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The Swedish school that creates the next generation of rippers
Like Hogwarts, but for biking – this Swedish high school has XC, Downhill, Enduro, 4X, BMX and Slopestyle on the schedule.
How do you create the stars of tomorrow? Hagströmska Cykelgymnasium in the Northern parts of Sweden might have found the answer. Here the students are taught road riding, Cyclocross, MTB, Downhill, Enduro, BMX, 4X and Slopestyle as part of the school’s curriculum. Students get a chance to learn proper techniques, racing mentality and the all-around fitness needed to make it onto the big scene, whilst getting a “proper” education at the same time. It could be every bike-obsessed kid’s dream.
The school has taught some of the best cyclists to come out of Sweden and current FMB World Champion Emil Johansson is still one of its students. Read about why this school is special, how the students balance high school with international bike careers, what the different lessons look like and how you teach kids to become the stars of tomorrow.
Hagströmska create the stars of tomorrow.
© Niklas Wallner
Hogwarts – but for bikers.
If you think Hagströmska sounds a little like Harry Potter’s Hogwarts you’re not far off. They do share a lot of similarities – students move away from home to work on their magic. The difference is that magic here happens on two wheels and the school doesn’t require you to run at a train station wall in order for you to get there. The school isn’t in some magical hid away spot – it is located in the centre of a Swedish town called Falun.
A different kind of school lesson.
© Niklas Wallner
The school is actually not only for bikers, but has 15 different sport orientation programs for students to choose from, including alpine skiing and skateboarding. It also has nine different academic & trade programs, such as engineering, economy, building and social and natural sciences. Just imagine, one lesson you’ll be studying the laws of physics and the next you’ll be trying them out sending backflips. Pretty cool.
What's your sport of choice? Ski or bike?
© Niklas Wallner
Creating true superstars.
Hagströmska isn’t some fictional story; there have been some true superstars amongst its graduates. Just recently, big names like 2016 XCO Olympic Champion Jenny Rissveds, 2016 XCO Junior World Champion Ida Jansson and 2017 4X World Champion Felix Beckeman have all spent long, hard hours studying and training at the school. Also famous Swedish Slopestyle rider Anton Thelander and rising Enduro star Zakarias Johansen have studied away in the great halls of Hagströmska.
The most recent megastar to come out of the school is the youngest ever FMB World Champion Emil Johansson – a student on his way to becoming Slopestyle’s next big thing. He is still a student studying his final year of Technical Engineering and Slopestyle (obviously).
Emil Johansson is a student "like everyone else".
© Niklas Wallner
“To be able to ride my bike everyday and hang out with people with similar interest makes all the difference and has meant a lot for my biking career”, says Emil. He juggles between being an international superstar and “just another student”, and when he is off competing somewhere in the world he still has to catch up on the schoolwork he’s missed out on. You know – winning the FMB World Tour one hour, reading up on Computer Numerical Controlling the next.
“Yea, it’s not easy – not at all”, Emil confesses, “but I do try my best and I always give a 100% whether it’s bike riding or school studies”.
Juggling classes & an international bike career...
© Niklas Wallner
... as well as adult duties like cooking & cleaning.
© Niklas Wallner
Teacher or mentor, or both?
The school has obviously prepared for superstars, like Emil, to be away during the school year. They have a special mentorship program setup between students and teachers, to give extra guidance and help. Felix Beckeman, former student and current 4X World Champion, stepped in earlier this year as Head Trainer in Downhill, Enduro, 4X, BMX-freestyle, BMX-race and Slopestyle, together with long-time coach Tommy Johansson. “Being a teacher here means a lot more than just teaching. You have to be a good role model and a supportive mentor. It is important to show that even though I am World Champion, I am still just me – a normal person that has to work hard like everyone else. With the mentorship program we try to guide and help the students, as well as make sure that they pass all their classes and don’t fall behind on any grades”.
Teacher, mentor, extra parent.
© Niklas Wallner
Felix went to the school himself. He started during his last year of studies, in 2011. In Sweden high school normally takes three years – students are between the ages of 15 and 19 – but Felix decided to do it in four years in order to have time for racing. For athletes flexibility can be vital in order for them to grow both academically and as an athlete. “I am sure that it’s been a massive advantage to my career to be able to study at the school during my final year and to have access to all the awesome training facilities. This school is definitely unique in the Northern parts of Europe.”
The classroom.
© Niklas Wallner
The best school facilities in Northern Europe?
It is true; the school has some amazing facilities for biking and training. It has Sweden’s first and only Velodrome, an indoor BMX-track with dirt jumps with soft landings, nearby Downhill and XC-trails and a gym for strength and conditioning. All facilities are used during school lessons. “We have four 2-hour lessons a week”, Elina Davidsson explains. She is in her first year of studies and is settling right into the active lifestyle the school offers. With normal school work as well as bike classes on the daily schedule, it gets quite hectic sometimes, but Elina does not see that as something negative. “Yes, it is hard work, especially in the beginning, but school becomes so much more fun when you get to mix it up with riding and exercising. I get so much energy from the sport lessons that the normal school work load gets a lot easier to handle”.
Sweden's first and only Velodrome.
© Niklas Wallner
One of a few indoor BMX tracks in the country.
© Niklas Wallner
How do you get an A in biking?
