Kainuu Kainuu MTBO Week Returns to Its Roots – Experience the Superb Pine Forests of Hyrynsalmi and Suomussalmi in Summer 2026

Published: 20.02.2026

The idea for the Kainuu MTBO Week, held alongside the traditional Kainuu Orienteering Week, took shape in 2020. The inaugural event was a two-day competition in Suomussalmi in July 2021, explains Mika Häkkinen, the Event Director and developer of the MTBO Week.

"The event received excellent feedback, which encouraged us to organize the first full four-day MTB-O week in Puolanka in 2022. Now, after editions in Kuhmo, Kajaani, and Sotkamo, the circle is closing: the sixth Kainuu MTBO Week will be held from June 28th to July 3rd, 2026, on the magnificent, trail-rich pine heaths of Hyrynsalmi and Suomussalmi," Häkkinen says enthusiastically.

Over the past five years, the Kainuu MTB-O Week has established its place in the annual mountain bike orienteering calendar. The number of participants has hovered around 200, and with more than 50 recreational orienteers joining during the off-days, the week sees a total of approximately 1,000 individual race starts.

"Our record attendance so far was in Kajaani two years ago, when we had nearly 300 participants – 298 individuals to be exact," Häkkinen adds.

A defining feature of the event, from its initial conception to its annual execution, has been the successful and steadily growing cooperation between the Kainuu Orienteering Week Association and local orienteering clubs. Following the first two-day "test run," this partnership has expanded into marketing, prize sponsorships, and, whenever possible, shared competition centers. Over the years, 20 new MTB-O maps have been produced, remaining in the ownership and use of local clubs.

The 2026 Kainuu MTBO Week will be held as a split event between Hyrynsalmi and Suomussalmi. The week kicks off with a fast-paced sprint in the centre of Hyrynsalmi and the surrounding pine forests. The following day features a middle-distance race in the terrains of the driving training track and Multimäki. Both competitions take place on brand-new maps in areas never before used for mountain bike orienteering.

After a rest day, the race week heads to Suomussalmi, returning to the very roots of the event. First, a long-distance race will be held at the Haverinen Ski Center, followed by a middle-distance finale in the Lomakylä-Hietasärkät area.

"We organized the first-ever two-day pilot event in these same terrains five years ago," Event Director Häkkinen recalls. "I can promise a fantastic mountain bike orienteering experience this summer, both in the competitive classes and the more relaxed recreational categories."

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