Exploring FKT Challenges with Canadian Cycling Legend Svein Tuft
Posted by Andrew Davidson with Svein Tuft on November 17, 2025
Svein Tuft, the man, the myth, the legend. From his teenage days living in the backcountry with his dog “Bear”, pursuing climbing and cycling adventures, to his 13 Canadian road national titles (2-road race, 11-time trial), to wearing the Maglia Rosa in the Giro d’Italia, it’s been a career. As a renowned power-house of the World Tour peloton, riding for the previous iterations of Team Jayco-AlUla, Svein could often be found on the front of the peloton doing massive pulls into the wind, carrying the workload for his teammates. The most prolific Tour de France stage winner of all time, Britain’s Mark Cavendish, once described an effort of Tuft’s at the Tirreno-Adriatico race as “the ride of the millennium,” after Svein single-handedly controlled the front and dictated the pace to the world-class peloton for close to 200 km. Most deservedly, on November 27, Svein will have his legacy cemented in the Canadian Cycling Hall of Fame, as one of six new inductees being recognized for their achievements and contributions to growing the sport in Canada through their exemplary careers.
What better time to catch up with the 4iiii athlete and learn more about his newest two-wheeled adventures, FKT challenges? While he may not be gracing our television screens in July as a speck of colour amidst the Tour de France peloton, he hasn’t stopped churning the cranks over with power and passion, just a little closer to home now, in British Columbia. Read on to learn more about the growing trend of FKT rides, how Svein prepares for such efforts, and tips on how you, too, can successfully take on an FKT in your future!
One of many career highs, donning the Maglia Rosa in the 2014 Giro d’Italia, after winning the Stage 1 Team Time Trial.
What is an FKT - and what are the rules/parameters for them?
An FKT is the current fastest known time of a route. It can be any route from as little as 5km to 5000km. The time taken is your elapsed total time. The route is up to you and can be ridden on any human-powered bicycle. The FKT is meant to be ridden solo without any outside support. That also means no stashing of supplies on route.
When did you first get interested in FKT attempts?
I think I’ve always been interested in FKT’S the moment I started training and racing on a road bike 25 years ago. I was always paying attention to my progression as a rider. But where it really captured my interest was after my 1st bikepacking event, the 2024 Buckshot. I swore I’d never get into this stuff after a 20-year racing career, but that one event got me hooked. It was from that point on that I started focusing on increasing efficiency and speed over some of my favourite routes here in the Kootenays.
Back in his racing days with Australian WorldTour team Orica Greenedge - often found at the front doing massive pulls.
How would you compare and contrast an FKT to a race?
The difference between a race and an FKT is that an FKT is a solo effort and a very steady one at that. In a race, you are up against many others who dictate the pace, and you can either handle it or get dropped. An FKT is all about using your energy wisely over the entire course. They are very different disciplines.
What are your favourite aspects of FKT rides? What do you find most challenging?
My favourite aspect of doing FKT’s is the planning, preparation and execution. The whole thing! It’s a day or two of single-minded focus on the objective at hand. It’s something I miss from the world tour days, and through these challenges, I can recreate that feeling a bit.
Off the beaten path is where Svein finds himself on a bike most often now, whether with friends, leading bike-packing camps, or attempting FKT’s.
What advice would you give someone wanting to get into FKT adventures?
My advice would be to start out small, locally. Any distance is fine. The goal will be to find out your strengths and weaknesses throughout the ride. Every mission you take on, you learn something new. I’ve been riding and racing for close to 30 years, and I’m still being humbled by these efforts. Each ride is a moment to learn about pacing, hydration, nutrition and technical skills.
You’ve been documenting your own and other FKT’s on your @FKTChallenges Instagram and Strava account - is the goal just to build up a collection of cool routes that riders might want to consider/have them offer up FKT’s they’ve created?
Yes, my goal is mostly to create a community that shares intel on the best routes in their area. Then, if people want to take some challenges on, it’s also a place where people can give props to others’ attempts at the FKT’s.
Does your set-up change significantly for each FKT attempt, depending on the route/terrain, or do you have a pretty consistent set-up you rely on? What are some of the key components of a fast set-up for you?
