The eleventh Visma Ski Classics Challengers event of the season, Toblach-Cortina Skating, took place today in Italy. The 32km skating race was a scene for beautiful landscapes and a lot of action along the course between the Nordic Arena in Toblach and city center of Cortina d’Ampezzo.

With a bright sun, blue skies and temperature around zero, Pro Tour athletes and recreational skiers set off at 9:30am to face the fast skating course of Toblach-Cortina Skating.

Pro Tour athlete Céline Chopard Lallier, Team Nordique Crédit Agricole Franche Comté, winner of last month Les Belles Combes Challengers event and Raul Shakirzyanov, Team 41 Region, second place at Vasaloppet China Challengers event at the beginning of January, where the first skiers to cross the finish line.

In the men’s race, Raul Shakirzyanov, Team 41 Region had a tough fight to the last meters with Pro Tour athlete Tord Asle Gjerdalen, Team Ragde Eiendom, with Shakirzyanov beating Gjerdalen on the line for first place with a time of 1:15:24.6, leaving Gjerdalen in second position. Third place went to Niklas Liederer, Adidas-XCS Team, sprinting the field 28 seconds after the leaders.

In the women's race, the competition was also exciting. Pro Tour athlete Céline Chopard Lallier, Team Nordique Crédit Agricole Franche Comté, completed the 32km skating race in 1:22:32.0, giving no chance to the rest of the field. Second place went to Pro Tour athlete Jenny Larsson, Team Ramudden, with Anna Seebacher, Adidas-XCS Team, completing the podium in third place.

Toblach-Cortina Skating results can be found at https://vismaskiclassics.com/results/

Next Visma Ski Classics Challengers event is La Transjurassienne in France on February 9. Live results will be available in the Visma Ski Classics Live Center on https://vismaskiclassics.com/livecenter/