Ski Classics Grand Finale Janteloppet, the 15th and final stage in the Ski Classics Pro Tour Season XV, took place this Saturday in Norway. With superior performances, Emilie Fleten, Team Ramudden, and Torleif Syrstad, Lager 157 Ski Team, won the challenging 93km long-distance race. Overall, Emilie Fleten, Team Ramudden, and Johan Hoel, Team Ragde Charge, are the Champions of Season XV. Read the race report and check all the bib winners.

FINAL SKI CLASSICS STANDINGS SEASON XV – ALL BIB WINNERS

Ski Classics Pro Tour ended with Grand Finale Janteloppet this weekend. The world’s best long-distance skiers, winners of the Yellow Champion bibs, were Norwegian in both genders. Johan Hoel, Team Ragde Charge, and Emilie Fleten, Team Ramudden, completed a remarkable season.

CHAMPION COMPETITION

Johan Hoel, Team Ragde Charge, secured the Champion bib for the season with 2066 points, followed by his teammate Kasper Stadaas with 1947 points. The third place overall went to another Team Ragde Charge skier, Andreas Nygaard, with a total of 1594 points.

Emilie Fleten, Team Ramudden, secured the overall Champion title, finishing Season XV with 2565 points. She was followed by Kati Roivas, Team Eksjöhus, with 2063 points. Third place overall went to Magni Smedås, also from Team Eksjöhus, with 1794 points.

SPRINT COMPETITION

After two Sprint checkpoints at Janteloppet, Amund Hoel, Team Engcon, secured the Green bib overall with 226 points.

Alfred Buskqvist, Team Ramudden, finished second with 181 points, and Simen Ramstad, Team Kaffebryggeriet, finished third with 171 points.

After Janteloppet, Emilie Fleten, Team Ramudden, is the Green Sprint bib overall winner with 379 points. Anniken Gjerde Alnæs, Team Ragde Charge, finished in second place with 238 points, and Magni Smedås, Team Eksjöhus, third place with 189 points.

CLIMB COMPETITION

Johan Hoel, Team Ragde Charge, with 214 points, and Emilie Fleten, Team Ramudden, with 360 points, secured the overall win in the Climb Competition.

On the men’s side, Johan Hoel, Team Ragde Charge, won the Climb competition with 214 points. Thomas Ødegaarden, Team Eksjöhus, was in second place with 162 points, followed by Thomas Bing, eD system Silvini Team, in third place, with 146 points.

In the women’s Climb competition, Emilie Fleten, Team Ramudden, won with 360 points. Kati Roivas, Team Eksjöhus, was in second place with 191 points, followed by Magni Smedås, Team Eksjöhus, in third with 178 points.

YOUTH COMPETITION

The Pink bibs in the Youth Competition Season XV were secured by Thomas Ødegaarden, Team Eksjöhus, and Karolina Hedenström, Lager 157 Ski Team, with 1580 and 1598 points, respectively.

On the men’s side, Thomas Ødegaarden, Team Eksjöhus, ended Season XV with 1580 points. Axel Jutterström, Team Eksjöhus, finished in second place with 1464 points, and Amund Riege, Team Ramudden, with 1241 points, was third place for the Youth bib overall.

Karolina Hedenström, Lager 157 Ski Team, secured the Pink Youth bib with 1598 points. Hanna Lodin, Team Engcon, finished in second place with 1437 points, followed by Julie Kvale Støstad, Team Næringsbanken Stora Enso, in third place for the Pink bib with 1243 points.

PRO TEAM COMPETITION

Team Eksjöhus won the Pro Team Competition Season XV with 2783 points. Second place is Team Ramudden, with 2195 points. Team Ragde Charge finished in third place overall with 2149 points after Janteloppet.

Check skiclassics.com for overall standings and all about Ski Classics.

JANTELOPPET RACE REPORT

On a scenic spring day, the men started at 8:00 CET and the women five minutes later at 8:05 CET. The action started early, and there was a thrilling race among men and women to the finish, with Torleif Syrstad, Lager 157 Ski Team, and Emilie Fleten, Team Ramudden, winning the Grand Finale Janteloppet, the 15th and final stage of Ski Classics Season XV.

JANTELOPPET – MEN’S RACE

In the men’s race, the speed was high but controlled from the beginning, with several skiers from several Pro Teams taking the reins and stretching the field at the front.

At the day’s first checkpoint at Buåsen, 14.6km into the race, the front group was still big and compact, with all the favorites at the front. Amund Riege, Team Ramudden, crossed first, followed by his teammate Alfred Buskqvist, 1.0 seconds back, and Henrik Arntzen Joks, Team Næringsbanken Stora Enso, 1.7 seconds behind.

