The Pro Tour skier athlete, currently racing at the Tour de Ski, impresses the rivals and international media.
Astrid Øyre Slind, Team Aker Dæhlie, goal is to qualify for the 30km race at the World Championship in Planica, Slovenia, and then win the 90 kilometers long Vasaloppet the following day. For Astrid, the Ski Classics Yellow bib is not the only goal this season:
“The Yellow bib is not my biggest goal this year. It becomes difficult to combine the races in Ski Classics and the World Cup because they often run on the same weekends, said Øyre Slind in a Ski Classics press conference before the Bad Gastein weekend in December.
“If I get the opportunity to go to the World Championships, I will do it. And then I go to Vasaloppet too, because it will be a bonus anyway. Ida (Dahl) can suddenly think of doing the same, too,” says Astrid to NRK.
Dahl Is Unsure
Ida Dahl, Team Engcon, leads the Ski Classics after the first two individual stages. Before Christmas, she also received the National Team invitation to be part of the Swedish team for Tour de Ski 2022/2023.
“It feels great and exciting to be invited to Tour de Ski. At the same time, Ski Classics is my main focus this season, so I don’t want my results there to be negatively affected by skiing the Tour. And I don’t think it will, Ida Dahl told Langd.se at Christmas.
Read More: Dahl About Tour de Ski: “A Fun Christmas Bonus”
However, Dahl has not considered participating in the World Championships, as she is fully committed to Vasaloppet. The distance between Planica and Sälen is 1,750 kilometers – too far, she thinks:
“I think it can be difficult, but it’s clear, if you have the form, you can do most things,” says Dahl to NRK.
If she gets a World Championships invitation, however, the Pro Tour skier says she won’t say no to it:
“I haven’t thought of that, so I must have some time to think. But it would have been difficult to turn down a World Championships.”
Earlier today, Ida Dahl chose to leave Tour de Ski after some tough days in Oberstdorf, Germany:
“Now that we see that she does not have the opportunity to reach top positions in the Tour overall and she feels tired, she should be allowed to leave and travel home,” says the Swedish National Team Manager Anders Byström to Viaplay.
NRK’s cross-country skiing expert, Torgeir Bjørn, says that it is demanding to combine long-distance and traditional cross-country skiing, but it can be relevant:
“Imagine winning a medal in the 30km race on Saturday and then winning Vasaloppet the following day. It would be enjoyable if such a doubling succeeded. Then she will become historic.”
However, Bjørn believes that if Astrid chooses to invest in the World Championships, it will affect the preparations for Vasaloppet:
“If she chooses to prioritize going for a medal in the World Ski Championships, she will probably be less prepared for Vasaloppet the following day,” and continues:
“But at the same time, this can really trigger athletes, doing something almost impossible.”
The upcoming Ski Classics Pro Tour event is Pustertaler Ski Marathon, a 62km classic technique event in Italy on January 14, followed by Prato Piazza Mountain Challenge, a 30km race also in Italy on January 15, 2023.
Ski Classics Pro Tour Season XIV (2022/2023)
- Event 1: December 10, 2022 – Bad Gastein PTT, Bad Gastein, Austria, 15km
- Event 2: December 11, 2022 – Bad Gastein Criterium, Bad Gastein, Austria, 35km
- Event 3: December 17, 2022 – La Venosta Criterium, Val Venosta, Italy, 36km
- Event 4: January 14, 2023 – Pustertaler Ski Marathon, Sexten, Italy, 62km
- Event 5: January 15, 2023 – Prato Piazza Mountain Challenge, Niederdorf, Italy, 30km
- Event 6: January 21, 2023 – Engadin La Diagonela, Engadin Valley, Switzerland, 55km
- Event 7: January 29, 2023 – Marcialonga, Trentino, Italy, 70km
- Event 8: February 12, 2023 – Jizerská50, Bedrichov, Czech Republic, 50km
- Event 9: February 18, 2023 – Grönklitt Criterium, Orsa Grönklitt, Sweden, 50km
- Event 10: February 19, 2023 – Grönklitt ITT, Orsa Grönklitt, Sweden, 15km
- Event 11: March 5, 2023 – Vasaloppet, Sälen-Mora, Sweden, 90km
- Event 12: March 18, 2023 – Birkebeinerrennet, Rena-Lillehammer, Norway, 54km
- Event 13: April 1, 2023 – Reistadløpet, Setermoen-Bardufoss, Norway, 40km
- Event 14: April 2, 2023 – Summit 2 Senja, Bardufoss- Finnsnes, Norway, 67km
More info about the Ski Classics Pro Tour you can find at skiclassics.com.
Photo: Reichert/NordicFocus
