Mountainbike orienteering

Mountainbike orienteering is a relatively new sport in Sweden, although it’s been around for a long time in Denmark, the Czech Republic, Austria and other European countries. MTBO is all about high speed and quick decision-making.
The map

Similar to the one used in foot orienteering. The biggest difference is how paths and roads are marked. Dash lengths indicate the recommended riding speed on roads and trails while longer dashes represent trails where you can bike faster.

A MTBO map over Södergarn.
An example of a map where the solid, dashed or dotted black lines represent the recommended riding speed in percent relative to the asphalt road. Solid black lines are 70-100 percent and dotted 25 percent.

The map holder

The map is placed in a specific map holder attached to the bike handlebar.

A female rider looking at her map, and map holder.
The bike

Mountain bikes are used.

The gear

The gear is the same as for regular MTB riders, i.e. a cycling jersey and padded trousers. Within MTBO, there is no requirement to have fully covered legs.

The course 

The controls along the course need to be punched in numerical order.

A young rider passing a control.
Try MTBO

You'll find all the Swedish MTBO competitions via "Hitta orientering" (search for MTBO) or at Eventor.