Heading to the sprint checkpoint and with about 75km to go, Alfred Buskqvist increased the pace and tried his luck to gain a gap, but he soon was brought back.

At the first Sprint & Team Sprint checkpoint of the day at Mosetertoppen, 23.2km into the race, Simen Ramstad, Team Kaffebryggeriet crossed first, taking maximum points, followed by Alfred Buskqvist, Team Ramudden, 0.8 seconds back, and Amund Riege, Team Ramudden, 1.3 seconds behind.

Right after the sprint, a selected group of skiers hit the front, with Axel Jutterström setting the pace and stretching the field. With about 60km to go, a 21-strong skiers’ group was in the lead, with Thomas Ødegaarden, Team Eksjöhus, the first chaser, 19 seconds back.

At the Buåsen checkpoint, 37.8km into the race, a solid group of 17 skiers was on the front, with Morten Eide Pedersen, Team Eksjöhus, crossing first, followed by Andrew Musgrave, Team Aker Dæhlie, 0.9 seconds behind, and Andreas Nygaard, Team Ragde Charge, 1.3 seconds back.

At the second and final Ski Classics Sprint & Team Sprint checkpoint of the day and the season, within 46.4km into the race, Axel Jutterström, Team Eksjöhus, crossed first and got maximum points, followed by Andrew Musgrave, Team Aker Dæhlie, and Amund Riege, Team Ramudden. Only 16 skiers were on the front group within 18.1 seconds, with the first chasers 1:38.6 down.

With the sprint results, Amund Hoel, Team Engcon, sealed the victory at the Green Sprint competition overall with 226 points. Alfred Buskqvist, Team Ramudden, finished in second place with 181 points, followed by Simen Ramstad, Team Kaffebryggeriet, in third place with 171 points.

Right after the sprint, with 45km to go, Novak, Musgrave, Jutterström, and Riege formed a four-skier group. A few more skiers tried to close the gap, and there was a lot of action at the front. With about 33km to go, Skaug Mathisen picked up the pace and got a gap over the chasers behind Novak, Riege, Jutterström, Syrstad, Pedersen, Nygaard, and Hoel.

At the Buåsen checkpoint, 61km into the race, Max Novak crossed first, followed by Axel Jutterström, 0.9 seconds back, and Runar Skaug Mathisen, 6.1 seconds behind. Eight skiers were within 32 seconds, with one chaser 1:30 back and another group more than three minutes behind the leaders.

With 23.4km to go at Mosetertoppen, the Lager 157 Ski Team dominated. Torleif Syrstad pushed hard and crossed first, closely followed by Runar Skaug Mathisen 1.5 seconds back. Axel Jutterström crossed third, 19.8 seconds back, with Max Novak 20.6 seconds behind the leader.

With 9.5km to go, Syrstad looked strong, upped the pace at an uphill, and left Skaug Mathisen behind.

At the final time crossing the Buåsen checkpoint, 84.2km into the race, Syrstad crossed first, with Skaug Mathisen in second, 44.4 seconds back. The third position was Novak, 2:06.1 behind.

In the end, Torleif Syrstad, Lager 157 Ski Team, paced himself perfectly to win his second-ever Pro Tour event in superior performance, in a total time of 4:07:38.5.

After a huge work to the line, Runar Skaug Mathisen, Lager 157 Ski Team, took second place, 2:50.9 back. A remarkable performance from Max Novak, Team Aker Dæhlie, earned him third place on the podium, 3:19.8 behind the winner.

Janteloppet – Top 5 Men

1. Torleif Syrstad, Lager 157 Ski Team, 4:07:38.5
2. Runar Skaug Mathisen, Lager 157 Ski Team, +2:50.9
3. Max Novak, Team Aker Dæhlie, +3:19.8
4. Andreas Nygaard, Team Ragde Charge, +5:20.1 
5. Morten Eide Pedersen, Team Eksjöhus, +5:22.9

Janteloppet results can be found HERE

JANTELOPPET – WOMEN’S RACE

In the women’s race, which started five minutes after the men at 8:05 CET, the speed was controlled right out from the start, with a big group of about 25 skiers at the front in the first few kilometers.

At the first checkpoint of the day at Buåsen, 14.6km into the race, Emilie Fleten, Team Ramudden, crossed first, followed by Swiss cross-country skier Nadine Fähndrich, 12.0 seconds behind, and Kati Roivas, Team Eksjöhus, 13.2 seconds back.

Soon after the checkpoint and with about 78km to go, Fleten could increase the pace on an uphill and the gap, which quickly put her in a promising long-range solo move. With 71.6km remaining, Fleten was already 1:12 ahead of the chasers.

