Emil Persson, Lager 157 Ski Team, hoped to start in the yellow bib at Vasaloppet. After his superb sprint that led him to victory at Jizerká 50 on Sunday, he gets to do it and has a continued possibility for a Grand Slam.
"It will be a great feeling to start Vasaloppet in yellow," says the 25-year-old Swede Emil Persson.
When we talk to Emil Persson, it has been a few days since his second victory in a row. Persson has now won the first two Grand Classics races in season XI, and soon he starts to build up against the third Grand Classics event, Vasaloppet, on March 7th.
"I have been visited here at home in Östersund by "Maccan" (teammate Marcus Johansson who lives a little more than 700 km south in Sweden). We will soon start to prepare for Vasaloppet," says Persson.
Emil, take us back to the race this Sunday. It looked like it was close that you had to drop the leading group at the climb point Smutná Louka after 32.4 km?
"Yes, I lose about ten meters there at the top. Luckily it didn't become more than that because it would have been difficult to catch them again in that case."
Emil pushed what he had after the climb point simultaneously as the athletes in front slowed down a bit for a moment, and he was back in the group again.
Even down towards the end of the race, it was close that Persson had to give up a few times in the battle with the five other athletes in the leading group: Ermil Vokuev and Maxim Vylegshanin, Russian Winter Team, Oskar Kardin and Petter Eliassen, Team Ragde Eiendom and Tord Asle Gjerdalen, Team XPND Fuel of Norway.
"I struggled when, for example, Kardin and Vokuev pushed really hard. With one kilometer to go, I tried to pass Gjerdalen but only manage to get beside him and had to back down again."
However, Persson was hopeful when the race was going to be decided. After the start, he felt that his skis worked well in that part of the course and how sharp he is in a sprint finish we all know.
"I got it perfect in front of the final stretch and was able to build up a lot of speed. When I came up alongside Gjerdalen, I had higher speed than him and could just continue," says Emil, and makes it sound easy.
In his build-up towards Vasaloppet, Emil chooses to take it easy with the training this week.
"You could say that I reset a bit, and I will then train more and more towards Vasaloppet and get the body in the right mood."
Will Emil also be able to win Vasloppet and keep the dream of a Grand Slam alive even for the Birkebeinerennet? Last winter, Emil was 18th at Vasaloppet, his best result in the race.
"At Vasaloppet, it becomes even more important to have strong teammates to succeed because it is such a long race and with the course profile of the race. I think my teammates will increase a few percent until then. It will be great," Persson concludes.
