Ian ended up in chaos – got a double puncture

Ian Zambrell, 28, had just started the Vätternrundan when both tires went flat.

The puncture meant he had to stop the race.

– It feels very bad, he says. News, reports and analyses in Sweden and around the world.

It was at midnight that the first reports of sabotage on the Vätternrundan came in. According to the organizer, around 150 cyclists suffered punctures when rubber was poured out on a stretch of 30 kilometers, south of Vadstena, Corren reports.

Ian Zambrell had traveled from Kalmar and was excited for his first Vätternrunda. He started at 11:30 PM and was just outside Vadstena at 1 AM when he suddenly saw 30-40 cyclists along the road who needed to change tires.

A few hundred meters later he himself got a double puncture.

– I only had time to see that there was something glittering on the road and then the tires hit, it was like popping a balloon, he says.

“The atmosphere was not great” 

After the puncture, he tried to repair the tires with extra tubes that he had with him, but had to quickly break down because the repair did not hold and it was too far to the next depot where there was a possibility of service.

– It feels very sad to have to break up because of something like this, he says.

He says there were some irritated voices among the cyclists.

– The atmosphere along the roadside was not great. At first people wondered if it was bad luck, then many became very irritated when it turned out that people wanted to sabotage. I hope they catch those who did this and that they get their punishment, he says.

Several injured

He says several people were injured, although not seriously, in connection with the incident.

– It’s one thing that material is destroyed, but people get injured when you go at those high speeds. I saw two or three people who fell and scraped their arms and legs pretty badly, he says.

He himself sprained his foot when he tried to get into the ditch to avoid being hit by the other cyclists.

Despite everything, he tries to keep his spirits up and plans to take on the race again next year.

– The little incident wasn’t very fun, but otherwise it was a really fun race. Now we just have to look ahead and hope it doesn’t happen again, he says.

Investigated as sabotage

The incident was reported to the police and the nub was swept away during the night.

– We are aware that this, we have a case classified as vandalism, says Angelica Forsberg at the police region east.

No one has been arrested yet.