Today’s Individual Prologue in Orsa Grönklitt was a 33km mass start race. The Sprint and Climb competitions started here with several chances to collect valuable points for the Season XII. 

For the Champion competition, the standard points were applied, but for the Sprint and Climb competitions, two check points each, Pro skiers got 50% of the standard points.

The women’s race started first and from the beginning the pace was high with Marit Bjørgen, Team Ragde Charge, taking control. With 9.8km into the race, the first Sprint of the season was won by Anikken Gjerde Alnes, Team Ragde Charge, followed by Olga Tsareva, Russian Winter Team, and Britta Johansson Norgren, Lager 157 Ski Team.  

After the first Sprint, Emilie Fleten, Team XPND Fuel, stretched the group, with Johansson Norgren soon taking the lead and winning the second Sprint, followed by Fleten and Lina Korsgren, Team Ramudden.  

The pace was still high after the Sprints and with 15km to go a group of 10 women was formed towards the first Climb of the season, containing Korsgren, Fleten, Dahl, Johansson Norgren, Tsareva, Øyre Slind, Sömskar, Bjørgen and Setlin.

Two kilometers later, Fleten and Astrid moved to the front, preparing their ways for the Climb check point. Astrid started to show her strength and crossed the line first, getting 15 Climb points, followed by Britta Johansson and Ida Dahl. 

Not easing the pace after the climb, Øyre Slind kept in the front, reducing the front group to just 3 more skiers, Johansson Norgren, Korsgren and Dahl. 

With about 6km to go, just before the second Climb of the day, Øyre Slind attacked and got a gap, getting 15 Climb points, with Johansson Norgren and Korsgren now 7 seconds back.

At the 4km mark, Korsgren took the reins of the chase and tried hard to bring Øyre Slind back, but no chance for the duo Korsgren/Johansson Norgren, who were now 12 seconds behind the leader.

At the last kilometer the gap increased to 28 seconds, cementing a great race for Astrid Øyre Slind. At the end, Øyre Slind won the race with the time 1:23:56.0. Britta Johansson Norgren beat Korsgren to take the second position.

The men’s race started after the women’s finish and there was no decisive action until they got to the first Sprint check point, with Ermil Vokuev, Russian Winter Team, setting  a controlled pace from the beginning and throughout the race.

At the first Sprint, Vokuev kept setting the pace and passed first, followed by Stian Berg, Team Kaffebryggeriet, and Marcus Johansson, Lager 157 Ski Team. 

At the second Sprint, Vokuev set the pace again, but this time Mikael Gunnulfsen, Team Koteng Eidissen, was the fastest, getting the Sprint points ahead of Vokuev and Vylegzanin. 

With 15km to go and before the first Climb, Vokuev was still in the front, keeping a high pace and reducing even more the already reduced main group.

For the first Climb, Team Ragde Charge took the lead and set the pace early on, but Vokuev took the reins again and sprinted to win the first Climb points, followed by Kasper Stadaas and Magnus Vesterheim.

Approaching the second Climb of the day, Team Ragde Charge took the lead again and increased the pace, with Max Novak, Team Ramudden, trying to get a break, but at the line, Kasper Stadaas got the points, followed by Vokuev and Novak.

After the Sprint and with 4km to go, Novak together with Sundby and Kardin took the lead and set a fast pace, preparing the small remaining group for the finish sprint.

Under the 1km mark, the tireless Vokuev was back to the front and the action was high, but Emil Persson, Lager 157 Ski Team, was always there, close to the front, and at the finish he was the fastest, winning another Visma Ski Classics event,  followed by Ermil Vokuev, Russian Winter Team in second place and Kasper Stadaas, Team Ragde Charge, in third place.

After this weekend, Britta Johansson Norgren and Emil Persson, both from Lager 157 Team, lead the Champion Bib Competition. Britta Johansson Norgren, Lager 157 Ski Team, is also carrying the green bib of the Sprint Competition, together with Ermil Vokuev, Russian Winter Team.

For the Climb Competition, Astrid Øyre Slind, Team Koteng Eidissen, and Ermil Vokuev, Russian Winter Team, are carrying the bib. The Pink Bib for the best Youth are now resting on the shoulders of Ida Dahl and Max Novak, both from Team Ramudden. And to conclude the weekend, the Veteran bib was handed to Anders Aukland, Team Ragde Charge.

The next Visma Ski Classics event is Tre Cime Criterium, 42km classic, in Italy on January 8, 2022. 

Top 5 today: