Morten Eide Pedersen and Ari Luusua will be the male athletes in the new Swedish team, Team Eksjöhus.
As expected, Eide Pedersen takes place in the team and is complemented by the strong Finn Luusua, who ended the season with third place at Årefjällsloppet.
“The goal for me for Season XII is the yellow Champion bib. That’s just the way it is,” says Eide Pedersen in a press release.
When Team Nordic Athlete now becomes Team Eksjöhus, as we wrote about earlier, it was expected that Morten Eide Pedersen would be one of the athletes. The new team now aims for a Pro Team license. With three-time Vasaloppet winner, Oskar Svärd as Pro Team manager the team will be really strong on the men’s side with Finland’s best long distance skier Luusua in next to the Norwegian Pedersen.
33-year-old Morten Eide Pedersen is one of the best athletes in the Pro Tour. He made his first season in Ski Classics already in 2011 and had his breakthrough in 2014/15 when he won Jizerská 50 and finished in fifth place overall. He has finished in the top six the last six seasons.
The goal in the Pro Tour for Season XII is clear for the Norwegian – the overall victory.
“I have raced in Visma Ski Classics at a high level for over ten years. Something I learned is the importance of change and development. I have a great interest in training theory and before each season, I aim to change my training approach. I know what it takes to maintain a high level as a long distance skier, but I always want to develop myself and take my performance to the next level. These are experiences I will share with Team Eksjöhus. The goal for me for the 2021/2022 season is the yellow Champion bib. That’s just the way it is,” Pedersen says in a press release.
Ari Luusua, also 33 years old, is a strong sprinter, Finnish champion in 2018, and one of Finland’s best long distance skiers. Something he proved in Season XI with an impressive fifth place at Vasaloppet and a third place in the season finale Årefjällsloppet. He finished eighth in the Champion competition. In 2019, Luusua was third at Jizerská 50 and he has several placements in the top ten the last three seasons.
“I have always worked hard for success and always worked hard for the team. I take that attitude with me to Team Eksjöhus. I look forward to the next season where the highlights for me are Marcialonga, Vasaloppet and Ylläs-Levi. I aim to make it into the top eight in Season XII and take at least two podium places,” says Luusua.
