By Teemu Virtanen
This weekend’s Kaiser Maximilian Lauf offered a lot of action, a tight sprint finish and a superior performance by one Swede. Team Ramudden’s Lina Korsgren dominated the women’s field and showed that she is ready to challenge both Britta Johansson Norgren, Lager 157 Ski Team, and Astrid Øyre Slind, Team Koteng, in the remaining races of the season. After the second sprint at 43 km, she joined the passing lead group of men and followed them all the way to the end of the Leutasch valley leaving Britta and Astrid far behind.
Lina now has three Visma Ski Classics victories under her belt. She won Jizerska Padesatka last year, and in 2018 she became the queen of Vasaloppet, which naturally was a dream come true for her. Let’s go back to the race on Saturday and let Lina tell us how it all happened. At the same token, she will also shed some light on the secret of her team’s on-going success.
Can you describe the race from your perspective?
“I had a great feeling in my body before the start and during the race. I realized early on that I also had good skis. So, Saturday’s race was a perfect combination of a strong body, great mental balance, fast skis and wonderful service throughout the course.”
Was your attack premeditated or you just saw an opportunity and grabbed it?
”My attack was not something I had planned in my mind. I went by my instinct. I saw an opportunity and took it!”
Were you surprised that both Britta and Astrid had no chance to respond to your move?
“When I decided to go with the guys, I never looked back. I didn’t known that the gap had become so big until we hit the last climb.”
How do you like Kaiser Maximilian Lauf in general?
”I like Seefeld and Kaiser Maximilian Lauf. The town is great and there are great tracks there. The race has often felt tough for me even if I think I have improved every year we’ve been here.”
What did you do over the holiday break to tweak your body to this performace?
”I have felt great in my body after the three-week period in high altitude in Livigno and Venosta. I have taken an advantage of that feeling, trained well with confidence, raced two local races at home and been in great balance ever since.”
What are you expecting from the next race La Diagonela and the whole season?
”I’ll take one race at a time. Now, I know that my shape if good and I hope that I can continue to use my full potential in the races to come.”
Which one your Visma Ski Classics victories is the dearest to you?
”All my three victories are special. Every time I’ve won, I have been able to finish well ahead of the other girls. It’s a great feeling that lifts you up for the whole day!”
Your team is on a roll now - tell us about Ida, Jenny, Max and Johannes?
”I think we’ve shown that we are on the right path with the team and our skiers feel that we have faith in them. Ida, Jenny, Max and Johannes are hungry and unafraid, and those qualities are very good to have in long distance skiing.
How does your team keep the ball rolling through the season?
”We will keep having fun between the races. It is important that everyone feels secure in the team so that they can perform well on the weekends. We are standing on a solid ground and we continue building our team.”
Finally, what is your favorite race in the Pro Tour?
”All races are unique but Vasaloppet is the most unique!”