At the first Sprint & Team Sprint checkpoint of the day at the 23.2km mark in Mosetertoppen, Emilie Fleten, Team Ramudden, crossed first, followed by Magni Smedås, Team Eksjöhus, 1:16.4 behind, and Anniken Gjerde Alnæs, Team Ragde Charge, 1:16.4 back, with seven women in the first chasing group within 1:45.5 behind the leader and Astrid Øyre Slind, Team Aker Dæhlie, unfortunately abandoning the race.

At Buåsen checkpoint, 37.8km into the race, Fleten crossed first, with Roivas 4:52.6 behind and Fähndrich in third and the same time back. About five kilometers later, Fleten was already 5:33 ahead of the chasers.

At the second Sprint & Team Sprint point of the day, within 46.4km into the race, Emilie Fleten crossed first. With a gap of 6:23.2, Anikken Gjerde Alnæs was second, with Karolina Hedenström following 6:23.7 behind the leader.

With the sprint results, Emilie Fleten, Team Ramudden, won the Green Sprint competition overall with 379 points. Anikken Gjerde Alnæs, Team Ragde Charge, finished in second place with 238 points, followed by Magni Smedås, Team Eksjöhus, in third place with 189 points.

When the leading Pro Team athlete reached the Buåsen checkpoint at the 61km mark, Fleten had a lead of 8:14.2 over Hedenström and 10:15:0 ahead of Fähndrich. From there, the women’s race was about Emilie Fleten in the lead and the chasers behind fighting for the remaining podium places.

At Mosetertoppen, 69.6km into the race, Fleten crossed first, followed by Hedenström and Fähndrich, 8:32.4 and 12:03.5 behind, respectively.

At the last time crossing the Buåsen checkpoint, within 84.2km into the race, Fleten was strong in the lead. The gap was still solid, and the lead was 7:32.3 over Hedenström and 13:40.5 over Fähndrich.

In the end, after a challenging 93km race, Emilie Fleten, Team Ramudden, won Janteloppet with a solid performance. Fleten paced herself perfectly to win this year’s longest Pro Tour event in superior performance, in a total time of 4:46:58.1. With the win, Fleten confirmed podium places in all events in Season XV.

Second place went to Karolina Hedenström, Lager 157 Ski Team, 8:39.1 back. Nadine Fähndrich, Swiss National Team, completed the podium in the third position, 13:47.9 behind the winner.

Janteloppet – Top 5 Women

1. Emilie Fleten, Team Ramudden, 4:46:58.1
2. Karolina Hedenström, Lager 157 Ski Team, +8:39.1
3. Nadine Fähndrich, Swiss National Team, +13:47.9
4. Kati Roivas, Team Eksjöhus, +14:44.6
5. Hanna Lodin, Team Engcon, +16:10.0

Janteloppet results can be found HERE

The Season XV of Ski Classics Pro Tour consisted of 15 events on 11 event weekends in 6 different countries. The season started in Bad Gastein, Austria, on December 9, 2023, and ended in Norway with the 93km Ski Classics Grand Finale Janteloppet on April 13, 2024.

SKI CLASSICS PRO TOUR SEASON XV (2023/2024)

• Event 1: December 9, 2023 – Bad Gastein PTT, Austria, 13km
• Event 2: December 10, 2023 – Bad Gastein Criterium, Austria, 36km
• Event 3: December 16, 2023 – La Venosta Criterium, Italy, 37km
• Event 4: December 17, 2023 – La Venosta ITT, Italy, 10km
• Event 5: January 13, 2024 – 3 Zinnen Ski Marathon, Italy, 62km
• Event 6: January 20, 2024 – Engadin La Diagonela, Switzerland, 55km
• Event 7: January 28, 2024 – Marcialonga, Italy, 70km
• Event 8: February 11, 2024 – Jizerská50, Czech Republic, 50km
• Event 9: February 17, 2024 – Grönklitt Classic, Sweden, 60km
• Event 10: February 18, 2024 – Grönklitt ITT, Sweden, 13km
• Event 11: March 3, 2024 – Vasaloppet, Sweden, 90km
• Event 12: March 16, 2024 – Birkebeinerrennet, Norway, 54km
• Event 13: April 6, 2024 – Reistadløpet, Norway, 50km
• Event 14: April 7, 2024 – Summit 2 Senja, Norway, 60km
• Event 15: April 13, 2024 – Ski Classics Grand Finale – Janteloppet, Norway, 93km

More information about the Ski Classics Pro Tour can be found at skiclassics.com

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Photos: Reichert/NordicFocus