It’s been just over two months since Edvin Lindh claimed the World Championship gold in XCE mountain biking in Sakarya, Turkey. His dominance in the final was not only impressive in terms of performance, but also deeply emotional – Edvin had openly said he would dedicate a victory to his twin brother Vilgot, who tragically passed away in 2022.
Ride for Vilgot
Carefully, almost ceremoniously, Edvin peels off the decal reading “Ride For Vilgot” and places it on the fork. We meet in the workshop at Norra Cykel in Örebro, Sweden, where several of his teammates are based. Edvin is in the middle of assembling his new custom-painted World Champion Orbea Oiz, accompanied by his big brother Axel, when we start the interview.
“This isn’t meant to be about Vilgot—we just want to highlight your achievements of the year, and how glad we are to support you along the season.”
But it’s inescapable. He has dedicated a huge part of his career as an athlete to his brother. And when we ask him to share a core memory from the sport, of course – Vilgot is part of it.
– We were a group of cyclists heading out for a long-distance ride. Easy pace, four hours. When we were about to wrap up, Vilgot decided to add another hour to the ride. I tagged along. But Vilgot suddenly started pushing like crazy, picking up a pace I definitely hadn’t expected – or felt comfortable with. I had to fight just to stay at his back wheel. When I asked, ‘What are you doing? This is supposed to be a distance ride!’ he shouted back, legs pumping and head down: ‘I WANNA GET TIREEEED!’ He was always better than me. Better than all of us, Edvin says.”
And that was the guiding light in Edvin’s journey to this year’s World Championship: to show the world, in Vilgot’s honor, just how good Vilgot was. Because if Edvin could win the World Championships, he could tell the world: Vilgot would have been better. We would have faded in his shadow.
And that’s exactly what happened.
Me – a World Champion?
He won the final in Sakarya with a fair margin. It’s something that still hasn’t fully sunk in.
– When I put on the world champion’s kit, get on the bike, and look down to see the rainbow stripes – it still feels surreal. That’s probably the best word I can use to describe what it feels like to be the best in the world at something: surreal.”
New Opportunities Ahead of 2026
New challenges and opportunities await Edvin in 2026. He can’t quite reveal the details yet, but words like “pro team” and “international” were mentioned out loud. More will be announced toward the end of the year, Edvin hints.
But the year isn’t over yet! A few more races remain before the season wraps up. Just not this week. This week is about breaking in the new bike, and then heading home to Falun to coach the children’s team – something he’s clearly passionate about.
