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News 2005

Week 52 (Saturday, December 31st, 2005)
HAPPY NEW YEAR
There are only a few hours left of 2005 and I’m definitely not the only one who feels that time flies! It’s nice to think back on pleasant and good memories from the year that has passed, but I also consider it just as important to see all the possibilities for the upcoming year. Read more.

Week 51 (Wednesday, December 21, 2005)
MERRY CHRISTMAS
And so the festive season is upon us again, and I’m full of expectations! We’ve decorated our living room here at home and given it a cosy Christmassy atmosphere, and every evening we light the candles. Even though all the necessary errands and chores are finished, the true Christmas feeling isn’t totally present yet, but it doesn’t usually come before Christmas Eve anyway. Read more.

WEEK 49 (Sunday, December 11)
MANY ACTIVITIES – EFFECTIVE EXERCISE AT HOME
The Christmas season is approaching at a fearsome rate, and I haven’t bought a single Christmas present yet. We’ve enjoyed some exciting weeks here at home, with lots of great exercise and activities. I’m looking forward to Christmas very much, but will most likely prioritize training over Christmas preparations during these next weeks. Read more.

WEEK 46 (Sunday, November 20)
GIGANTIC WEDDING CELEBRATION
We've won many a gold medal on our bikes through the last seasons, but the greatest happening was celebrated with a big wedding feast in Stavanger on the 15th of October. With lots of help from our families, led by Kenneth's older sister, Hege, we had an unforgettable wedding ceremony and feast. 3 days of enjoyable wedding celebrations were rounded up with 3 fantastic weeks in Mexico. Read more.

Friday 11 november:
Triumphant finale for the Multivan Merida Biking Team
At the UCI mountain bike worldcup’s final round in Fort William, Scotland, the Multivan Merida Biking Team celebrated a complete triumph with a double victory: Both Ralph Näf and Gunn-Rita Dahle won their respective races, while Irina Kalentieva finished third, José Hermida fourth and Nina Göhl fifth. Thanks to these excellent results, the team also dominated the overall team ranking of the 2005 UCI mountain bike worldcup.
Read more.

WEEK 39 (Wednesday, September 28, 2005)
EXCITING DAYS IN CHINA
Our week in China and Beijing has been action-packed, extremely enjoyable, and very educational. We got to experience the enthusiasm of Chinese cyclists through the Great Wall Bicycle Festival, arranged by Nordic Ways; we got to know our Merida family in China; we got a taste of cultural history dating back to the old kingdom of the Chinese Czar; and we got to taste the utterly fantastic Asian cuisine. Read more.

WEEK 38 (Tuesday, September 20, 2005)
NEW JOBS
That just about concludes the season of 2005! And now several weeks of work with a new focus await us. We’re looking very much forward to some different days after many months of focusing totally on training and competing just about 24 hours a day. We’re expecting some really busy weeks in the time to come, and we have many big challenges on our schedule. Read more.

WEEK 35 (September 6, 2005).
ANOTHER FANTASTIC GOLD AT THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
We experienced a terrific day of World Championships at Livigno on Sunday. I was deeply moved when I received yet another World Championship gold and heard the Norwegian national anthem being played way up in the Italian Alps. We managed to win the main event of the year, and I’m very proud and honoured to be allowed to wear the rainbow jersey for yet another season. Read more.

„Golden Merida Bike“ on auction
Proceeds for help- and reconciliation project in Vietnam
Olympic Mountainbike Champion Gunn-Rita Dahle and silver medalist Jose Antonio Hermida from Multivan-Merida Biking Team and the Merida Bike Company support the „Village of friendship“ in Vietnam. An unique „Golden Merida Bike“ will be auctioned on Ebay from 2nd to 12th of September. Read more.

WEEK 34 – AUGUST 27th, 2005.
EXCITING TRAVELS
We’ve won gold, gained valuable experience, been in Brazil for the first time, competed on bikes at almost 3000 metres over sea-level, written a new contract with Merida, and nourished both body and soul with simply amazing experiences. Our travels with our bikes through the past two months have given us a lot, demanded a lot from us, and been extremely exciting. Read more.

Press release: Gunn-Rita Dahle signs up for six further years with Merida.
- This was the final piece of the puzzle for us.
Gunn-Rita Dahle and the Multivan Merida Biking Team have signed a new contract together. The contract covers the next six years, and comes in two parts. For the coming three years, Gunn-Rita is to work for Merida as a professional cyclist. For the following three years she will function as an international ambassador for the large bicycle brand Merida. Read more.

21.08.2005
Gunn-Rita Dahle is marathon world champion
At the UCI marathon world championships in Lillehammer, Norway, Gunn-Rita Dahle successfully defended her title. On her home turf, the favourite was controlling the race, building up a margin of 1:43 minutes, which is not much in long distance racing. Read more.

