Birkebeinerrittet (lit. The Birkebeiner cycling race) is a long-distance mountainbike cycling race held annually in Norway. It is the world's largest mountainbike race in number of contestants. In 2009, 17,164 riders signed up, and 15,140 cyclists completed the race.
The race
The race starts at Rena and ends at Håkons Hall in Lillehammer. Birkebeinerrittet is 92km long along fire roads, with some paved and some single/dualtrack segments.
The race has been held since 1993 and commemorates a trip made by the Birkebeiner loyalists to save the heir to the Norwegian throne, Håkon Håkonsson, in 1206. All participants carry a backpack weighing at least 3.5 kg, symbolizing the weight of the then one-year-old heir.
References
Birkebeinerrittet Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA