By Johan Trygg
Lina Korsgren, Team Ramudden, won Vasaloppet in an imposing way. Lina took the victory six minutes ahead of Britta Johansson Norgren, Lager 157 Ski Team, and was 57th skier in total.
Now the 32-year-old Swede is ready to face her opponents during season XI.
“The preparations are going well. I have been able to follow my plan all the way,” says Lina.
In season X Lina won the Sprint competition and finished 4th in the Champion competition. Her most impressive performance was the victory in Vasaloppet, which ended the shortened season.
This pre-season is the first where Lina has Mattias Reck as a coach. The cycling coach who also trains Team Ramudden’s Max Novak and Ida Dahl, which we wrote about this summer.
“It has been very positive with something new in my training plan. Now I have my training schedule carefully planned day by day. Earlier I trained more on how I felt, even though I trained a lot then as well. I get on well with Reck’s program. The feeling is that I have great speed in my body,” Lina explains.
“One thing that has been positive during this pandemic is that you have been at home all the time. It has been easy to carry out a lot of training and also to have time for recovery,” says Lina.
There has been natural snow in a while now in the Åre area where Lina lives. Åre is located in the middle of Sweden, about 70 km from the Norwegian border. So Lina can train in part of the Årefjällsloppet course.
“There is not so much snow yet, maybe 20 centimeters, but all tracks are groomed, so it’s great.”
Have you simulated some competitions in preparation for season XI, when there were no races to attend?
“Yes, there have been some such occasions. Ida (Dahl) and I did a training race against each other a few weeks ago, and yesterday we were some elite skiers here who did a training race of 42 km. I had a good feeling in that race,” Lina says.
How much do you longing to compete in a Pro Tour race now?
“A lot! But it’s a mixed feeling; you get nervous too. You have no idea how you stand against the other athletes, but I am really looking forward to the start of the season XI,” Lina concludes.
