problems I faced passing by the Jura region was going down the hills. I hadn’t been skiing there before, so I didn’t know what to expect. The hills are really nice, but the descents are pretty hard. Coming to cities, crossing roads, red lights, different asphalt, cobbled roads. That was a bit risky.” 

“Luckily, one of my friends was joining me for filming the Jura part of my trip, so when it was really bad, I could get into the car and be safe for the downhills.” 

“I also had a really good meeting with La Transju in Morez at the race office. We talked a lot about the Jura region and, of course, about the race La Transju. The race faces some problems with the racecourse and all the natural protected areas. It’s not like Vasaloppet or Marcialonga, where you can put artificial snow wherever you want. Here you have to be careful, and you also have to hope for good snow conditions.” 

“They will probably have to think about reconstructing the course a bit to make it easier to produce snow. And it’s definitely a race that I want to do in the future!”

Did you notice some differences between France and Germany? 

“I didn’t, and I think there is not much difference between France and Germany. It was easier for me to be in Germany because I speak a bit of German and I don’t speak any French. But all the people I meet are lovely and help me the best they can with the language. I’ve also tested the local food in France, and they have delicious ham and cheese.” 

Have you already taken a rest day?

“Actually, I had poor planning regarding the trip. I have been doing more or less 90 km every day since day one, but on Friday, I really wanted to reach Lyon, so I made a strong push by doing 143km. I started at 6:00 am and finished my day at 8:00 pm. That allowed me to take a rest day in Lyon on Saturday. I’ve been doing maintenance, repacking, and sending film files back to Sweden. I even went to the barbershop!” 

How do you feel physically and mentally after three weeks on roller skis? 

“The overall feeling is that I am super happy to be out and doing this. I have been doing 2 ⁄ 3 of my journey, and everybody is super nice. I am happy to be part of the European community and want to be positive about all the countries I crossed and the people I meet.” 

“Now I have been double poling for 20 days in a row for 90km or more a day, so, of course, I am feeling a bit sour but also stronger and stronger. My feet are hurting a bit standing on my shoes in the heat. I also have a little problem with my right shoulder but nothing bad. I still use Komoot for navigation, and so far, it’s good!” 

“Now, I will leave Lyon to go towards Montpelier and follow the coast. Then I hope to be in Spain in less than a week.” 

Proxcskiing.com is following Fredrik Erixon’s journey. Stay tuned to proxcskiing.com for more news and Erixon’s Instagram and Strava account for daily updates.