As biking is part of the curriculum it means that the students get grades in it, like any other subject. The students work after certain “profiles” depending on their discipline. These “profiles” have been developed with Swedish elite athletes who have been successful internationally, that way the students have certain goals to work towards and the teachers have certain key levels for grading. “During training we’re about 25 students who specialises in Downhill, Enduro, Slopestyle and BMX. I am the only girl [in my group], which can be frustrating at times as we are built differently, but I try to see it as a challenge to try to keep up with the boys”. Elina isn’t the only girl in the biking program – there are others in the years above her as well as in the other groups for XC/CX and Road/Velodrome. “We are far from as many as the boys, but we are still a strong group of girls having fun and training equally as hard”.
Elina works hard in the gym...
© Niklas Wallner
... and on the bike.
© Niklas Wallner
How to teach a mixed class of 28.
Everyone who comes to the school has different needs when it comes to training – boy or girl - so each student gets an individualised program. “We are here to help students achieve their goals at their own pace. That way we try to make hobby riders into elite athletes”, Head trainer Tommy Johansson says. He was part of the initial start-up of the biking program seven and a half years ago and has a background in road riding, BMX, XC and DH with some impressive results such as a 2nd place in 1994 DH World Champs.
“We create programmes suited for each individual rider, where we take into account what season it is and periodise it to optimise it with the race reason”. Having 28 riders in his group doing different disciplines and all with different needs and goals isn’t always easy. He explains: “Take a gym lesson for example. I would really need five different trainers for the different bike categories, but that isn’t cost effective, so instead each rider has an individualised program. An enduro athlete needs to build stamina, a BMX racer needs to build a lot of muscle and a Slopestyle athlete needs to build a strong body similar to someone who does gymnastics.”
"Building" athletes.
© Niklas Wallner
He goes on: “So during a lesson I will for example tell three riders to do squats, but they will do different reps and different weights depending on their individual need. Same goes for a technique session at the BMX track. If I am teaching them how to carry speed I will show them different levels of how to do so; wheelying, pumping or jumping. They are all at different levels both with their strength and their bike skills. It is a challenge, but it definitely works.”
How do you optimise a Slopestyle student?
© Niklas Wallner
Mixing the lessons up and keeping it fun.
The lessons incorporate everything from bike riding to strength and conditioning, to riding bike parks and skate parks to nutritional theory and the psychology behind racing. Ludvig Eriksson, a student in his first year of studies at the school, likes that the lessons are so different, especially during winter, as it keeps it more fun. “One of my favourite lessons are when we’re all gathered in the BMX hall practicing jumps. As we spend a lot of time in the hall during winter (due to snow), we try to be as creative on the bikes as possible – to keep it fun and fresh”.
Ludvig in class.
© Niklas Wallner
Ludvig studies Slopestyle – a bike discipline that has skyrocketed in Sweden the last decade. “I think that it’s thanks to Martin Söderström, Anton Thelander, Max Fredriksson and, now, Emil Johansson. They show that it is possible to make a career out of it”, Ludvig says. But the big question is, how do you study Slopestyle? Ludvig explains: “The lessons are very different. One lesson can be technique training, and another can be dirt jump training and tricks onto the soft bark landing. You get inspiration from other students who ride, as well as from the teachers – it makes me want to become better”.
How to become better? Try to out-do your bestie.
© Niklas Wallner
The stars of tomorrow.
Ludvig dreams of competing internationally, but so far he’s only been to Swedish competitions. “We go to all Scandinavian competitions that are of interest to our students and the last few years we’ve also gone to IXS Dirtmaster Festival in Germany so that the students get a chance to watch and learn”, head teacher Felix explains. The school also offer training camps in Spain during Easter break. “We tend to go to La Poma Bike Park with the Slopestyle group and to Malaga with the Downhill group.”
Felix continues: “I truly believe that the school, with all its possibilities, has made Sweden a stronger cycling nation. We are such a small country, yet we keep having strong riders come through on the international scene. Just look at the least few years of Olympic, World Champ and FMB World Tour gold medals. These athletes (many from this school) are the ones who will get the next generation of kids into riding. The youth are our future and we should grasp the opportunity we have to help them”.
The next generation.
© Niklas Wallner
Dream big!
Grasping the opportunity is exactly what the bike program at Hagströmska is trying to do. “When we are out competing internationally, people are amazed by our school. We have gathered all the best youth riders in one place, where they can feed from one another and develop into better athletes”, head teacher Tommy says. “We get the opportunity to make them dream big, to make them become the best that they can be.”
The faces of tomorrow.
© Niklas Wallner
So how do you make young teenagers into the best that they can be? Many of the students come to the school with dreams of becoming better at biking, but not many believe it is possible to make a career out of it. “That’s where we have to step in and tell them that everything is possible. Even if there are better riders out there it doesn’t mean that they can’t become that good eventually. No one becomes World Champion over night - they work just as hard as anyone else.”
It isn’t as easy as telling them to train harder, lift more weights and do bigger tricks though. There is a lot more to it. “You have to be aware of the person behind the bike, learn what personality and limits he or she has. Some people have no boundaries and push themselves too hard, which often results in injury – those riders you have to hold back a little. Others need a boost of confidence and some encouragement.”
Dream big... Emil shows that anything is possible.
© Niklas Wallner
Tommy, Felix and rest of the bike crew up at Hagströmska Cykelgymnasium do seem to be onto a winning concept. As well as having been apart of creating some of mountain biking's most recent superstars, they have also made their students feel confident in themselves and their abilities. It is okay to dream big – both in the bike world and outside. Take the two young rippers Ludvig and Elina for example. Ludvig wants to join the crew of international Swedish Slopestyle Stars whilst Elina wants to go to Law School and become a lawyer. A lawyer that rides Downhill of course.
Hagströmska Cykelgymnasium - like Hogwarts, but better.
© Niklas Wallner