Sunday June 26
RACE REPORT FROM WORLD CUP CANADA
The World Cup race at Mont-Sainte-Anne in Canada yesterday turned out to be an experience I won’t forget in a hurry. Everything started out just fine, right until my legs suddenly went completely and utterly empty of any trace of energy. The race turned into a fight to simply stay on my bike. I managed to complete the race as number two behind Canadian Marie Helen Premont, but lost three whole minutes to the winner on the last lap. Read more.

WEEK 25 – 20th of June
SOLID WEEKS OF TRAINING
Two weeks at Boulder has provided us with the relaxation and rejuvenation we were looking for, in addition to incredibly good exercise every day. We’ve done gruelling intervals at high altitudes, a lot of very good technical training, lots of strength training on the bikes, and more relaxed long distance trips in between. This is a completely necessary investment in all that’s to come in the next weeks up towards the World Championships in the beginning of September. Read more.

WEEK 23-24
BIKE HOLIDAY AT BOULDER
We’re back again at wonderful Boulder after a completely amazing start to the season of 2005. My last World Cup win at Willingen tasted extremely good as always, and ensured a very enjoyable return trip across “the pond”. Now I have a good two weeks of exercise and relaxation here at high altitudes in Colorado and we’re really looking forward to the stay. Read more.

WEEK 19 AND 20
ACTION-PACKED WEEKS
We’re constantly amazed at all the exciting experiences we have on our travels together with our bikes. Next to training and competing on the bikes, there are always countless activities and experiences awaiting us. Some examples would be friendly get-togethers with sponsors and partners, photo-shoots in completely new settings, press conferences, enjoyable dinners, and meeting lots of exciting new people. I look upon it all as experiences for life and invaluable insights.  Read more.

WEEK 18, 2005:
FANTASTIC VICTORY IN MADRID
The exquisite taste of revenge in the World Cup in Madrid this time was thoroughly enjoyable. This victory secured me the rainbow jersey for the World Cup again, even though I have the same number of points as Marie-Helene, who won the first round in Belgium two weeks ago. It looks like we might be having many a tough duel before the season is over, and probably lots of nail-biting suspense. It was a historic day for Norwegian mountain biking too with two Norwegian girls way up there, as Lene Byberg surprised everyone by getting an impressive fifth place. Read more.

WEEK 16
WORLD CUP OPENING: SECOND PLACE
And thus our unbroken series of World Cup wins was punctured. Still, a second place at the World Cup race opening in Spa in Belgium this weekend was no disappointment for Kenneth and me, but many people are wondering what went wrong, since I didn’t win. Our goal was to be among the three best this Sunday, and this we managed. Read more.

WEEK 14-15
GREAT START TO THE SEASON
They say time flies when one’s having fun. When one’s days are also action-packed and full of experiences, it’s almost frightening to see how time just disappears! We’ve already had three weekends in a row of off-road competitions, and this has provided us both with fantastic experiences, on and off the bikes. Next weekend we’re taking part in the first World Cup race of the season, and we’re looking very much forward to it. Read more.

WEEK 12
RECUMBENT EASTER.
The bad spill I took during the Primavera Rosa World Cup road race last weekend has meant a quiet and physically relaxed Easter for me. I still have pain in both ankles, and wearing any form of shoes is difficult. Even so, I’m very luck not to have broken any bones. The bike, on the other hand, is a total write-off, with a broken fork and wrecked gear and drop-out at the back. Read more.

WEEK 7-9
HOME TO SNOW
We actually ended up having several more cold days during our exercise-camp on Majorca, but coming home to Stavanger was an even greater shock to the system. On our first morning back at home we woke up to 20 cm of snow and a couple of degrees below zero. But when the sun is shining and the sky is blue, one can’t really complain. Read more.

WEEK 6
BACK ON MAJORCA
It’s simply terrific being back on Majorca with the prospect of several wonderful weeks of exercise and preparation ahead of us. We still remember clearly the 16-day period of preparation we had here before the Olympics, just before leaving for Athens. The temperature is quite different here this time, but comfortable and nice for training. Read more.

26.01.2005
First training camp completed
DEAR BIKING FRIENDS,

Time simply flies when it’s sunny summer outside and one is surrounded by training buddies. I’ve completed two weeks of exercise on the Canary Islands, and it’s been wonderful, despite a break due to sickness that left me lying in bed for four days upon arrival. Now my batteries are fully recharged again, and I’ve cycled many more kilometres and crossed many more mountains than I’ve done for a very long time. Read more.

10.01.2005
MIND-BLOWING SPORTS GALA
Dear cycling friends,
This year’s Norwegian Sports Gala was an absolutely fantastic experience for me, in more ways than one. Both Kenneth and I reacted to the awards we received with mostly shock and amazement, despite our highly successful cycling season, during which we won everything there was to win. We were both pleasantly surprised to receive three wonderful awards at this prestigious gala evening for Norway’s star athletes. I also found it moving to be part of a huge fund-raising campaign where thousands showed the true joy of giving. Read more.

03.01.2005

NEW YEAR – NEW CHALLENGES