The Visma Ski Classics Summer Challengers events are going on as we speak, and Alliansloppet in Sweden and Ringfrei in Austria will take place this weekend (more of these events later this week). Roller-skiing as a competition format is really on the rise, particularly in Norway and Sweden, and our Pro Team Athletes and World Cup skiers are eagerly facing each other in various races in different countries.
In Finland, this trend has not been as conspicuous as in its neighbor countries, but the Challengers event Lake Saimaa Roller-ski Marathon in Imatra is a great step forward. This two-day event has the women’s class on Saturday, September 11, and on Sunday 12, the men’s race will commence. The length of the classic technique course is 60 km on both days.
In addition to these two races, a special side event is going to organized as well if the weather allows it. Teemu Virtanen, the former Guinness World Record holder of 24-Hour Nordic Skiing and the first one to roller-ski across Finland this summer, will set his sights on accomplishing a new double-poling roller-ski world record. He will start his endeavor at the same time with the women’s race and finish when the men start their 60-kilometer fight.
“I’ll try to re-claim the world record title at the Olympic Stadium in Stockholm, Sweden, this winter, and this is my last rehearsal for that attempt. I’m trying to simulate the best possible conditions that I would hopefully have in Stockholm and see how far I can go on roller-skis and how it really feels now when I’m in better shape than ever before. That will then tell me what to do this fall and how to prepare for the winter so that I can break Hans Mäenpää’s 472 km record,” Teemu says enthusiastically.
More about the Challengers event Lake Saimaa Roller-ski Marathon at https://saimaarollerski.fi/en/lake-saimaa-race