My setups do change with each FKT. Sometimes the route has a ton of steep climbing and rough chunky descents. This is where I’ll ride my bigger drop bar Landyachtz bike with suspension. The geometry is more suited to the steeper terrain and makes things a lot more comfortable. Then, when the route is smoother and rolly, I’ll ride my Landyachtz gravel bike. It’s lighter and more suited towards speed. I’d say the most important aspect of any bike for an FKT is that it’s comfortable and suits the terrain you are riding.
A drastically different bike set-up than his WorldTour days, but a power meter and aero-bars remain key ingredients.
Of all the FKT’s you’ve done so far, is there one that stands out as particularly memorable?
The UAR700 is the one that stands out for me the most. Starting and finishing in Canmore in August. 700km through the Rockies. I hit every kind of weather for that ride, but it was the storm on the highest pass that I remember specifically. It must have been 2-3 degrees in the middle of the night, dumping rain, hiking over this pass. Then descending down through an alder tree jail on the backside. I was hypothermic and coming undone. I kept pushing and was going to quit in Fernie. I bought a ton of gas station food and lay on the side of the road. That little rest gave me enough of a reset to keep pushing on and finish. It’s in those moments that I find life and these challenges the most interesting. It’s all up to you. I could have quit at any moment, but I’m so glad I pushed on. There are a lot of moments like this where you ask why the hell am I doing this? But it’s for that amazing feeling of satisfaction when you make it to the finish.
For everyone who’s familiar with your early days of riding, before you set foot in the world of professional road racing, you were doing some pretty out-there voyages! FKT’s seem to have an innate adventurous nature about them, as they can literally be created by anyone and pieced together to incorporate any distance/terrain/route - would you say that’s part of why it appeals to you?
Exactly! This is what I’ve been doing ever since my 1st bike tour back in 1996 to Bella Coola. I love the fact that these challenges are for everyone and are really about exploring and being creative with your routes.
What are some safety tips you’d recommend people consider when taking on an FKT?
I’d say experience is the number 1 thing for safety. That’s why I recommend starting out small and building up to the longer, more wild adventures. I’d suggest having a decent grasp of bike mechanics is crucial. Understanding nutrition and hydration needs and the resources available on your route are super important. Being aware of the wildlife en route is a good idea as well. Planning stops or rests in areas closer to towns and population, so you don’t have any unnecessary encounters. And lastly, I’d say thoroughly testing your equipment to make sure it’s not going to give you trouble out on your route. It’s definitely something you don’t want to be worrying about.
Preparation is key, both in terms of equipment and route, when setting out for an FKT attempt.
You’re currently running an XTR crankset with the 4iiii PRECISION 3+ Powermeter. How are you using power data when doing your rides (or preparing for them)?
After all these years, I still find power data crucial, especially for these kinds of efforts. Throughout all of my training, it gives me a clear understanding of my burn rate (kilojoules and average watts) throughout a day. This allows me to control my effort so I can keep a steady pace for the entire day. It also allows me to plan my nutrition and gives a clear idea of calories per hour. When you get this dialled, it makes life so much easier. I’m loving the PRECISION 3+ as the battery life is incredible, and I’ve always appreciated 4iiii’s accuracy. I’ve been using them since 2015.
You also host gravel/bike-packing camps currently, I imagine those would incorporate a lot of similar aspects of an FKT experience (minus the racing aspect) - what are those experiences like, for those that might be interested?
Yes, we run gravel camps and road training camps here in the Kootenay Mountains of British Columbia. On our property, we have a cabin with all the services, and we are 15 minutes from Nelson, BC. Each trip can be curated to your group’s needs. We also run 1 on 1 training camps. Trips can be a day out or up to a week. You can choose self-support or fully catered. It’s really up to you what you want to create. I have many route options in this region and can guarantee to keep things interesting each day. Even if you want to take on an FKT challenge! I’m also coaching people for these specific types of efforts as well, and I’m always happy to share what I’ve learned over the years.
Congrats to Svein on the Hall of Fame induction after a storied career, and a big thanks for sharing his insights on another avenue of adventure that the bike can offer us all.
For added inspiration, check out some of Svein’s FKT routes and off-road adventures:
Check out the 4iiii power meter Svein makes use of for his FKT challenges:
